Abstract
BackgroundRoutine health information systems (RHIS) are vital for the acquisition of data for health sector planning, monitoring, and evaluation. However, in developing countries the insufficient quality of the data produced by RHIS limits their usefulness in decision-making. As routine health information utilization is still low in Ethiopia, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of routine health data utilization and associated factors among health care professionals in some public health institutions in North Gondar, northwest Ethiopia.MethodsAn institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April2017, at public health institutions of North Gondar Zone, northwest Ethiopia. A total of 720 health care professionals were selected from public health institutions using the multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire and an observational checklist, cleaned, coded, and entered into Epi-info version 3.5.3 and transferred into SPSS version 20 for further statistical analysis. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, a less than 0.05 P-vale was considered statistically significant.ResultIn this study, the level of good routine health information utilization among health professionals was 78.5% (95% CI: 73.2%, 84.3%). According to the multivariable logistic regression analysis, sex (AOR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.47, 3.27), type of institution (AOR = 3.57, 95% CI: 2.39, 5.32), standard indicators (AOR = 3.28, 95% CI: 1.90, 5.65), data analysis skills (AOR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.12, 3.23), and good governance (AOR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.31, 2.95), were found significantly associated with a good level of health information utilization.ConclusionOver three-fourths of the health care professionals working at public health institutions of North Gondar utilized health information better than the respondents in previous studies. Sex, type of institution, standard indicators, data analysis skills, and governance were factors related to routine health information utilization. Therefore, standard indicators, data analysis skills and good governance are highly recommended for improving routine health data utilization of health care professionals working at public health institutions.
Highlights
Routine health information systems (RHIS) are vital for the acquisition of data for health sector planning, monitoring, and evaluation
Over three-fourths of the health care professionals working at public health institutions of North Gondar utilized health information better than the respondents in previous studies
Type of institution, standard indicators, data analysis skills, and governance were factors related to routine health information utilization
Summary
Routine health information systems (RHIS) are vital for the acquisition of data for health sector planning, monitoring, and evaluation. Health information system (HIS) is a system designed for the collection, processing, use, and dissemination of health related data to improve health care outcomes. HIS involves the essentials for the overall health system which informs decision making in each of the other five blocks of the system and important in improving clinical and managerial decisions for providing quality information for evidence-based health practices [4, 5]. Data generated from healthcare facilities at regular intervals (routine health information system) are vital for the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of health care service activities, and for the day-to-day patient management, health education, resource allocation, disease prioritization, and decision making [1, 6]. Data are sat in reports, shelves, cabinets, databases and left unanalyzed to be sufficiently utilized for policy and program improvements [15, 16]
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