On November 8-11, 2011, the third workshop on Leprosy Management Information System (LEPMIS) in China took place in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. The workshop was organized by National Center for Leprosy Control, China CDC (NCLC) and financially supported by Netherlands Leprosy Relief. Ten participants from NCLC, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and invited expert from Jiangxi and Hunan provinces attended the workshop.

The major contents of the workshop were to (1) Optimize limits of authority for users; (2) Develop statistical forms for yearly leprosy report, including leprosy epidemiological situation, report form of leprosy responsible institute and leprosy villages; (3) Improve the reporting and confirming processes for general information. Prof. Zhang Guocheng, Deputy Director General of the NCLC. Prof. Yan Liangbing, Director of Department for Leprosy Control, and Prof. Shen Jianping, a senior staff of NCLC, participated the workshop.

Facilitated by Dr Yu Meiwen, one of Leprosy Managers in NCLC, the workshop was carried out through plenary meeting, group work and section presentation. The objectives and contents of the workshop were introduced to participants at the beginning of the workshop.

Firstly, the limits of authority of various users were discussed and approved. 1) The limits of authority were combined with management areas and management level; 2) The levels include national level, provincial level, prefecture level and county level which can locate to specific areas; 3) the leprosy hospital users will be added into the system for those belonged or not belonged to leprosy institutes. For those users can only report cases or information in the hospital. If the hospitals also take some tasks in leprosy control in community, another user can be opened for them; 4) To close part of function for information management users, such as export database; 5) To develop super management function to provincial system manager and the function will be discussed with the users. All the discussed limits of authority will be opened to users at the beginning of 2012.

Secondly, the participants were divided into two groups for developing report forms and improving processes. The essential forms were designed during the workshop and they will be temporary opened to users in November 30 for testing and will official opened in January 1, 2012. After discussion, the participants decided to close the modules for population data reporting and conforming. The population will be imported by NCLC and the data resource will be form Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention. The modules for general information reporting and confirming were discussed and decided during the workshop. The discussed modules were updated before closing of the workshop and will be improving after using.

After 4 days work, the workshop reached the task planed at the beginning of workshop. The workshop was successful which push the development of LEPMIS.