Assessment of quality of routine health information system data and associated factors among departments in public health facilities of Harari region, Ethiopia

Negga Baraki,Hirbo Shore Roba,Adisu Tafari Shama,Teferi Gebru Gebremeskel,Admas Abera Abaerei

doi:10.1186/s12911-021-01651-2

Abstract

BackgroundDespite the improvements in the knowledge and understanding of the role of health information in the global health system, the quality of data generated by a routine health information system is still very poor in low and middle-income countries. There is a paucity of studies as to what determines data quality in health facilities in the study area. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the quality of routine health information system data and associated factors in public health facilities of Harari region, Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in all public health facilities in the Harari region of Ethiopia. The department-level data were collected from respective department heads through document reviews, interviews, and observation checklists. Descriptive statistics were used to data quality and multivariate logistic regression was run to identify factors influencing data quality. The level of significance was declared at P value < 0.05.ResultThe study found good quality data in 51.35% (95% CI 44.6–58.1) of the departments in public health facilities in the Harari Region. Departments found in the health centers were 2.5 times more likely to have good quality data as compared to those found in the health posts. The presence of trained staffs able to fill reporting formats (AOR = 2.474; 95% CI 1.124–5.445) and provisions of feedbacks (AOR = 3.083; 95% CI 1.549–6.135) were also significantly associated with data quality.ConclusionThe level of good data quality in the public health facilities was less than the expected national level. Lack of trained personnel able to fill the reporting format and feedback were the factors that are found to be affecting data quality. Therefore, training should be provided to increase the knowledge and skills of the health workers. Regular supportive supervision and feedback should also be maintained.

Highlights

Despite the improvements in the knowledge and understanding of the role of health information in the global health system, the quality of data generated by a routine health information system is still very poor in low and middle-income countries
Description of the departments From the total of 245 departments found in the 42 public health facilities of Harari region, 222 departments participated in the study with a 91% response
This study found that presence of the trained personnel able to fill the reporting formats, and the provisions of feed-backs were significantly associated with the good quality data

Summary

Introduction

Despite the improvements in the knowledge and understanding of the role of health information in the global health system, the quality of data generated by a routine health information system is still very poor in low and middle-income countries. This study was aimed to assess the quality of routine health information system data and associated factors in public health facilities of Harari region, Ethiopia. The purpose of a health information system is to routinely generate quality health data that provides specific evidence support to make decisions on health issues [2]. Data quality, defined as data’s fitness to serve its purpose in a given context in terms of accuracy, completeness, and timeliness [4],-is an essential element of this information revolution agenda [5]. Improved health system performance is directly linked with the quality and use of routine data in a country’s HIS [5, 7]

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion