Background
Health information systems and human resources
The need for competency frameworks
Consultation aims
Methods
Type | Search site | Search terms |
---|---|---|
Peer-reviewed journal articles (1990–2012) | Science Direct | HIS and competency building |
Pub Med | Health information use and competency building | |
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) | HIS and competency training | |
HIS district-level staff | ||
Google Scholar | HIS and clinicians, nurses | |
HRH and HIS | ||
Government reports | Internet search engine (google.com) | HIS standards |
HIS policy |
First-round consultation
Second-round consultation
Results
Characteristic | Total sample | Round one respondents | Round two respondents | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gender | Male | 21 | 7 | 7 |
Female | 17 | 4 | 1 | |
Usual place of residence | Southeast Asia | 13 | 5 | 3 |
Western Pacific | 6 | 2 | 2 | |
Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Europe | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
Americas | 15 | 3 | 2 | |
Eastern Mediterranean | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Currently working in a HIS role in a LMIC | Yes | — | 6 | — |
No | — | 4 | — | |
Not stated | — | 1 | — | |
Profession | HIS architecture, development, and implementation | — | 3 | — |
HIS analysis, information production, and dissemination | — | 2 | — | |
Other | — | 3 | — | |
Not stated | — | 3 | — |
Developing a minimum HIS competencies framework
Core HIS competencies
Level 1: facility-based service providers | Level 2: facility-based supervisors | Level 3: provincial-/district-level managers | Level 4: national strategic decision-makers |
---|---|---|---|
Data management (including use of administrative processes and systems), oversight, and coordination
| |||
• Uses administrative processes for longitudinal patient monitoring and practice management (e.g. searches for patient records, retrieves demographics) | • Uses administrative processes for maintaining employee records | • Manages projects and provincial-/district-level administration | • Plans and coordinates the national-level surveillance and response activities across all levels of the health system during public health emergencies |
• Uses administrative processes for budgeting | • Develops HIS capacity-building activities across the health system | • Develops up-to-date legislation and health information policies and procedures that provide the framework for implementing the national HIS standards | |
• Uses administrative processes for staff scheduling | • Understands provincial/district minimum core health indicators that have been identified for the country (health status and determinants; inputs, outputs, and outcomes of the health system) | • Oversees and monitors the operations/functions of the HIS at the Ministry of Health | |
• Uses administrative processes for forecasting facility-level resource allocation | • Establishes coordination mechanisms for the provincial/district statistics office | • Develops up-to-date legislation and health information policies and procedures that provide the framework for implementing the national HIS standards | |
• Organises staff workshops and training sessions related to HIS strengthening | • Oversees and monitors the operations/functions of the HIS at the Ministry of Health | ||
• Uses a systematic approach to evaluating the quality of services provided by health facilities according to national HIS standards | |||
Data generation (collection, analysis, management, and dissemination)
| |||
• Documents patient care using appropriate forms (in accordance with national and/or facility standards) | • Reports regularly on facility supplies, infrastructure, human resources, commodities, budget, and equipment | • Reports regularly on a minimum set of core indicators | • Disseminates health reports and national HIS standards to lower level health facilities and offices |
• Enters patient data and facility-level health indicators using appropriate forms (in accordance with the national HIS standards) | • Uses facility and national HIS standards for proper filing and storage of confidential data | • Develops reports for the provincial/district Health Account | |
• Accesses and retrieves data at facility level for patient care and health service administration (e.g. filing system) | • Compiles and manages aggregate data | • Follows national HIS standards for data management, analysis, and use at provincial/district level | |
• Completes and submits all forms (i.e. weekly/monthly summary and surveillance reports) to the district level health office in a timely manner using the correct practice for paper-based documentation (according to national and/or facility standards) | • Accesses shared data sets | • Ensures accuracy of data collection at health facility | |
• Undertakes proper coding/classification, filing, and storage of confidential data as per national HIS data entry and facility standards and as appropriate at the facility level (e.g. diagnosis) | • Uses and understands diagnostic coding | • Publishes most recent summary reports for local authorities | |
• Performs transcription, analysis, and compilation of data as required by district and/or national health office | • Disseminates health information used by provincial/district and facility-level management teams to set resource allocation in the annual budget | ||
• Maintains privacy and security of confidential data | • Provides information and analysis to health facilities and other administrative units as per national HIS standards | ||
• Creates documentation that is thorough and legible | • Develops integrated HIS summary reports including minimum set of core indicators as per national HIS standards | ||
• Accesses, processes, and analyses facility level data as per national HIS standards | |||
• Extracts data from clinical and public health data sets | |||
Data use
| |||
• Uses or provides surveillance data to respond to outbreaks according to national standards | • Uses patient records and/or facility health reports to monitor health outcomes | • Uses health information in developing the annual budget plan | • Uses health information in national strategic planning and budget development |
• Uses or provides information on forms (national and/or facility standards) to plan patient care (e.g. discharge planning) | • Uses facility-level reports for decision-making on facility-level resource allocation (e.g. supplies, human resources, finances) | • Uses health information at all levels for managing delivery of the local health service and for continuous monitoring and periodic surveillance and response | • Uses integrated HIS summary reports including a minimum set of core indicators to set up strategic management agendas |
• Uses or provides facility-retained patient medical records to support quality and continuity of care | • Uses data to evaluate service delivery and health outcomes and to improve quality of care at the facility level | • Uses lower level reports and national HIS reports for future HIS directional planning | |
• Uses or provides data relating to practice and care as per national HIS standards | • Uses health information in annual national planning and budget development | ||
Use of ICT infrastructure (subject to availability and applicability at each level)
| |||
• Uses available communication infrastructure (e.g. fax, telephone, computer, copier, internet, email) | • Routinely saves and backs up files | ||
• Demonstrates basic technology skills (e.g. able to operate computer, print documents, load paper, change toner) | • Operates virus-scanning processes | ||
• Demonstrates keyboard skills (i.e. typing) | • Uses presentation graphics (e.g. Excel graphs/PowerPoint) | ||
• Uses operating system applicable to role (e.g. copy, paste, delete, manage files, change directories, adjust monitor and settings) | • Uses applications for structured data entry (e.g. patient data, service data) | ||
• Uses computer technology safely and securely | • Uses administrative applications to collate data and develop reports at facility level for decision-making (e.g. customised databases or HIS software applications) | ||
• Operates peripheral devices (e.g. handheld, scanner, portable storage devices) | • Uses networks to navigate systems (e.g. local area networks, world wide web) | ||
• Uses surge protection if provided | • Undertakes simple preventive maintenance of computer (e.g. operating system and software updates) | ||
• Uses word processing (e.g. Microsoft Word) | • Uses aids for clinical decision-making or service decision-support systems | ||
• Uses spreadsheets (e.g. Microsoft Excel) |
Service-provider-level competencies
Facility-based supervisor competencies
District-/provincial-level competencies
Regional-/national-level competencies
Competency type | Number of competencies | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | |
Data management | 1 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
Data generation | 8 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
Data use | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Total
|
13
|
14
|
16
|
8
|
Cumulative total
|
13
|
27
|
43
|
51
|