Integrating Electronic Medical Records Data into National Health Reporting System to Enhance Health Data Reporting and U
A well organized and coordinated health reporting system is critical for improved health system and health care services delivery. For a long time, the Tanzanian Government has been committed to support global efforts to improve the quality of health data
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, Ellen Kalinga2(&), and Juma Lungo2(&)
College of Informatics and Virtual Education, University of Dodoma, Dodoma, Tanzania [email protected] 2 College of Information and Communication Technologies, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania [email protected], [email protected]
Abstract. A well organized and coordinated health reporting system is critical for improved health system and health care services delivery. For a long time, the Tanzanian Government has been committed to support global efforts to improve the quality of health data for increased accountability and evidencebased decision-making by introducing electronic medical records (EMR) systems at facility level and computerize a national reporting system (district health information system (DHIS2)). It is also committed to ensure decision makers have access to high quality routine data from providers of services at health facilities to those responsible for running health programmes at the health ministry (MOHCDGEC, 2017). However, data collection and reporting at facility level is error prone and task demanding due to the manual processes of collecting, aggregating, and sharing data, as a result rarely data are used to monitor programmes and make decisions beyond individual patient care. With the introduction of electronic medical records system, the goal of the paper is to ensure decision-makers have access to high-quality health data that are generated at the facilities, and they value and routinely use the data for decisionmaking. In doing so, the paper envisages improved practices around data collection, reporting and use and institutionalization of data through integrations of EMR and DHIS2. Keywords: Data integration Data use District health information system Health data reporting EM-DHIS2 integration
1 Introduction In sustainable development era, evidence-based planning and decision making receives higher recognition in global health agenda. A need to promote sustainable outcomes, demands better use of resources through better planning and practices. Better health systems performance and outcomes require availability and use of quality health data systems. In most developing countries the collection, compilation [1] and [2]. © IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2019 Published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 P. Nielsen and H. C. Kimaro (Eds.): ICT4D 2019, IFIP AICT 551, pp. 532–543, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18400-1_44
Integrating EMR Data into National Health Reporting System
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According to Toohey et al. [3] one of the causes of poor data use is fragmentation of health information systems and uncoordinated and integrated health information across distributed, heterogeneous and disparate information systems. Over the past 10 years, Tanzania had undergone several efforts to strengthen Health Information System (HIS) and Health management information systems (HMIS) so as to improve quality of data reported and enhance data use and information lead decision making in
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