Routine health information system utilization and factors associated thereof among health workers at government health institutions in East Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

BackgroundUsing reliable information from routine health information systems over time is an important aid to improving health outcomes, tackling disparities, enhancing efficiency, and encouraging innovation. In Ethiopia, routine health information utilization for enhancing performance is poor among health workers, especially at the peripheral levels of health facilities. Therefore, this study aimed to assess routine health information system utilization and associated factors among health workers at government health institutions in East Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsAn institution based cross-sectional study was conducted at government health institutions of East Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia from April to May, 2013. A total of 668 health workers were selected from government health institutions, using the cluster sampling technique. Data collected using a standard structured and self-administered questionnaire and an observational checklist were cleaned, coded, and entered into Epi-info version 3.5.3, and transferred into SPSS version 20 for further statistical analysis. Variables with a p-value of less than 0.05 at multiple logistic regression analysis were considered statistically significant factors for the utilization of routine health information systems.ResultsThe study revealed that 45.8% of the health workers had a good level of routine health information utilization. HMIS training [AOR = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.60, 4.62], good data analysis skills [AOR = 6.40, 95%CI: 3.93, 10.37], supervision [AOR = 2.60, 95% CI: 1.42, 4.75], regular feedback [AOR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.38, 3.51], and favorable attitude towards health information utilization [AOR = 2.85, 95% CI: 1.78, 4.54] were found significantly associated with a good level of routine health information utilization.ConclusionMore than half of the health workers working at government health institutions of East Gojjam were poor health information users compared with the findings of others studies. HMIS training, data analysis skills, supervision, regular feedback, and favorable attitude were factors related to routine health information system utilization. Therefore, a comprehensive training, supportive supervision, and regular feedback are highly recommended for improving routine health information utilization among health workers at government health facilities.

Routine health information utilization and associated factors among health care professionals working at public health institution in North Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia

“…This finding was supported by that of a study conducted in East Gojjam zone [24]. This might be due to the attention given by the government to district health facilities in terms of supervision and regular feedback [28, 37].…”

“…According to our findings, the magnitude of routine health information utilization of health care professionals was 78.5%. This finding is higher than that of a study conducted in North Gondar (22.5%) [22], Jimma (32.9%) [23], East Gojjam (45.8%) [24], Hadiya zone (69%) [25], west Amhara (38%) [29], and in Ethiopia (48%) [2]. This variation might be due to differences in study periods.…”

Primary Healthcare Data Management Practice and Associated Factors: The Case of Health Extension Workers in Northwest Ethiopia

“…This could highly affect the decision-making practices of the Ethiopian health system in terms of resource allocation, planning, service quality and equity. The current data management practice was different from study findings in Southern Ethiopia [16], where 74.3% of HEWs were good in data management. This discrepancy could be due to differences in data management knowledge [limited training], and unclear formats.…”

“…In this study, only 47.4% of the HEWs had good data management knowledge. This clearly indicated that over half of the HEWs practiced data management without knowhow, which leads to poor data and decision quality [11,16,24]. This finding is slightly lower compared to study findings from Southern Ethiopia [16], where 58.2% of HEWs had good data management knowledge.…”

“…This clearly indicated that over half of the HEWs practiced data management without knowhow, which leads to poor data and decision quality [11,16,24]. This finding is slightly lower compared to study findings from Southern Ethiopia [16], where 58.2% of HEWs had good data management knowledge. The difference could be due to training access where 42% of HEWs from Southern Ethiopia took training on data management, but only 12.6% from East Gojjam had training.…”