Introduction of a microcomputer for health research in a developing country--the Bangladesh experience

In November 1984, a powerful microcomputer was taken to Dhaka, Bangladesh, to aid health professionals at the National Institute for Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM) in processing and analyzing locally derived health data. It was anticipated that this installation and an accompanying workshop on the analysis of health, population, and family planning data by microcomputer would enable the faculty at NIPSOM to share the results of their research with other public health and medical colleagues, provide administrators with timely analyses for policy or program implementation, and assist with internal management of information essential to the workings of the institute. This paper provides (a) a brief overview of NIPSOM and its recognized need for computing assistance, (b) a brief description of the 2-week workshop, (c) a description of the assembled software and hardware, and (d) a summary of the experience and the various problems encountered in bringing the computer to Dhaka and in teaching its use to educated health professionals with no prior computer contact.