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Improved Resource Utilization Decisions through Strengthened and Sustainable Management Information Systems. James (Kip) Eckroad BS, MS, MBA TASC2 Project - Eritrea. Three Intermediate Result Areas. IR1: Active Demand for Primary Health Care Expanded
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Improved Resource Utilization Decisions through Strengthened and Sustainable Management Information Systems James (Kip) Eckroad BS, MS, MBA TASC2 Project - Eritrea
Three Intermediate Result Areas • IR1: Active Demand for Primary Health Care Expanded • IR2: Quality of Priority Primary Health Services Improved • IR3: Institutional Capacity for Resource Allocation Decisions Improved
IR3 Strategies • Develop and strengthen health management information systems • Strengthen the management systems, practices and procedures • Develop and improve capacity for decision making • Continued support for decentralization and hospital autonomy
MIS Assessment: Initial Findings • MIS function and responsibility dispersed throughout the Ministry of Health • All systems highly dependent on outside assistance for modification or maintenance • Most systems in MS Access database but programmed in Visual Basics • Significant unmet need for improvement of existing or development of new systems
Recommended Improvements in System Development • Priority given to sustainability through independence from outside sources • Sustainability and independence directly related to the degree of openness and access • Standardization important for integration and sharing of data; as well as for building an internal body of knowledge for supporting the systems
Information Systems Design Based on Sound Database Theory • Database design based on relational database theory • Follow the three levels of normalization • This greatly facilitates growth and expansion, additional attributes and new entities • Try to identify the single most important table and build around it
An “Open Access” Approach • Maximum use of Access wizards, tools and especially the query capabilities • Menu structure based on Switchboard Manager, common user interface • Reliance on forms for data entry and editing • Standardization of nomenclature for tables, forms and queries • The incremental approach to information systems development
Implementation of the Approach • Development of 3 new systems in key resource area: drug logistics, personnel management and donor financing • Implementation and capacity building for the new information systems • Capacity building focus on continuous learning models: mentoring and formative supervision
Principal Challenges • Importance of documented specifications as form of communication with client • Direction, coordination and integration among the various MOH information systems