Health informatics from theory to practice: lessons from a case study in a developing country.

Implementation of IT in developing countries has had successes and failures. The theory of successful implementation has mainly been researched in developed countries. There is now evidence that there are other issues that are of importance to developing country health systems. Case studies allow us to identify pitfalls that implementors can fall into. The implementation of a computerized Field Health Information System in the Philippines provides insight into some factors of importance. While there are similarities to issues in developed countries, there are also many differences.