HIS Stages of Continuous Improvement Toolkit

Author(s): MEASURE Evaluation

Year: 2019

Abstract:

Strong health information systems (HIS) can collect, analyze, and use high-quality, timely data to strengthen health service delivery. A functioning HIS gets the right information into the right hands at the right time, enabling policymakers, managers, and individual service providers to make informed choices about everything from patient care to national budgets. Despite a growing emphasis on strengthening HIS and measuring how information systems contribute to improved health outcomes, understanding is limited on what interventions will work to improve HIS in various stages of development.

The HIS Stages of Continuous Improvement (SOCI) Toolkit was collaboratively designed to help countries or organizations holistically assess, plan, and prioritize interventions and investments to strengthen an HIS. The assessment measures current and desired HIS status across five core domains of an HIS, and 39 subcomponents, and maps a path toward improvement—thus assisting countries in ensuring the right information is available to the right people at the right time. HIS are essential not only to monitor and improve national and subnational programs, but also to demonstrate country progress on a global level. This tool aligns with World Health Organization efforts to strengthen country HIS and capacities to monitor universal health coverage and health Sustainable Development Goals. 

The HIS SOCI Toolkit was jointly developed by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Data Collaborative digital health and interoperability working group, and the USAID-funded MEASURE Evaluation project. The toolkit also responds to one of MEASURE Evaluation’s Learning Agenda questions. 

The full collection is also available online at https://www.measureevaluation.org/his-strengthening-resource-center/his-stages-of-continuous-improvement-toolkit