Improving Quality of Malaria Data in Mali Supports Better Decision Making in the Health Sector

Author(s): MEASURE Evaluation

Year: 2016

Abstract:

Since the introduction of the Routine Malaria Information System (MRIS) in 2011, Mali’s National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) has not been able to adequately support the platform. Factors including limited funding—and insufficient staff training, equipment, and internet connectivity—have led to a lack of timely data reporting in several regions, limiting the program’s ability to target services most effectively.

In Mali, the Planning and Statistics Unit (Cellule de Planification et de la Statistique) of the Ministry of Health is preparing for nationwide rollout of DHIS 2. This ambitious effort, conducted with support from MEASURE Evaluation, includes the customization of malaria indicators and the integration of the MRIS database into the DHIS 2 platform. The issue of the quality of data in the MRIS is therefore now more urgent.

Data that will be migrated into and collected by the newly integrated DHIS 2 platform need to be high quality for use to inform programmatic and policy decisions. Because the NMCP had previously assessed data quality using tools not specifically designed to measure all aspects of data quality—including accuracy and consistency—it requested MEASURE Evaluation’s assistance.

This publication is also available in the following language:
French