Abhijit Dey
Johann M van den Heever
Carolina Danovaro
Jawad Khan Khan
Atsu Godwin Seake-KwawuTeklay Desta’s Updates
Invest in an information system that identifies and tracks each person’s vaccination status
Transformative investment: Invest in an information system that identifies and tracks each person’s vaccination status
Focus country Ethiopia
Strategies that relate to the transformative investment
Use and interpret performance, financial, and management data to drive programmes
Improve administrative coverage data recording and collection
Revisit target population estimates
Increase accuracy and reliability of data aggregation and feedback
Design and make available facility registers that are fit-for-purpose
Explore the feasibility and utility of using information and communication technology in programme monitoring
Enhance vaccine-preventable disease case surveillance
Expand case-based surveillance with laboratory confirmation where appropriate
Boost sentinel hospital surveillance for selected disease syndromes
Conduct national immunization programme reviews regularly in preparation of strategic programme planning
Substantiate immunization coverage data with coverage surveys
Assess the reliability of the reporting system with a DQS
Johann and Teklaythank you for your important points on data transformation and data use.
I agree it is timely to transform the data and mainly encourage the data generators (HF level) to use the data to guide their program than simply collecting and reporting to the higher level. Any tool to be developed should first target the HF and district level and assist them in using the data for decision making.
We should also empower the community leaders in the data generation and monitoring of individual child in their communities. There are many best practices in community empowerment to mobilize the community for immunization and monitor individual child's immunization status at their level.
Dear Teklay,
It looks like information management in our continent is a huge problem. I have also chosen the same investment for South Africa. My Colleague Dr Mercy Kamupira and I agree with your strategy as one of the most important ones in ensuring the accuracy of management information to be used primarily for managing the programme effectively - not only to provide a snapshot of general programme performance for the National Health Department. It is most important to have standardised data collection tools for use by each facility, and to support facility staff to utilise data generated at that facility for action. Once they see the value of facility data, and have the capacity to act upon the data, I believe data to the next level will also be more reliable and timely. It is not worthwhile collecting only fragmented data and then using this as proxy for making unconfirmed assumptions about programme performance, neither does it provide data about each child. This kind of data may provide a false sense of security about individual child protection if one only collects or makes deductions about say DPT3 coverage. Electronic and technical innovation has developed adequately to be able to provide immunisation coverage about each child. This is the information needed to convince the politicians/senior health management as well as the public the 80% coverage is just not adequate any more. If you have time look at the Albanian model electronic child health register in Project Optomize (google it), i may be well worth seeing what can be done through innovation.. Best wishes with your activity plan. Regards
Johann