Gabon, with World Bank support, aimed to improve its health information system.
An audit was necessary to assess the existing system's reality and tools.
Purpose of the Study:
To conduct a comprehensive audit of Gabon's health information system.
To identify organizational and technical challenges within the current system.
Main Methods:
Employed qualitative and quantitative approaches over two periods (2016, 2018).
Utilized participative workshops, surveys of healthcare workers, and analysis of policy documents and SWOT.
Collected data from 171 workshop participants and 770 surveyed healthcare professionals across 150 establishments in 10 regions.
Main Results:
Identified critical issues: lack of a legal framework, weak data management, siloed systems, non-interoperable applications, and a low 30% completeness rate.
Despite challenges, 70% of surveyed professionals favored a new system.
Existing assets include computing equipment and adequate internet coverage, with 31.5% of facilities cabled.
Conclusions:
The audit revealed significant organizational and technical deficiencies in Gabon's health information system.
Findings provide a foundation for implementing a new, improved health information system.