DHIS2 NCD Scoping Review – Seeking Community Input

Research - Recherches
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Update: our review is currently at the screening stage.
The current information and materials on this project can be accessed on OSF:
[ OSF | Applicability of DHIS2 software platform for monitoring non-communicable diseases in Serbia and Southeast Europe: Scoping Review].

The original post is kept below for context, but please refer to this update and the OSF page for the most current information.

Thank you very much for you time, and please feel free to leave any comments, suggestions, or remarks.

Hello DHIS2 Community!

We are a research team from the University of Belgrade. We are conducting a scoping review on the use of DHIS2 and DHIS2-based health information systems for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). We focus on screening, longitudinal follow-up, care, and surveillance.

Team
Stefan Mandic-Rajcevic (University of Belgrade)
Nikola Ilic (University of Belgrade)
Oleg Khoroshaev (University of Belgrade)
Lazar Petrovic (University of Belgrade)
Petar Stojkovic (University of Belgrade)

We ask DHIS2 community for the feedback!

Welcome the feedback!

Are the criteria appropriate for a scoping review
Are any criteria too strict or too broad
Are there important DHIS2 for NCD use cases we may have missed
Can we improve clarity and reproducibility
Any database-specific tips. MeSH terms, fields, filters

Potential DHIS2-based platform names

During preliminary screening we found names such as “DHIMS2” and “SIS-MA”. These appear to be DHIS2-based implementations in the literature. Please correct us if this is not accurate. If you know other DHIS2-based platform names used in specific countries please share them.

We start with a broad strategy to capture everything related to DHIS2 and NCDs. We will refine it based on your feedback and our eligibility criteria.

If anyone from the HISP network is willing to connect we would welcome a direct contact. After we register the protocol on OSF we will share the OSF link on the forum.

Thank you for your time and your feedback.

Contact
Oleg Khoroshaev
khoroshaev12@gmail.com
Or you can message me here on the forum

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NCD community input needed. DHIS2 scoping review search terms and criteria
🙌 February 2026 #CoPMonthly: Active CoP Members Helping the Global DHIS2 Community!
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Hi, this is interesting! It’s a bit hard to give concrete feedback on the search terms etc, my experience is that you also will have to try a few searches and adjust as you go along. I.e. if the search returns too much that is not relevant you can try stricter terms, if you get too little of that you will have to “open up” a bit in case you’re missing something. One question I have is what is your research question? Are there particular aspects of NCD and information systems you are looking for, beyond the topics of screening, follow-up, care etc? Since it’s a scoping review it may be quite broad?

A scoping review would also look at grey literature, so master’s theses, reports etc would also be relevant. Those would not be available in the regular research databases. You should find a lot of theses in our research library here Research Library - Department of Informatics

Good luck!

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Hi, thank you for the reply and for the pointer to the Research Library!

Our aim

The aim of this study is to map the evidence of applicability and benefits of using DHIS2 and related programs for NCDs through a scoping review of existing literature and to analyze the implementation conditions and experience.

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Why expanded the search

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You are right that iterative calibration is needed. This is not the first version of our strategy. During piloting we faced a recurring issue. We often cross check country context using official DHIS2 implementation information and the DHIS2 in action map.
https://dhis2.org/in-action/#map
In some settings DHIS2 is officially implemented and there are implementation booklets or guides. In scientific publications the platform is not mentioned directly. Authors may write HMIS or routine HIS without stating DHIS2. From the paper text alone it is sometimes impossible to prove the platform is DHIS2 even if it is plausible based on country implementation.

For now in PubMed 1057 results.

DHIS2-specific terminology

Because of this we may lose relevant NCD papers if we rely only on explicit DHIS2 keywords. That is why we decided to test a broader strategy and add candidate DHIS2 specific terms such as tracker and events. The terms in our Excel table are our attempt to propose DHIS2 specific keywords. We would appreciate feedback on whether these terms are truly DHIS2 specific. Please tell us what you would remove and what you would add. We do not yet have deep hands on DHIS2 experience so advice from implementers is very valuable.

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Grey literature and HISP outreach

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We also plan to email HISP groups directly. We will ask for any relevant files and reports on DHIS2 use for NCD programmes. We will also share files we identify and ask for help confirming DHIS2 use when it is not explicitly named in a publication. If DHIS2 use cannot be confirmed we will not treat the paper as DHIS2 evidence. We will place it in the discussion as a relevant HIS or HMIS example and we will describe the uncertainty clearly.

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Current eligibility criteria (under revision)

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Regarding eligibility these are our current inclusion and exclusion criteria. They are under revision and we welcome any feedback on whether they are too strict or too broad.

Current Inclusion Criteria

  1. DHIS2 based sources. Include studies or reports where NCD related data are collected managed reported or used within DHIS2.
  2. NCD specific scope. Include sources focusing on NCDs or clearly defining NCD related programmes or indicators within a DHIS2 context.
  3. Beyond data quality alone. Include sources describing NCD data use reporting implementation or decision making even if data quality is also discussed.
  4. Real world application. Include studies with documented implementation or operational use of DHIS2 for NCD monitoring in practice.
  5. DHIS2 as the main platform. Include sources where DHIS2 is central to the NCD activity not only a comparator or minor mention.
  6. Evidence of use or action. Include sources showing how DHIS2 supported NCD data inform monitoring programme management planning or health actions.
  7. Concrete NCD examples. Include sources with specific NCD use cases workflows indicators dashboards registries or reporting structures in DHIS2.
  8. English language. Include English language peer reviewed and grey literature.

Current Exclusion Criteria

  1. Non DHIS2 sources. Exclude if the data are not from DHIS2 for example spreadsheets or paper records only.
  2. General assessments. Exclude general health system assessments not directly related to NCDs.
  3. Data quality only. Exclude if the focus is only on data quality without NCD use.
  4. Validation studies. Exclude if DHIS2 is used only to validate other datasets.
  5. Theoretical frameworks. Exclude without real world NCD application.
  6. No application. Exclude if only analysis is shown without an NCD decision or action link.
  7. Mentions only. Exclude if DHIS2 is mentioned without a concrete NCD example.
  8. Non English language studies. Exclude non English sources.

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Access to master’s theses

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Thank you again for the masters thesis suggestion. The practical problem is access. Previously the site indicated access might return in fall 2025. It is now winter 2026. We contacted the university and the library but we did not receive guidance yet. At the moment the site states.
DUO research archive is only available from the networks of Norwegian universities and university colleges.
If you know any official way to request individual theses or any open alternative archive we would be grateful for advice.

Thank you again.

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