ImmGNU Health is an open-source software project developed by GNU Solidario to support healthcare professionals, institutions, and individuals in assessing and improving health across various domains, from social determinants to precision medicine. Originating in 2006, GNU Health provides an ecosystem of components for diverse healthcare needs, including public health, hospital management, laboratory systems, personal health records, and even federated health networks. This project integrates social medicine principles, making healthcare accessible to underprivileged populations and providing the technology to address both individual and public health.
Key Components of the GNU Health Ecosystem
- Hospital Management (HMIS): Provides an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Health Information System (HIS) for healthcare practitioners, with modules for primary care, diagnostics, surgery, genetics, and more.
- Laboratory Management (GNU LIMS): A Laboratory Information Management System, also known as Occhiolino, that supports lab analysis and integrates with patient records and financial management.
- Personal Health Record (MyGNUHealth): A privacy-focused application empowering individuals to manage their health data, accessible on both mobile and desktop platforms.
- Federated Health Networks (GNU Health Federation): Enables the creation of large-scale, community-based health networks, linking data across regions or even countries.
- Single-Board Computer (SBC) Integration: GNU Health can run on small, affordable devices, supporting real-time monitoring and data collection, beneficial for resource-limited settings.
- Social Medicine: Emphasizes universal healthcare access and addresses social determinants of health, recognizing that health disparities often result from socioeconomic inequalities.
GNU Health, an official GNU project, has received the Free Software Foundation award for Social Benefit and is widely adopted globally in hospitals, governments, and research institutions. The project hosts annual events such as GNU Health Con and IWEEE (International Workshop on e-Health in Emerging Economies) to bring together the global community working toward equitable healthcare.
