This abstract has been accepted at the 2024 DHIS2 Annual Conference
Quality and Accessibility of DHIS2 on HIV programs in Central Asia
Introduction: In 2020, FHI 360 launched a new HIV project in three Central Asian (CAR) countries: Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. Building on the successes to date in the three countries, the Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project is focusing on expanding HIV case finding with a focus on populations at high risk of HIV. Before the development of an effective electronic data tracking system, employees filled out paper client forms and manually transferred the data to Excel, consuming a significant amount of time for a single task. The solution was the DHIS2 platform which enables the collection, provision, analysis, and dissemination of aggregate data. Three years after the adoption of this platform, we evaluated the system. Methodology: The evaluation was conducted from January 5 to January 15, 2024, through an anonymous survey among system users (both field workers and office staff). The survey consisted of closed-ended questions and open-ended questions, and respondents were asked to offer suggestions for system improvements. Results: 110 respondents participated in the survey, ages from 18 to 65 years. The typical respondent was male (68.2%); average age 39 years (SD=11); average daily DHIS2 usage time 2.5 hours (SD=2). Sixty-three (57.3%) respondents found the DHIS2 highly functional. Another 30 (27.2%) respondents took a neutral position, while 17 (15.5%) found it inconvenient to use. Fifty-two (47.3%) respondents noted the high speed of the application, 37 (33.6%) rated the speed as average, and 21 (19.1%) rated it as low. The level of security in DHIS2 was rated as high by 78 (70.9%) respondents, as average by 29 (26.4%), and as low by 3 (2.7%). Respondents were also asked for suggestions on improvements. Nearly half (47%) are satisfied with everything; 7% expressed dissatisfaction; and 46% shared their opinions on improvements. Among these, 31% highlighted the need for design enhancements; 23% emphasized the importance of dashboards and its success in customer engagement and achieving targets; 15% requested dashboard improvements; and 12% mentioned the need for improvements to DHIS2 in Russian. Conclusions: Survey results show that most are satisfied with the DHIS2 system in CAR. The overwhelming majority agree that the platform provides an adequate level of speed, functionality, and security. Previous improvements have already led to successful experiences in adapting DHIS2 in Kyrgyzstan, where the Republican AIDS Center adapted the DHIS2 system for the State Social Order program for non-governmental organizations.
Primary Author: Iskandar Akhmedov
Keywords:
HIV prevention, Central Asia, DHIS2 tracker
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