Overview
Data systems are a dynamic ecosystem formed by multiple areas which continuously interact with each other to generate, transmit and transform data into information to guide strategic and tactical decisions.
A core aspect of our work centers on strengthening national data systems using a multi-sectoral approach to maintain infrastructure, health workers and a reliable supply of medicines and technologies, supported by adequate funding, strong health plans and evidence-based policies. Data systems strengthening has become a top priority for global health agendas as a mechanism to improve global, regional and national health outcomes.
Health Data Collaborative
The Health Data Collaborative (HDC) was launched in March 2016 to provide a collaborative platform that leverages and aligns technical and financial resources to country-specific strategies and guidelines for collecting, storing, analyzing and using data to improve health outcomes.
Using a strong foundation of evidence and resources, the Health Data Collaborative will achieve a measurable impact on health information systems strengthening in countries using three core strategies:
- coordination and alignment
- innovation and new technology
- capacity building
Together, these three areas will contribute to greater alignment amongst donors and partners with national Monitoring and Evaluation plans, increase country capacity to introduce new technologies at a national and subnational level, and build sustained institutional capacity for data collection, reporting and use.
Health Data Governance Principles
Protect people, promote health value, and prioritize equity
The most recent product from the Digital Data and Governance Working Group, in collaboration with Transform Health, is the Health Data Governance Principles. The eight Principles consist of three interconnected objectives: Protect people, Promote health value and Prioritize equity. The Principles aim to bring a human rights and equity lens to the use of data within and across health systems with the orientation for delivery of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The Principles provide adaptive user guides and toolkits based on industry to inform the development of health data governance frameworks and guidance that can be incorporated into national standards, legislation and organizational policies related to health data. The Principles have been endorsed by 97 organizations, governments and other stakeholders to date, including CUNY CIRGH.
Strengthening Surveillance of Pregnancy Outcomes
Understanding the distribution, strengths and limitations of available approaches used for health data collection is vital to ensure the appropriate surveillance strategy is utilized. The aim of this project is to develop guidance for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) on safety surveillance in pregnancy.
This work involves coordinating across WHO departments to review previous or ongoing activities, activities developed in the context of COVID-19 and other planned activities identified by each WHO department within the WHO Interdepartmental Task Team. Key technical and operational guidance & reports, public data portals, registrar and systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and other original research will be reviewed for indicators to identify the optimal data models to implement in LMICs based on data indicators currently collected by HMIS. The aim of this work:
- To translate evidence into clinical practice guidelines through the standardized diagnosis of key selected neonatal and perinatal outcomes.
- Reviewing and updating guidelines based on the projected 2023 pilot of the optimal data models implementation, based on the findings of the Task Team. This process will be conducted to assess changes in recording and reporting elements related to safety monitoring of pregnancy interventions in selected countries
Stakeholders & Information Systems
Reliable, quality health information is the foundation of measurement and decision making in the health sector that can help improve the quality and coverage of health services, aid in policy development, support program implementation, and increase the likelihood that a well-trained health work force.
It is of increasing importance to understand stakeholder engagement in global norm setting processes, particularly influential HMIS stakeholders whose views have not been well documented. The strategy for this research involved participant observation of global consultative processes at the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding member states’ development and use of health data, document review from members states participation in a series of consultative meetings and a stakeholder survey administer to in-country health management information system (HMIS) specialists, primarily from Ministries of Health, from Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Based on the research findings, the following recommendations were presented:
- Involve stakeholders regularly and systematically so that development efforts reflect in country user and decision maker perspectives.
- Address infrastructure investments needs with multisectoral engagement.
- Digitization strategies must recognize non digital environments or we risk leaving people behind.
- Discourage duplicative parallel systems, instead focus on data governance and coordination to better align national and global priorities.
- Promote broader data use through targeted capacity development that addresses end user data needs.
Improving National Health Management Information Systems
Stakeholder Views in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries
Recommended Citation: Donaldson, Marie, “Improving National Health Management Information Systems: Stakeholder Views in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries” (2021). CUNY Academic Works. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/sph_etds/74
