Post-conflict health data management practice and associated factors among health professionals working at comprehensive specialized hospitals in Eastern ANRS Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: The systematic organization of health data in digital form is known as health data management (HDM). It is a part of the Health Information System, which includes data collection, processing, reporting, and information used for healthcare services. The poor practice of health data management is still a neglected problem in the health system despite being a challenge to the success of the health system. The existence of sound health data management is a key point for the productivity and quality advancement of a country's health system. Objective: This study aimed at assessing post-conflict health data management practice among health professionals of Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals in Eastern ANRS, Ethiopia,2022. Method: A facility-based quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted by using simple random sampling among 399 participants working in Dessie and Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals from May 28 to June 28, 2022. A structured and self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. EpiData version 4.6 and SPSS version 25 were used for data entry and analysis respectively. Descriptive statistics were used for the summary. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were carried out to see the effect of each independent variable on the dependent variable. The odds ratio at a 95% confidence level was used to describe the strength of association. Results: A total of 399 (94.3%) health professionals participated in the study. From those, 185 (46.4%) [95% CI: 41.5,51.3] were demonstrated good health data management practice. Work experience [AOR=2.78 (95%CI:1.528,5.044)], diploma holders [AOR=10.437 (95% CI: 2.966,16.724)],degree holders [AOR=4.118 (95% CI: 1.434,11.825)] having good knowledge [AOR=3.786 (95% CI: 1.852,7.739)], favorable attitude [AOR=4.359 (95% CI: 2.581,7.364)], data management guidelines [AOR=1.970 (95%CI: 1.191,3.259)], friendliness of data management tools [AOR=2.303 (95% CI: 1.350,3.929)], training [AOR=1.866 (95% CI: 1.033,3.368)] and workload [AOR=1.746 (95% CI: 1.064,2.866)] were significantly associated with good practice of health data management. Conclusion and Recommendations: Health data management practices of health professionals were found to be low in the study setting according to the national standard which is greater than eighty percent in all components health information system. Enhancing health professionals’ data management knowledge, and attitude, availing of data management guidelines, making data management formats user-friendly, hiring enough health professionals, and providing comprehensive data management training by the federal ministry of health and regional health bureau are necessary measures to improve health data management practice in the study setting. Keywords: Health data management practice, Health professionals, Specialized Hospitals, Eastern ANRS, Ethiopia.