Quality of records in clinical forms of childbirth in the Maternity Hospital of Lubango, Angola / Calidad de los registros en las formas clínicas del parto en el Hospital Maternidad de Lubango, Angola

Objective: To describe the quality of clinical records of deliveries and births by quantitative assessing the unfilled variables in birth data collection forms and their implications at Maternity Hospital, in the municipality of Lubango, Angola. Method: The study was conducted from January to August 2018. It adopted a quantitative research design, analysed variables not filled in a total of 202 birth record forms collected for 3 months (secondary data). Results: The findings revealed that 80% of the sections of the entire set of information about obstetrical history were not filled in. This occurred with a relatively high frequency resulting in some of the relevant variables being left blank, such as antenatal diagnosis (94%) and the number of last menstruation (91%). Conclusions: The rate of missing fundamental information from the clinical birth record are high. This result has important implications in evaluating the quality of data and may, consequently, jeopardize: 1) the evaluation of the prenatal assistance, 2) the clinical assistance at delivery, and 3) decision-making for preventive and intervening procedures. (AU)

Objetivo: Describir la calidad de los registros clínicos de partos y nacimientos mediante la evaluación cuantitativa de las variables no cumplimentadas en los formularios de recolección de datos de nacimiento y sus implicaciones en el Hospital de Maternidad de Lubango, Angola. Método: El estudio se realizó de enero a agosto de 2018. Adoptó un diseño de investigación cuantitativa y analizó variables no cumplimentadas en un total de 202 registros de nacimiento recolectados durante 3 meses (datos secundarios). Resultados: Los hallazgos revelaron que el 80% de las secciones de todo el conjunto de información sobre la historia obstétrica no se completaron. Esto ocurrió con una frecuencia relativamente alta, lo que provocó que algunas de las variables relevantes se dejaran en blanco, como el diagnóstico prenatal (94%) y el número de la última menstruación (91%). Conclusiones: La tasa de falta de información fundamental en el registro clínico de nacimientos es alta. Estos resultados tienen implicaciones importantes en la evaluación de la calidad de los datos y, en consecuencia, pueden poner en peligro: 1) la evaluación de la asistencia prenatal, 2) la asistencia clínica al parto y 3) la toma de decisiones para los procedimientos preventivos e intervinientes. (AU)

Quality of records in clinical forms of childbirth in the Maternity Hospital of Lubango, Angola.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the quality of clinical records of deliveries and births by quantitative assessing the unfilled variables in birth data collection forms and their implications at Maternity Hospital, in the municipality of Lubango, Angola. METHOD: The study was conducted from January to August 2018. It adopted a quantitative research design, analysed variables not filled in a total of 202 birth record forms collected for 3 months (secondary data). RESULTS: The findings revealed that 80% of the sections of the entire set of information about obstetrical history were not filled in. This occurred with a relatively high frequency resulting in some of the relevant variables being left blank, such as antenatal diagnosis (94%) and the number of last menstruation (91%). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of missing fundamental information from the clinical birth record are high. This result has important implications in evaluating the quality of data and may, consequently, jeopardize: 1) the evaluation of the prenatal assistance, 2) the clinical assistance at delivery, and 3) decision-making for preventive and intervening procedures.

Assessing the Use of Hospital Information Systems (HIS) to Support Decision-Making: A Cross-Sectional Study in Public Hospitals in the Huíla Health Region of Southern Angola.

Hospital information systems could be relevant tools to inform hospital managers, support better management decisions in healthcare, and increase efficiency. Nonetheless, hospital managers' effective use of these systems to support decision-making in Angola is unknown. Our study aimed to analyse the use of hospital information systems as a tool to support decision-making by hospital managers in Huíla, Angola. It was a descriptive, cross-sectional study inducted between July and September 2017 in seven hospitals in Huíla Province, Angola, specifically in the cities of Lubango and Matala. Thirty-six members of the hospital boards filled out a self-questionnaire that consisted of twenty questions based on the following issues: Characterisation of the interviewee's profile; availability of information in the institution; and quality and usefulness of the available operational information. At least two thirds of the participants reported being unsatisfied or relatively satisfied with each assessed hospital information systems-specific feature. More than 50% have rarely or never used the health information system to support decision-making. Most managers do not use hospital information systems to support management-related decision-making in Angola. Improving the ability of hospital information systems to compute adequate indicators and training for hospital managers could be targets for future interventions to support better management-related decision-making in Angolan healthcare.