Online Program

334370
Clinical Data Quality Assessment in Mozambique: A Methodological Approach


Wednesday, November 4, 2015 : 11:30 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Merce Gasco, MD, John Snow, Inc., Boston, MA
Gerito Augusto, Msc and PhD in Public Health, International Training Center for Health (I-TECH), Maputo, Mozambique
Starley B. Shade, MPH, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, San Franscisco, CA
Dalia Traca, MSIP, JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., Maputo, Mozambique
Meldina Valente, Mozambique Strategic Information Project, JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., Maputo, Mozambique
Sandra Goncalves, Mozambique Strategic Information Project, JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., Maputo, Mozambique
Ensuring that quality data is collected and reported to the Ministry of Health (MoH) is a priority in Mozambique. The MoH conducted a pilot round of data quality assessments (DQAs) between April and September 2014 with technical assistance from the JSI Research &Training Institute Inc. (JSI) through the USAID-funded Strategic Information Project in Mozambique (M-SIP), and with the University of California San Francisco/I-TECH. This pilot round of DQAs established a platform for strengthening Mozambique’s health information system by involving relevant stakeholders in the preparation, execution, and analysis of findings and development of action plans. After DQA teams analyzed Mozambique’s national DQA strategy, they prepared standard operation procedures for the MoH priority indicators to be audited and selected appropriate assessment tools. M-SIP’s implementation philosophy is to be fully inclusive and use an integrated approach which aligns with existing health information strategies. While the MoH’s involvement was initially met with some hesitation, after participating in the implementation of a DQA, there was a clear shift in the level of importance attributed to data quality within the national health system structure. While in the past little to no attention was paid to data quality and improvement plans, the DQA process illustrated that MoH staff, at all levels, were motivated to improve the quality of data being reported. Although most problems identified by the team were already known, presenting the results in a structured, systematic manner created a conducive environment for analysis and identification of solutions. The success of the first round of DQAs provided an opportunity for the DQA teams to become more involved in the MoH’s data quality improvement strategy.  It is now DQA teams standard practice to work with provincial health authorities in the development  of a data quality improvement plan at the end of each DQA.

Learning Areas:

Administration, management, leadership
Communication and informatics
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Explain a fully inclusive and integrated approach in line with existing health information strategies for clinical data quality assessments (DQAs) to support improvements in data quality

Keyword(s): Data Collection and Surveillance

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dalia Traca is Chief of Party for the USAID funded Mozambique Strategic Information Project MSIP. She has extensive experience and expertise in Monitoring and Evaluation systems in various countries, working with diverse donors, with both the governmental and the non-governmental sectors. As Chief of Party for MSIP, Ms. Traca has been responsible for providing team leadership and vision in country.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.