Journal
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL INFORMATICS ASSOCIATION
Volume 24, Issue E1, Pages E194-E206Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocw075
Keywords
routine health information system; data quality; surveillance; morbidity; South Africa
Categories
Funding
- South African Medical Research Council [SAMRC-RFA-IFSP-01-2013/SA CRA 2]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objectives: Routine health information systems (RHISs) provide data that are vital for planning and monitoring individual health. Data from RHISs could also be used for purposes for which they were not originally intended, provided that the data are of sufficient quality. For example, morbidity data could be used to inform burden of disease estimations, which serve as important evidence to prioritize interventions and promote health. The objective of this study was to identify and assess published quantitative assessments of data quality related to patient morbidity in RHISs in use in South Africa. Materials and Methods: We conducted a review of literature published between 1994 and 2014 that assessed the quality of data in RHISs in South Africa. World Health Organization (WHO) data quality components were used as the assessment criteria. Results Of 420 references identified, 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies were limited to tuberculosis and HIV. No study reported more than 3 WHO data quality components or provided a quantitative assessment of quality that could be used for burden of disease estimation. Discussion: The included studies had limited geographical focus and evaluated different source data at different levels of the information system. All studies reported poor data quality. Conclusion: This review confirmed concerns about the quality of data in RHISs, and highlighted the need for a comprehensive evaluation of the quality of patient-level morbidity data in RHISs in South Africa.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available