The Rwanda Health Management Information System (HMIS) is integral to healthcare monitoring and decision-making, necessitating accurate data reporting. This initiative focuses on addressing a specific challenge in underdeveloped rehabilitation data reporting, crucial for individuals with disabilities. Emphasizing the international context, including global initiatives like WHO’s Rehabilitation 2030, underscores the call for standardized data collection. The rehabilitation data set was customized to support the evidenced based around rehabilitation health care. The activity aims to tackle challenges in Rwanda’s rehabilitation data reporting by updating templates and creating a user guide, thereby strengthening evidence-based reporting in the Rwanda HMIS. Rwanda’s rehabilitation healthcare faces was suffering challenges in information gaps on individuals with disabilities, lack of systematic reporting for screening and rehabilitation needs, and issues related to logistics, progress tracking, and data quality. The activity conducted was conducted to address the mentioned challenges . Currently the rehabilitation data set was customized into the Rwanda HMIS embedded in DHIS2, fostering evidence-based reporting and addressing healthcare challenges comprehensively as per the below expected potential benefits.
Potential Benefits:
- Improved Information Availability: Addressing challenges in data collection ensures comprehensive information on individuals with disabilities.
- Enhanced Reporting of Rehabilitation Data: Customized reporting forms facilitate accurate and detailed reporting, improving intervention strategies.
- Global Reporting Compliance : Alignment with global indicators ensures compliance, facilitating benchmarking and international collaboration.
- Harmonization of Reporting Tools : Customization contributes to tool harmonization, fostering consistency and efficiency across healthcare levels.
- Addressing Issues around Rehabilitation Devices: Improved logistics and tracking mechanisms address delays in device distribution, ensuring timely access for patients.
- Evidence-Based Planning: The availability of accurate and timely data supports evidence-based planning, aiding informed decision-making.
- Strengthening Health Systems: The initiative contributes to overall health system strengthening by addressing service delivery gaps and financial planning based on rehabilitation data.
- Facilitating Health Information Research: Strengthened data use enhances research capabilities, contributing to the advancement of healthcare knowledge.
- Facilitating Health Financing : Availing required information for financing ensures that resources are allocated to support rehabilitation services.
- Corrected Data on Rehabilitation Staff : The initiative corrects data discrepancies related to rehabilitation staff, ensuring accurate records for workforce planning
The technical team involving ( Facility representative, Academician, Program , Clinical ,M&E team and Digital team and Partners representative( NUDOR Rwanda and CBM Rwanda),conveyed different session from mapping of systems , Indicators, metanalysis of literature review , developments of reporting , review ,validation , customization and testing and now the next step is around the training of users and consumption of data as the product of this important activity. We are appreciating this innovative solution (DHIS2 Tool), HISP Rwanda , OSLO Team for all support provided to have central level team I belong to with such skills that gained to conduct this important activity and we are willing to share our lessons leant for any country that wishing to proceed the similar activity.