Immunization data management practices and data quality in Ethiopia.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Informatics
• Data Quality Management

Background:

• High-quality immunization data is essential for evidence-based decision-making and effective health program implementation.
• Low-quality data significantly hinders program monitoring and evaluation efforts.
• The status of immunization data quality in Ethiopia remains largely unknown despite data quality improvement initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current status of immunization data quality in Ethiopia.
• To identify the challenges affecting immunization data quality across various administrative and health facility levels.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-method study was conducted from April 15 to July 30, 2023, involving health facilities and administrative units from national to local levels.
• Quantitative data on immunization data quality (accuracy, timeliness, completeness) were collected using Open Data Kit (ODK) from 395 health facilities and 267 health posts.
• Qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 74 key informants and analyzed thematically using ATLAS.ti, with quantitative data analyzed using STATA.

Main Results:

• Only 59.4% of expected immunization data elements were available, with one-third of facilities reporting acceptable accuracy and 27% reporting inaccurate data.
• Completeness and accuracy varied, being better in hospitals than lower-level facilities and settings, with timeliness ranging from 37% to 94% across regions.
• Key challenges included a lack of skilled data management personnel, inadequate tools for data management and quality assessment, and infrequent data quality assessments.

Conclusions:

• Ethiopia's health institutions face significant challenges with immunization data quality, with accuracy, timeliness, and completeness rates below established standards.
• Improving immunization data quality requires strengthening data quality improvement strategies at the point of data collection.
• Addressing these data quality issues is crucial for informed decision-making and enhancing immunization program outcomes.