This community innovation has been accepted at the 2026 DHIS2 Annual Conference as a digital poster.
DHIS2 for Quality Assurance and Education in IESS
Digital health information systems are increasingly central to health system governance, quality assurance, and performance monitoring (WHO, 2018; Kruk et al., 2018). While DHIS2 is widely used for surveillance and routine reporting, its potential to support quality assurance (QA) and workforce education planning remains underexplored (DHIS2, 2024). Ecuador’s Social Security Institute (IESS) manages a nationwide network of health facilities subject to accreditation and regulatory oversight (Braithwaite et al., 2011). Although QA mechanisms have expanded, education and training remain fragmented and weakly integrated into governance cycles (Frenk et al., 2010). This study applies a qualitative policy and systems analysis to examine how DHIS2 can be leveraged to strengthen QA and education governance within IESS. Data sources include institutional QA workflows, accreditation requirements, policy documents, and consultations with national and facility level quality and training focal points. DHIS2 data flows were mapped to key decision points across the QA cycle (audits, corrective actions, accreditation follow up) to identify opportunities for translating performance gaps into education priorities (WHO, 2021). Preliminary findings indicate that DHIS2 can integrate QA indicators into real time dashboards, identify facility and system level training needs based on audit and accreditation data, and support evidence informed education planning for mid level managers (WHO, 2018; DHIS2, 2024). However, three barriers limit impact: fragmented governance of in service education, lack of standardized education/competency indicators in DHIS2, and weak linkage between data use and workforce development strategies (Frenk et al., 2010; Braithwaite et al., 2011). The IESS case illustrates how DHIS2 can function as a core instrument for quality governance and education system strengthening (Kruk et al., 2018).
Primary Author: Sunjoo Kang
Keywords:
DHIS2; Quality Assurance; Health Systems Governance; Workforce Education; Accreditation; Ecuador