The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #66482

Timothy R. Williams, MA, MES, DELIVER, John Snow, Inc., 1616 N. Fort Myer Drive, 11th Floor, Arlington, VA 22209, (703) 528-7474, tim_williams@jsi.com, Theo Lippeveld, MD, MPH, International Group, John Snow, Inc., 44 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210, and Michael Edwards, PhD, MPH, John Snow, Inc., 1616 N. Fort Myer Drive, 11th Floor, Arlington, VA 22209.

Routine health information systems (RHIS) in developing countries often consist of separate vertical systems that correspond to central planners’ and/or donors’ priorities, such as specific diseases (e.g. diarrheal diseases), specialized services (e.g. family planning), or management subsystems (e.g. logistics). The net results of such systems on health care provision can be catastrophic, including inefficient use of health providers’ time to fill out redundant forms, poor data quality, poor use of information, and ultimately, lower quality health care to clients. Vertical information systems, by their fragmented approach, can endanger the holistic perspective of basic health services, where integrated information could help link individual and community interventions. This presentation reports on qualitative experiences from countries attending a global conference of the Routine Health Information Network (RHINO), in April 2003. Issues discussed include: benefits and challenges of integrated RHIS; roles of central and peripheral RHIS units in integrated systems; ways to restructure data collection and reporting systems to improve reporting and accuracy; ways integration can improve or hinder use of information; and situations where separate RHIS systems may be appropriate. More specifically, we discuss lessons learned from RHIS integration in Morocco, Pakistan, and Eritrea. In all three countries, reporting, data processing, and data presentation from separate program information systems were integrated into a single system, with notable improvements in reporting rates, timeliness, and data quality. The degree of technical improvement in each system will be presented, along with a qualitative discussion of the broader and longer-term effects on health programs.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
• articulate theoretical advantages and pitfalls of integrated vs. vertical health information subsystems.
• describe practical experiences of information integration among countries attending a global conference on routine information use.
• describe results of integrating vertical information systems in three countries, including changes in the information systems themselves and the broader health programs

Keywords: Evaluation, Performance Measurement

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.