Number / percent of organization / program units systematically using information to plan and monitor performance
The capacity of managers to use routine information systems to monitor performance.
An effective management information system (MIS) processes raw data and produces information that allows decision-makers to understand how well the organization or program is performing. This indicator can apply to information systems designed for producing information to monitor the overall or "bottom-line" performance of the organization/program or the performance of individual management units such as finance or human resources.
Organization/program units in the context of reproductive health refer to either service delivery points, branch offices, or management units/departments within headquarters.
As a percentage, this indicator is calculated as:
(Number of organization/program units systematically using information to plan and monitor performance / total number of organization/program units using information systems) x 100
Written (or computer generated) evidence of use of data (e.g. indicator charts, graphs); information system reports; planning objectives; number of units that show evidence of use of data; and total number of units.
Assessment of the MIS, conducted during routine supervision or by an external evaluator; interviews with key staff.
When calculating this indicator, an evaluator examines the institutional documents specified above for the presence of the following three attributes of systematic monitoring:
- Data are converted into information on specified indicators of performance;
- Indicators are used to compare performance to objectives or standards established in operational and/or strategic plans; and
- Trend/time analysis of information is available in a way that is accessible to management (e.g., tables, graphs).
Applying this indicator is common in reproductive health programs to measure the use of routine service indicators. This set should include at least one indicator on each of the basic reproductive health services, such as family planning, antenatal and postnatal care, safe delivery services, STI/HIV treatment and prevention, as well as other programmatic indicators.
The indicator can also apply to a review of other information systems including disease surveillance systems, personnel or human resources, commodities and logistics, finance, and facilities and equipment.
This indicator assumes that the information available to the evaluator is both timely and accurate. The following two indicators in this section address these questions: Number/proportion of reporting units submitting a completed routine MIS report on time and Percent of data elements reported accurately in MIS reports. This indicator does not measure the effectiveness of decision-making based on information that is monitored. To do so would require a more complex, in-depth measurement process that involves interviews with key informants and intensive document review.
Health information systems, Health workforce, Human resources, Supervision, Facility management
