Improving health care services through enhanced Health Information System: Human capacity development Model

Abstract

Abstract
Background: Quality of health care depends on how the health system is able to reduce errors through evidence-based decisions. Demand for data on patient care has increased over the years to improve the health care system, including planning and policy issues in several countries across the globe. However, there are challenges and opportunities in the process of recording, managing, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting data and/or information. Accordingly, several studies showed that an appropriate capacity development program is expected to improve data recording, data quality and use by professionals, planners, policymakers, and stakeholders.
Objective: This project aims to assess existing capacity-building efforts and formulate a new and better capacity-building model for the lower-level health facility staff of Addis ababa City administration, 2018-2020.
Methods: PRISM and SWOT analysis method were employed to assess existing HIS gaps and opportunities. The assessment was carried out in the health centers located in selected three sub-cities of Addis Ababa City Administration. We employed phase to phase approach to design an innovative human capacity development model, namely, desk review, data collection, data synthesis, design, and validation.
Results: The project designed interventions that were implemented simultaneously and one supporting the other. The capacity-building model includes a renewed approach to training; structured mentorship approach; practically oriented supportive supervision; ‘experience sharing program’ for helping those in a poor environment gain experience through experience sharing; quality improvement initiatives; and implementation science studies to tackle problems that may not be solved with activities listed earlier.
Conclusion and recommendation: The new capacity-building approach helped to improve individual knowledge, interpersonal relationship, strategic thinking, system management, and accountability, all of which lead to sustained and improved HIS. Improvement in HIS is often a collective effort of several forces, but the human element plays a decisive role. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2021; 35(SI-1):42-49]
Keywords: Human Capacity Development Model, Health Information Systems, Quality of health care, data quality, Information use