HMIS Information Use Guide: Technical Standards Area 4: Version 2

Author(s):

Year: 2013

Abstract:

The Health Management Information System (HMIS) in Ethiopia is designed to capture and provide essential core data for planning and monitoring health system’s performance. With the view to enhance the use of HMIS for planning and management purposes at each level of the health system, this guide on HMIS use by the Regional Health Bureaus (RHB), Zonal Health Departments (ZHD), Woreda Health Offices (WorHO) and Primary Health Care Units (PHCU) is produced.

This version of the HMIS Information Use guidelines is the latest version of the HMIS/M&E Redesign Technical Standards Area 4 (May 2007) that was redesigned based on the three overarching principles of HMIS redesign – i.e., standardization, integration, and simplification. In that version, guidelines for self-assessment by individual and health institutions, as well as externally assisted performance monitoring, dissemination and visual presentation of information were laid down. The current guide attempts to fit in the HMIS use in the bigger health system picture by linking it to the various program frameworks and to the overall planning and monitoring processes already existing in the country. It also takes account of the recent changes in how the health system in Ethiopia is organized, especially the establishment of primary health care units (PHCU) and the reporting needs to the councils/cabinets at every administrative level.

Thus, the flow of this guide has been arranged to familiarize the target audience, in this case the health managers at regional, zonal, woreda and PHCU levels, first with the HMIS indicators and how they relate to different program frameworks.