Assessing Barriers to Data Demand and Use in the Health Sector: A Toolkit

The toolkit was developed by Tara Nutley and Eric Geers, with review and input from Isabel Brodsky, Michelle Li, Molly Cannon, and Nena do Nascimento. The toolkit was supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and produced by MEASURE Evaluation, a project implemented by the Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in partnership with ICF International, John Snow, Inc., Management Sciences for Health, Palladium, and Tulane University. The purpose of the assessment is to identify barriers and constraints to data use, which can hinder the effective use of data to inform decision-making and improve health outcomes. The toolkit provides a framework for conducting an assessment, which includes identifying data use intervention areas, assessing the current state of data use, and developing recommendations and an action plan. The toolkit includes four main tools: a semi-structured interview guide, a self-assessment survey, a group assessment tool, and a site visit checklist. These tools are designed to be used in conjunction with each other to gather information from various stakeholders, including program staff, managers, and community members. The semi-structured interview guide is used to gather information from key informants, such as program managers and staff, about their experiences and perceptions of data use. The self-assessment survey is used to gather information from program staff and managers about their current data use practices and challenges. The group assessment tool is used to gather information from a group of stakeholders, such as program staff and community members, about their perceptions of data use and barriers to effective data use. The site visit checklist is used to gather information from program sites about their data use practices and challenges. The toolkit also includes a section on analysis of findings, which provides guidance on how to synthesize the information gathered from the four tools. The toolkit also includes a section on developing recommendations and an action plan, which provides guidance on how to use the findings from the assessment to develop recommendations and an action plan to address the barriers and constraints to data use. The toolkit is designed to be adaptable to different contexts and can be used in a variety of settings, including national, regional, and local levels. The toolkit is also designed to be used in conjunction with other tools and frameworks, such as the UNAIDS 12 Components Monitoring and Evaluation System Strengthening Tool and the Performance of Routine Information System Management Framework (PRISM) Organizational and Behavioral Assessment Tool (OBAT). The toolkit includes several figures and tables that illustrate the concepts and tools discussed in the toolkit. For example, Figure 1 shows a sample list of people to interview for assessment of a malaria program, while Figure 2 shows a sample of how to rate self-efficacy on a scale of 1-4. Table 1 shows an example of intermittent preventive treatment for pregnancy services at an antenatal care clinic for 2012. Overall, the Assessing Barriers to Data Demand and Use in the Health Sector toolkit provides a comprehensive framework for identifying and addressing obstacles to effective data use in the health sector. The toolkit is designed to be adaptable to different contexts and can be used in a variety of settings, including national, regional, and local levels.