Data Quality
The key strategies MEASURE Evaluation Strategic Information for South Africa (MEval-SIFSA) employed for data quality improvement were to strengthen implementation of the district health management information system (DHMIS) policy, to collaborate with the Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), to develop the National Department of Health (NDOH) data quality improvement plan, and to develop provincial data quality improvement models.
The methods used to strengthen policies on health information were to provide capacity building, technical assistance (TA), and mentoring. Among the activities were the development of standard operating procedures for provincial and district levels of the health system and for PEPFAR implementing partners. By April 2017, the project had held 19 training events with 13 courses for 2,173 people. It developed and implemented seven TA plans in seven focus provinces.
A special request was made to USAID for MEval-SIFSA to facilitate some of the training courses to implement the DHIS 2 rollout on schedule. The project facilitated 13 DHIS 2 training courses covering 279 participants as part of this agreement. As part of the DHIS 2 rollout, MEval-SIFSA spent six weeks facilitating 53 workshops on the review of the national indicator data set (NIDS) for 3,579 participants. This was done prior to the 2017 rollout of the new NIDS.
A memorandum of understanding with the NDOH and the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) facilitated the entry into provinces and provided accountability for collaboration with provinces and districts. The project mentored five team members of the Outcomes Monitoring and Evaluation Unit of DPME in advanced data analysis and use and piloted a planning and M&E diagnostic tool to provide experience in data analysis. The project helped develop a data quality improvement plan for the NDOH, and implemented data quality improvement models in Gauteng, Free State, and Limpopo provinces.
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