Disaggregated data to improve child health outcomes
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine
Field | Value | |
Title | Disaggregated data to improve child health outcomes | |
Creator | Tshabalala, Ann M.E.T. Taylor, Myra | |
Description | Background: The District Health Information System was developed in South Africa to collect aggregated routine data from public health facilities. In Amajuba District, KwaZulu-Natal, ward-based data collection has been initiated to facilitate improved responsiveness to community health needs and improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction. Aim: To assess the application of the municipal ward-based health data in the decision-making process to improve child health outcomes.Setting: The study was conducted in 25 primary health care service sites in Amajuba. Methods: A cross-sectional mixed methods’ approach was used. The study population comprised operational managers, professional nurses, ward-based outreach team leaders and supervisors. Quantitative data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were collected using focus group discussions and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Of the 131 respondents, 83 (67.5%) provided targeted child interventions to a certain or a large extent to improve child health outcomes, but only 74 (57.4%) respondents reported using municipal ward-based health data to a certain or large extent in order to inform their decisions. This discrepancy indicates poor utilisation of local health information for decision making. Conclusion: The study showed that municipal ward-based health data are not fully utilised for making informed decisions to improve child health outcomes. It is imperative to inculcate a culture of evidence-informed decisions that leads to provision of targeted interventions in order to mitigate the challenge of scarcity of resources and to improve child health outcomes. | |
Publisher | AOSIS | |
Date | 2016-12-02 | |
Identifier | 10.4102/phcfm.v8i1.1221 | |
Source | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; Vol 8, No 1 (2016); 7 pages 2071-2936 2071-2928 | |
Language | eng | |
Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/1221/1944
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/1221/1943
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/1221/1945
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/1221/1932
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