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. 2019 May 16;9(5):e027689.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027689.

National health information systems for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Amitabh Bipin Suthar #  1 , Aleya Khalifa #  1 , Olga Joos  2 , Eric-Jan Manders  1 , Abu Abdul-Quader  3 , Frank Amoyaw  4 , Camara Aoua  5 , Getahun Aynalem  6 , Danielle Barradas  7 , George Bello  8 , Luis Bonilla  9 , Mireille Cheyip  6 , Ibrahim Tijjani Dalhatu  10 , Michael De Klerk  11 , Jacob Dee  12 , Judith Hedje  13 , Ibrahim Jahun  10 , Supiya Jantaramanee  14 , Stanley Kamocha  7 , Leonel Lerebours  9 , Legre Roger Lobognon  13 , Namarola Lote  15 , Léopold Lubala  16 , Alain Magazani  16 , Rennatus Mdodo  17 , George S Mgomella  17 , Lattah Asseka Monique  5 , Mphatso Mudenda  7 , Jeremiah Mushi  18 , Nicholus Mutenda  19 , Aime Nicoue  13 , Rogers Galaxy Ngalamulume  12 , Yassa Ndjakani  12 , Tuan Anh Nguyen  3 , Charles Echezona Nzelu  20 , Anthony Adofo Ofosu  21 , Zukiswa Pinini  22 , Edwin Ramírez  23 , Victor Sebastian  10 , Bouathong Simanovong  24 , Ha Thai Son  25 , Vo Hai Son  25 , Mahesh Swaminathan  10 , Suilanji Sivile  26 , Achara Teeraratkul  27 , Poruan Temu  28 , Christine West  29 , Douangchanh Xaymounvong  28 , Abel Yamba  28 , Denis Yoka  30 , Hao Zhu  31 , Ray L Ransom  1 , Erin Nichols  2 , Christopher S Murrill  1 , Daniel Rosen  1 , Wolfgang Hladik  1
Affiliations

National health information systems for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Amitabh Bipin Suthar et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will require data-driven public health action. There are limited publications on national health information systems that continuously generate health data. Given the need to develop these systems, we summarised their current status in low-income and middle-income countries.

Setting: The survey team jointly developed a questionnaire covering policy, planning, legislation and organisation of case reporting, patient monitoring and civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems. From January until May 2017, we administered the questionnaire to key informants in 51 Centers for Disease Control country offices. Countries were aggregated for descriptive analyses in Microsoft Excel.

Results: Key informants in 15 countries responded to the questionnaire. Several key informants did not answer all questions, leading to different denominators across questions. The Ministry of Health coordinated case reporting, patient monitoring and CRVS systems in 93% (14/15), 93% (13/14) and 53% (8/15) of responding countries, respectively. Domestic financing supported case reporting, patient monitoring and CRVS systems in 86% (12/14), 75% (9/12) and 92% (11/12) of responding countries, respectively. The most common uses for system-generated data were to guide programme response in 100% (15/15) of countries for case reporting, to calculate service coverage in 92% (12/13) of countries for patient monitoring and to estimate the national burden of disease in 83% (10/12) of countries for CRVS. Systems with an electronic component were being used for case reporting, patient monitoring, birth registration and death registration in 87% (13/15), 92% (11/12), 77% (10/13) and 64% (7/11) of responding countries, respectively.

Conclusions: Most responding countries have a solid foundation for policy, planning, legislation and organisation of health information systems. Further evaluation is needed to assess the quality of data generated from systems. Periodic evaluations may be useful in monitoring progress in strengthening and harmonising these systems over time.

Keywords: Health Informatics; Infectious Diseases; International Health Services.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Case reporting systems by system type and geographic coverage. Map created with OpenStreetMap images.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Patient monitoring systems by system type and geographic coverage. Map created with OpenStreetMap images.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Vital statistics systems for registering births by system type and geographic coverage. Map created with OpenStreetMap images.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Vital statistics systems for registering deaths by system type and geographic coverage. Map created with OpenStreetMap images.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Cause of death classifications in death registration and mortality surveillance. Map created with OpenStreetMap images.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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