Capacitating Health Sector Leaders to Improve Healthcare Data Quality and Use in Assosa District: Implementation Research

Abstract

AbstractBackground: Equipping leaders and creating responsibility for quality healthcare data and utilization is considered the most critical driver in the health sector. However, it is unclear how training of the health workforce improves the generation and use of quality health data in a resource-limited setting of Ethiopia.Objective: The study was aimed to measure the effect of implementing the training and post-training follow-up of the health sector leaders to improve the generation and use of healthcare data quality in Assosa district, Ethiopia.Methods: Pre-post quasi-experimental study design was employed to measure the effect of training and post-training follow-up on data quality and use. One health center and one general hospital in the district were included to measure the effect of training and post-training follow-up intervention on the generation and use of quality health data. The intervention involved health system leaders in the district. The consistency of selected indicators and information use was presented using changes in percentage points before and after the intervention.Results: Of the total departments, 9 (52.9%) were from the health center and 11(47.1%) were from the hospital. The study found that training and post-training follow-up interventions have positively affected data quality and information use. According to the findings, data accuracy and information use were improved by 23, 10.7, and 16.7 percentage points increment at health center, hospital, and district level, respectively. Similarly, information use was improved by 22.3, 34.1, and 28.2 percentage points increment due to the TPF intervention at health centers, hospitals, and districts, respectively.Conclusions: Training followed by feedback, mentoring, and performance review meetings were effective implementation strategies in improving data quality and information use. The coverage and effectiveness of the implementation were also promising, and further scaling up in a similar setting can improve health system data quality and use. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2023;37 (SI-1)]Key words: training, feedback, implementation research, data use, data quality, Assosa, Ethiopia