Abstract This paper explores the debate and initiatives concerning the use of information technology (IT) in primary health care in
developing countries. The literature from 1992–2002 was identified from searches of the MEDLINE, Latin American and Caribbean
Health Science Literature Database (LILACS), Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases. The search identified 884 references,
350 of which were classified according to the scheme described by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). For the analysis
of advantages, problems and perspectives of IT applications and systems, 52 articles were selected according to their potential
contribution to the primary health-care processes in non-developed countries. These included: 10 on electronic patient registries
(EPR), 22 on process and programmatic action evaluation and management systems (PPAEM) and 20 on clinical decision-support
systems (CDS). The main advantages, limitations and perspectives are discussed.
Keywords Primary health care; Information technology; Information systems/utilization; Decision support systems, Clinical/utilization;
Medical records systems, Computerized/utilization; Education, Distance; Telemedicine/utilization; Review literature; Developing countries
(source: MeSH, NLM).
Mots clés Soins santé primaire; Technologie de l’information; Système information/utilisation; Système informatique aide décision
clinique/utilisation; Dossier médical informatisé/utilisation; Enseignement à distance; Télémédecine/utilisation; Revue de la littérature;
Pays en développement (source: MeSH, INSERM).
Palabras clave Atención primaria de salud; Tecnología de la información; Sistemas de información/utilización; Sistemas de apoyo
a decisiones clínicas/utilización; Sistemas de registros médicos computarizados/utilización; Educación a distancia; Telemedicina/
utilización; Literatura de revisión; Países en desarrollo (fuente: DeCS, BIREME).