Assessing Lymphatic Filariasis Data Quality in Endemic Communities in Ghana, Using the Neglected Tropical Diseases Data Quality Assessment Tool for Preventive Chemotherapy.

Dziedzom K De Souza,Collins Ahorlu,Eric Yirenkyi,Joseph Otchere,Donne K Ameme,Samuel Sackey,Nana-Kwadwo Biritwum,Michael D Wilson,Patrick J Lammie

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004590

Abstract

BackgroundThe activities of the Global Programme for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis have been in operation since the year 2000, with Mass Drug Administration (MDA) undertaken yearly in disease endemic communities. Information collected during MDA–such as population demographics, age, sex, drugs used and remaining, and therapeutic and geographic coverage–can be used to assess the quality of the data reported. To assist country programmes in evaluating the information reported, the WHO, in collaboration with NTD partners, including ENVISION/RTI, developed an NTD Data Quality Assessment (DQA) tool, for use by programmes. This study was undertaken to evaluate the tool and assess the quality of data reported in some endemic communities in Ghana.MethodsA cross sectional study, involving review of data registers and interview of drug distributors, disease control officers, and health information officers using the NTD DQA tool, was carried out in selected communities in three LF endemic Districts in Ghana. Data registers for service delivery points were obtained from District health office for assessment. The assessment verified reported results in comparison with recounted values for five indicators: number of tablets received, number of tablets used, number of tablets remaining, MDA coverage, and population treated. Furthermore, drug distributors, disease control officers, and health information officers (at the first data aggregation level), were interviewed, using the DQA tool, to determine the performance of the functional areas of the data management system.FindingsThe results showed that over 60% of the data reported were inaccurate, and exposed the challenges and limitations of the data management system. The DQA tool is a very useful monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tool that can be used to elucidate and address data quality issues in various NTD control programmes.

Highlights

The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) started its activities in the year 2000, with the aims of eliminating lymphatic filariasis (LF) as a public health problem by the year 2020, through mass drug administration (MDA) in endemic implementation units (IU) [1]
During the treatments various information is collected on the populations, number of medicine tablets distributed and remaining, the number of people treated, etc. that can be used to evaluate the performance of the lymphatic filariasis control programme
The World Health Organization in collaboration with other agencies developed a tool for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) to help national control programmes assemble and analyse their data

Summary

Introduction

The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) started its activities in the year 2000, with the aims of eliminating lymphatic filariasis (LF) as a public health problem by the year 2020, through mass drug administration (MDA) in endemic implementation units (IU) [1]. In many countries significant progress has been made in controlling the disease; many programmatic challenges continue to affect the performance of National LF Control Programmes Notable among these is the effective implementation of the preventive chemotherapy strategy in endemic communities [2, 3]. During the MDA various data are collected at various levels to help in the planning and improvement of activities As such high quality becomes the prerequisite for better information, better decision-making and better population health [7]. The activities of the Global Programme for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis have been in operation since the year 2000, with Mass Drug Administration (MDA) undertaken yearly in disease endemic communities.

Methods

Results

Conclusion