Clinical Data Quality Assessment in Mozambique: A Methodological Approach

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.