Maturity assessment of Kenya's health information system interoperability readiness.

BACKGROUND: The use of digital technology in healthcare promises to improve quality of care and reduce costs over time. This promise will be difficult to attain without interoperability: facilitating seamless health information exchange between the deployed digital health information systems (HIS). OBJECTIVE: To determine the maturity readiness of the interoperability capacity of Kenya's HIS. METHODS: We used the HIS Interoperability Maturity Toolkit, developed by MEASURE Evaluation and the Health Data Collaborative's Digital Health and Interoperability Working Group. The assessment was undertaken by eHealth stakeholder representatives primarily from the Ministry of Health's Digital Health Technical Working Group. The toolkit focused on three major domains: leadership and governance, human resources and technology. RESULTS: Most domains are at the lowest two levels of maturity: nascent or emerging. At the nascent level, HIS activities happen by chance or represent isolated, ad hoc efforts. An emerging maturity level characterises a system with defined HIS processes and structures. However, such processes are not systematically documented and lack ongoing monitoring mechanisms. CONCLUSION: None of the domains had a maturity level greater than level 2 (emerging). The subdomains of governance structures for HIS, defined national enterprise architecture for HIS, defined technical standards for data exchange, nationwide communication network infrastructure, and capacity for operations and maintenance of hardware attained higher maturity levels. These findings are similar to those from interoperability maturity assessments done in Ghana and Uganda.

Intelligent machines and mental health in the era of COVID-19.

The idea of a network of small devices that would be able to connect each other, appeared in the early 80s. In a prophetic article, Mark Weiser,1 described such a connection, that it is now known under the term of Internet of Things (IoT). In a broadest sense, the term IoT encompasses everything connected to the internet, but it is increasingly being used to define objects that "talk" to each other, creating a network from simple sensors to smartphones and wearables connected. During the recent years this network of communicating devices has been combined with other technological achievements, and particularly with the Virtual Reality (VR)2 and the Artificial Intelligence (AI).3 The emerge of COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, resulted to the poor response and healthcare failures of many countries globally.4 One of the main reasons for such a failure, was the inability of accurate data collection from different sources. Apparently, it was the first time, humanity realized the need for massive amounts of heterogeneous data to be collected, interpreted, and shared. Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, several innovators and public authorities are looking to leverage IoT tools to reduce the burden on the healthcare systems.5 Mental health is one of the areas that seems to benefit the most of such technologies. A significant decrease of the total amount of ER visits and a dramatic increase of internet access from the patients and care givers along to the development of applications for mental health issues, followed the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2.6 Such technologies proved to be efficient to help mentally ill patients and pioneer the path in the future. Probably the most obvious use of these emerged technologies is the improvement of the telehealth options. Patients who suffer from mental illness face significant problems towards the continuity of care during the crisis.7 Nonetheless, they usually have other health problems, that deprive them from an equitable health care provision. Improved telehealth platforms can give them a single point access to address all their problems. The use of electronic health records can reduce the fragmentary health services and improve the outcome.8 However, this is only the beginning. The COVID-19 crisis and the subsequent social isolation, to reduce both the contamination and the spread of the disease, highlighted the necessity for providing accurate and secure diagnoses and treatments from a safe distance. Virtual reality combined with IoT and AI technologies seem to be a reliable alternative to the classic physical and mental examination and treatment in many areas of mental and neurological diseases.2 These novel techniques can spot the early signs and detect mental illnesses with high accuracy. However, caution and more work are required to bridge the space between these recently thrived technologies and mental health care.7 It is worth mentioning, that internet-oriented health care procedures can also help to reduce the gaps caused by the stigma of mental illness. For example, the development of AI chatbots (an application used to chat directly with a human) can alleviate the fears of judgment of the help seeking persons and provide the professionals with a supplemental support toward improved services to their patients.9 A final remark for conclusion. Humanity is more and more depended to the "intelligent" machines. However, we must not forget that we humans are responsible to set the rules of such co-existence.

Improving quality and use of routine health information system data in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: A routine health information system is one of the essential components of a health system. Interventions to improve routine health information system data quality and use for decision-making in low- and middle-income countries differ in design, methods, and scope. There have been limited efforts to synthesise the knowledge across the currently available intervention studies. Thus, this scoping review synthesised published results from interventions that aimed at improving data quality and use in routine health information systems in low- and middle-income countries. METHOD: We included articles on intervention studies that aimed to improve data quality and use within routine health information systems in low- and middle-income countries, published in English from January 2008 to February 2020. We searched the literature in the databases Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Global Health. After a meticulous screening, we identified 20 articles on data quality and 16 on data use. We prepared and presented the results as a narrative. RESULTS: Most of the studies were from Sub-Saharan Africa and designed as case studies. Interventions enhancing the quality of data targeted health facilities and staff within districts, and district health managers for improved data use. Combinations of technology enhancement along with capacity building activities, and data quality assessment and feedback system were found useful in improving data quality. Interventions facilitating data availability combined with technology enhancement increased the use of data for planning. CONCLUSION: The studies in this scoping review showed that a combination of interventions, addressing both behavioural and technical factors, improved data quality and use. Interventions addressing organisational factors were non-existent, but these factors were reported to pose challenges to the implementation and performance of reported interventions.

Routine Health Information System (RHIS) improvements for strengthened health system management.

BACKGROUND: A well-functioning routine health information system (RHIS) can provide the information needed for health system management, for governance, accountability, planning, policy making, surveillance and quality improvement, but poor information support has been identified as a major obstacle for improving health system management. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of interventions to improve routine health information systems in terms of RHIS performance, and also, in terms of improved health system management performance, and improved patient and population health outcomes. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE Ovid and Embase Ovid in May 2019. We searched Global Health, Ovid and PsycInfo in April 2016. In January 2020 we searched for grey literature in the Grey Literature Report and in OpenGrey, and for ongoing trials using the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) and ClinicalTrials.gov. In October 2019 we also did a cited reference search using Web of Science, and a 'similar articles' search in PubMed. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised and non-randomised trials, controlled before-after studies and time-series studies comparing routine health information system interventions, with controls, in primary, hospital or community health care settings. Participants included clinical staff and management, district management and community health workers using routine information systems. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently reviewed records to identify studies for inclusion, extracted data from the included studies and assessed the risk of bias. Interventions and outcomes were too varied across studies to allow for pooled risk analysis. We present a 'Summary of findings' table for each intervention comparisons broadly categorised into Technical and Organisational (or a combination), and report outcomes on data quality and service quality. We used the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of the evidence. MAIN RESULTS: We included six studies: four cluster randomised trials and two controlled before-after studies, from Africa and South America. Three studies evaluated technical interventions, one study evaluated an organisational intervention, and two studies evaluated a combination of technical and organisational interventions. Four studies reported on data quality and six studies reported on service quality. In terms of data quality, a web-based electronic TB laboratory information system probably reduces the length of time to reporting of TB test results, and probably reduces the overall rate of recording errors of TB test results, compared to a paper-based system (moderate certainty evidence). We are uncertain about the effect of the electronic laboratory information system on the recording rate of serious (misidentification) errors for TB test results compared to a paper-based system (very low certainty evidence). Misidentification errors are inaccuracies in transferring test results between an electronic register and patients' clinical charts. We are also uncertain about the effect of the intervention on service quality (timeliness of starting or changing a patient's TB treatment) (very low certainty evidence). A hand-held electronic device probably improves the length of time to report TB test results, and probably reduces the total frequency of recording errors in TB test results between the laboratory notebook and the electronic information record system, compared to a paper-based system (moderate-certainty evidence). We are, however, uncertain about the effect of the intervention on the frequency of serious (misidentification) errors in recording between the laboratory notebook and the electronic information record, compared to a paper-based system (very low certainty evidence). We are uncertain about the effect of a hospital electronic health information system on service quality (length of time outpatients spend at hospital, length of hospital stay, and hospital revenue collection), compared to a paper-based system (very low certainty evidence). High-intensity brief text messaging (SMS) may make little or no difference to data quality (in terms of completeness of documentation of pregnancy outcomes), compared to low-intensity brief text messaging (low-certainty evidence). We are uncertain about the effect of electronic drug stock notification (with either data management support or product transfer support) on service quality (in terms of transporting stock and stock levels), compared to paper-based stock notification (very low certainty evidence). We are uncertain about the effect of health information strengthening (where it is part of comprehensive service quality improvement intervention) on service quality (health worker motivation, receipt of training by health workers, health information index scores, quality of clinical observation of children and adults) (very low certainty evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The review indicates mixed effects of mainly technical interventions to improve data quality, with gaps in evidence on interventions aimed at enhancing data-informed health system management. There is a gap in interventions studying information support beyond clinical management, such as for human resources, finances, drug supply and governance. We need to have a better understanding of the causal mechanisms by which information support may affect change in management decision-making, to inform robust intervention design and evaluation methods.

Effect and feasibility of district level scale up of maternal, newborn and child health interventions in Pakistan: a quasi-experimental study.

INTRODUCTION: Pakistan has a high burden of maternal, newborn and child morbidity and mortality. Several factors including weak scale-up of evidence-based interventions within the existing health system; lack of community awareness regarding health conditions; and poverty contribute to poor outcomes. Deaths and morbidity are largely preventable if a combination of community and facility-based interventions are rolled out at scale. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Umeed-e-Nau (UeN) (New Hope) project aims is to improve maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in eight high-burden districts of Pakistan by scaling up of evidence-based interventions. The project will assess interventions focused on, first, improving the quality of MNCH care at primary level and secondary level. Second, interventions targeting demand generation such as community mobilisation, creating awareness of healthy practices and expanding coverage of outreach services will be evaluated. Third, we will also evaluate interventions targeting the improvement in quality of routine health information and promotion of use of the data for decision-making. Hypothesis of the project is that roll out of evidence-based interventions at scale will lead to at least 20% reduction in perinatal mortality and 30% decrease in diarrhoea and pneumonia case fatality in the target districts whereas two intervention groups will serve as internal controls. Monitoring and evaluation of the programme will be undertaken through conducting periodical population level surveys and quality of care assessments. Descriptive and multivariate analytical methods will be used for assessing the association between different factors, and difference in difference estimates will be used to assess the impact of the intervention on outcomes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The ethics approval was obtained from the Aga Khan University Ethics Review Committee. The findings of the project will be shared with relevant stakeholders and disseminated through open access peer-reviewed journal articles. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04184544; Pre-results.

Cultural Considerations for Conducting the Health Information National Trends Survey with Micronesian Communities: Lessons from a Qualitative Study.

A critical barrier to addressing health disparities among minorities is the lack of data, particularly on Pacific Islanders. Typically, national health surveillance systems do not have the resources to ensure proper representation of these small population groups. This study reports factors that guided the cultural adaptation and administration of the National Cancer Institute's Health Information Trends National Survey (HINTS) for a United States-dwelling Pacific Islander population in Hawai'i. To adapt the survey, four focus groups were conducted with 32 purposively-selected Micronesian migrants. Themes on health, healthcare barriers, cancer and methods to implement the survey were extracted from the analyses of the focus group narratives. Key cultural factors were identified that impact health practices, including religious and cancer fatalism, racism, health locus of control and other barriers. Using information from the focus group participants, the HINTS questionnaire was modified and the survey was implemented. The survey data provided will inform the future delivery of health promotion strategies for this unique medically underserved population.

Bringing service design to the development of health information systems: The case of the Portuguese national electronic health record.

BACKGROUND: Health Information Systems (HIS), and especially Electronic Health Records (EHR), offer great promise. However, the true benefits of HIS and EHR are more elusive as research shows they have obtained mixed results across countries. To increase the success of these systems while creating value for healthcare professionals, research emphasizes the importance of involving clinical users in the design of HIS. OBJECTIVE: Following calls for interdisciplinary research and increased end-user participation in HIS development, this paper shows how a service design approach can support the successful development and implementation of national EHRs. Service design brings a human-centered, participatory, holistic, creative and visual approach to HIS development, through an iterative process of exploration, ideation, reflection and implementation, fostering stakeholder participation and co-creation of the solution. METHOD: This paper presents an in-depth case study of the Portuguese National EHR development and implementation following a service design approach. The study involved individual and group interviews, as well as participatory design workshops with more than 170 participants along the different stages of exploration, ideation, reflection and implementation. RESULTS: The service design approach, including the visual models and tools used across the different design stages, was instrumental to envision new EHR concepts and design the system to enhance healthcare users experience. A qualitative study performed after implementation showed that the EHR was considered useful and easy to use, and these results are backed by widespread usage of the system. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This paper shows how a service design approach can address key challenges in EHR development. By adopting a holistic perspective, service design broadens the scope of EHR development to understand its broader service system and position it to enable value creation with users. The human-centered, participatory, creative, visual and holistic approach supports the understanding of user needs and context, and their active involvement in the design and co-creation effort. This service design approach fosters user adoption at the implementation stage. Service design can thus contribute to the successful development and implementation of EHRs.

The Implementation of the Monitoring and Evaluation System of the State Health Secretariat of the Brazilian Federal District (SHS/DF). / A Implantação do Sistema de Monitoramento e Avaliação da Secretaria Estadual de Saúde do Distrito Federal (SES/DF).

Through the creation of the Unified Health System (SUS), the planning processes gain intrinsic importance for the creation of public health policies and to subsidize decision-making, implementation of actions and the achievement of results. Since planning tools are fundamental to guidethe management, caution is needed regarding the interface between them,aiming at achieving the integration of health services, of which results are better, more effective and cost-effective for the government. Likewise, continuous monitoring and evaluation (M&E) processes allow the measurement and tracking of strategic information, improving the quality of health information systems and health indicators, as well as the operational and organizational performance. In this article, we present the recent initiative to implement the M&E System in the State Health Secretariat of the Federal District (SHS/DF) and the processes involved in its qualification.

Por meio da criação do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), os processos de planejamento ganham importância intrínseca para a formulação de políticas públicas de saúde e para subsidiar a tomada de decisões, a implementação de ações e a obtenção de resultados. Como as ferramentas de planejamento são fundamentais para orientar a gestão, é necessário o cuidado nas articulações entre elas, a fim de alcançar a integração dos serviços de saúde, cujo resultado é melhor, mais efetivo e mais barato para o governo. Da mesma forma, processos contínuos de monitoramento e avaliação (M&A) permitem medir e rastrear informações estratégicas, melhorando a qualidade dos sistemas de informação em saúde e dos indicadores de saúde, bem como do desempenho operacional e organizacional. Neste artigo, apresentamos a recente iniciativa de implementação do sistema de M&A na Secretaria de Estado da Saúde do Distrito Federal (SES/DF) e os processos envolvidos em sua qualificação.

A Implantação do Sistema de Monitoramento e Avaliação da Secretaria Estadual de Saúde do Distrito Federal (SES/DF) / The Implementation of the Monitoring and Evaluation System of the State Health Secretariat of the Brazilian Federal District (SHS/DF)

Resumo Por meio da criação do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), os processos de planejamento ganham importância intrínseca para a formulação de políticas públicas de saúde e para subsidiar a tomada de decisões, a implementação de ações e a obtenção de resultados. Como as ferramentas de planejamento são fundamentais para orientar a gestão, é necessário o cuidado nas articulações entre elas, a fim de alcançar a integração dos serviços de saúde, cujo resultado é melhor, mais efetivo e mais barato para o governo. Da mesma forma, processos contínuos de monitoramento e avaliação (M&A) permitem medir e rastrear informações estratégicas, melhorando a qualidade dos sistemas de informação em saúde e dos indicadores de saúde, bem como do desempenho operacional e organizacional. Neste artigo, apresentamos a recente iniciativa de implementação do sistema de M&A na Secretaria de Estado da Saúde do Distrito Federal (SES/DF) e os processos envolvidos em sua qualificação.

Abstract Through the creation of the Unified Health System (SUS), the planning processes gain intrinsic importance for the creation of public health policies and to subsidize decision-making, implementation of actions and the achievement of results. Since planning tools are fundamental to guidethe management, caution is needed regarding the interface between them,aiming at achieving the integration of health services, of which results are better, more effective and cost-effective for the government. Likewise, continuous monitoring and evaluation (M&E) processes allow the measurement and tracking of strategic information, improving the quality of health information systems and health indicators, as well as the operational and organizational performance. In this article, we present the recent initiative to implement the M&E System in the State Health Secretariat of the Federal District (SHS/DF) and the processes involved in its qualification.

[Quality of the health information system: A comparative analysis of reported indicators, OECD Mexico 2010-2016.] / Calidad del sistema de información en salud: análisis comparativo de indicadores reportados, México OCDE 2010-2016.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze quantity and quality of the information reported by Mexico to OECD in relation to health indicators. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analysis of frequency of indicators reporting, data quality, and comparison of reported values in the OECD environment. RESULTS: We analyzed 191 indicators. Mexico reported annually (2010-2016) 52.9% of them. Never reported 45.5%. The highest frequency of not reported (84%) is in the "Quality of care" group. Among the reported, information is of poor quality in 28.7% of them. Comparatively, Mexico holds the worst results in OECD indicators on screening of cancer, child and in-hospital mortality from myocardial infarction, and hospitalization for diabetes, among others. CONCLUSIONS: Mexico has problems of lack and quality of reported information, and frequently unfavorable values among OECD countries. The information system needs improvement, in both quantity and quality of data, and its effective utilization.

OBJETIVO: Analizar cantidad y calidad de la información sobre indicadores de salud reportada por México a la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE). MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Análisis de frecuencia de indicadores reportados, calidad de los datos y comparación de valores reportados en el entorno OCDE. RESULTADOS: Se analizan 191 indicadores. México reportó anualmente (2010-2016) 52.9% de ellos. Nunca reportó 45.5%. La mayor frecuencia de no reportados (84%) es en el grupo "Calidad de la atención". En los reportados, la información es de calidad deficiente en 28.7%. Comparativamente, México ostenta los peores resultados de OCDE en indicadores sobre tamizaje de cáncer, mortalidad infantil e intrahospitalaria por infarto de miocardio y hospitalización por diabetes, entre otros. CONCLUSIONES: México tiene problemas de carencia y calidad de la información reportada y valores frecuentemente desfavorables en el entorno OCDE. Se requiere mejorar el sistema de información incidiendo tanto en cantidad como en calidad de los datos, y su utilización efectiva.

Calidad del sistema de información en salud: análisis comparativo de indicadores reportados, México OCDE 2010-2016 / Quality of the health information system: A comparative analysis of reported indicators, OECD Mexico 2010-2016

Resumen: Objetivo: Analizar cantidad y calidad de la información sobre indicadores de salud reportada por México a la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE). Material y métodos: Análisis de frecuencia de indicadores reportados, calidad de los datos y comparación de valores reportados en el entorno OCDE. Resultados: Se analizan 191 indicadores. México reportó anualmente (2010-2016) 52.9% de ellos. Nunca reportó 45.5%. La mayor frecuencia de no reportados (84%) es en el grupo "Calidad de la atención". En los reportados, la información es de calidad deficiente en 28.7%. Comparativamente, México ostenta los peores resultados de OCDE en indicadores sobre tamizaje de cáncer, mortalidad infantil e intrahospitalaria por infarto de miocardio y hospitalización por diabetes, entre otros. Conclusiones: México tiene problemas de carencia y calidad de la información reportada y valores frecuentemente desfavorables en el entorno OCDE. Se requiere mejorar el sistema de información incidiendo tanto en cantidad como en calidad de los datos, y su utilización efectiva.

Abstract: Objective: To analyze quantity and quality of the information reported by Mexico to OECD in relation to health indicators. Materials and methods: Analysis of frequency of indicators reporting, data quality, and comparison of reported values in the OECD environment. Results: We analyzed 191 indicators. Mexico reported annually (2010-2016) 52.9% of them. Never reported 45.5%. The highest frequency of not reported (84%) is in the "Quality of care" group. Among the reported, information is of poor quality in 28.7% of them. Comparatively, Mexico holds the worst results in OECD indicators on screening of cancer, child and in-hospital mortality from myocardial infarction, and hospitalization for diabetes, among others. Conclusions: Mexico has problems of lack and quality of reported information, and frequently unfavorable values among OECD countries. The information system needs improvement, in both quantity and quality of data, and its effective utilization.

The recording of fatal work-related injuries in information systems in Brazil. / Registro de dados sobre acidentes de trabalho fatais em sistemas de informação no Brasil.

This study aims to identify information systems having fatal work-related (ATF) data in Brazil, describing their characteristics, flows and barriers to information quality. Using a documental research approach, we found: the Mortality Information System (SIM), the Hospital Admission Register from the Unified Health System (SIH-SUS), the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) and the Violence and Injuries Surveillance Program (VIVA) from the Health Ministry; the Work-related Injuries Reporting System (SISCAT) of the Ministry of Social Insurance; and the Annual Report of Social Information (RAIS), Ministry of Labour and Employment. A lack of key common variables limits the construction of a single database composed by all ATF recorded cases. From several barriers identified, the most relevant for data quality was the lack of work-relatedness recognition and recording, a task performed by the health team.

O objetivo deste estudo é identificar sistemas de informação que dispõem de dados sobre acidentes de trabalho fatais (ATF) no Brasil, descrever suas características, fluxos e barreiras para a qualidade da informação. Empregando-se o método da pesquisa documental, foram encontrados: o Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade (SIM), o Sistema de Informações Hospitalares do SUS (SIH/SUS), o Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (Sinan) e o Sistema do Programa Vigilância de Violência e Acidentes (VIVA) do Ministério da Saúde; o Sistema de Informação de Comunicação de Acidentes do Trabalho (Siscat) da Previdência Social; e do Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego, a Relação Anual de Informações Sociais (RAIS). A falta de variáveis chave comuns limita a construção de uma base de dados única com todos os casos de ATF registrados. Dentre os vários filtros e barreiras identificados destaca-se o não reconhecimento da relação do acidente com o trabalho pelos profissionais registrantes.

Registro de dados sobre acidentes de trabalho fatais em sistemas de informação no Brasil / The recording of fatal work-related injuries in information systems in Brazil

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo é identificar sistemas de informação que dispõem de dados sobre acidentes de trabalho fatais (ATF) no Brasil, descrever suas características, fluxos e barreiras para a qualidade da informação. Empregando-se o método da pesquisa documental, foram encontrados: o Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade (SIM), o Sistema de Informações Hospitalares do SUS (SIH/SUS), o Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (Sinan) e o Sistema do Programa Vigilância de Violência e Acidentes (VIVA) do Ministério da Saúde; o Sistema de Informação de Comunicação de Acidentes do Trabalho (Siscat) da Previdência Social; e do Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego, a Relação Anual de Informações Sociais (RAIS). A falta de variáveis chave comuns limita a construção de uma base de dados única com todos os casos de ATF registrados. Dentre os vários filtros e barreiras identificados destaca-se o não reconhecimento da relação do acidente com o trabalho pelos profissionais registrantes.

Abstract This study aims to identify information systems having fatal work-related (ATF) data in Brazil, describing their characteristics, flows and barriers to information quality. Using a documental research approach, we found: the Mortality Information System (SIM), the Hospital Admission Register from the Unified Health System (SIH-SUS), the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) and the Violence and Injuries Surveillance Program (VIVA) from the Health Ministry; the Work-related Injuries Reporting System (SISCAT) of the Ministry of Social Insurance; and the Annual Report of Social Information (RAIS), Ministry of Labour and Employment. A lack of key common variables limits the construction of a single database composed by all ATF recorded cases. From several barriers identified, the most relevant for data quality was the lack of work-relatedness recognition and recording, a task performed by the health team.

Assessment of health management information system for monitoring of maternal health in Jaleswar Block of Balasore District, Odisha, India.

BACKGROUND: In 2005, the Government of India implemented the National Rural Health Mission for reduction of maternal mortality. One of the major impediments in improving maternal health since then has been a poor management of the Health Management Information System (HMIS) at grass-roots level which could integrate data collection, processing, reporting, and use of information for necessary improvement of health services. OBJECTIVE: The paper identifies the challenges in generating information for HMIS and its utilization for improvement of maternal health program in the tribal-dominated Jaleswar block in Odisha, India. It also aims to understand the nature and orientation of the HMIS data generated by the government for the year 2013-2014. METHODS: The study is a cross-sectional type which used observation and interview methods. Primary data were gathered from health professionals to understand the challenges in generating information for HMIS and its utilization. Next, to understand the nature and orientation of HMIS, data pertaining to tribal block were analyzed. RESULTS: The findings show that there are challenges in generation of quality data, capacity building of workforce, and monitoring of vulnerable tribal population. The discrepancies between HMIS data and field reality display the gap in formulation of policy and its implementation. CONCLUSION: The study unearths the existing politics of knowledge generation. This shows highly standardized procedures and information gathering by use of dominant biomedical concepts of maternal health with limited inclusion of local birthing conceptions and needs of vulnerable tribal pregnant women.

Data value and care value in the practice of health systems: A case study in Uganda.

In anthropology, interest in how values are created, maintained and changed has been reinvigorated. In this case study, we draw on this literature to interrogate concerns about the relationship between data collection and the delivery of patient care within global health. We followed a pilot study conducted in Kayunga, Uganda that aimed to improve the collection of health systems data in five public health centres. We undertook ethnographic research from July 2015 to September 2016 in health centres, at project workshops, meetings and training sessions. This included three months of observations by three fieldworkers; in-depth interviews with health workers (n = 15) and stakeholders (n = 5); and six focus group discussions with health workers. We observed that measurement, calculation and narrative practices could be assigned care-value or data-value and that the attempt to improve data collection within health facilities transferred 'data-value' into health centres with little consideration among project staff for its impact on care. We document acts of acquiescence and resistance to data-value by health workers. We also describe the rare moments when senior health workers reconciled these two forms of value, and care-value and data-value were enacted simultaneously. In contrast to many anthropological accounts, our analysis suggests that data-value and care-value are not necessarily conflicting. Actors seeking to make changes in health systems must, however, take into account local forms of value and devise health systems interventions that reinforce and enrich existing ethically driven practice.

The Pink Underside: The Commercialization of Medical Risk Assessment and Decision-Making Tools for Hereditary Breast Cancer Risk.

The growth of the Internet since the millennium has opened up a myriad of opportunities for education, particularly in medicine. Although those looking for health care information used to have to turn to a face-to-face doctor's visit, an immense library of medical advice is now available at their fingertips. The BRCA genetic predispositions (mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer genes) which expose men and women to greater risk of breast, ovarian, and other cancers can be researched extensively online. Several nonprofit organizations now offer online risk assessment and decision-making tools meant to supplement conversation with medical professionals, which in actuality are quickly replacing it. We argue here through a critical qualitative template analysis of several such tools that the discursive frameworks utilized are prone to fearmongering, commercialization, and questionable validity. Left unchecked, these assessment tools could do more harm than good in driving young women especially to take unnecessary extreme surgical action.