PMI Measure Malaria Develops Android App Designed to Improve Data Quality
The PMI Measure Malaria team developed a new Android app designed to assess data quality at health facilities. The app is based on the Malaria Routine Data Quality Assurance (M-RDQA) tool and intended to be used as part of routine supportive supervision visits by district health teams and/or malaria program managers. It builds on the original Excel version of the tool by creating the ability for users to download initial information on the health facility and upload results to the national District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), permitting a more centralized and holistic monitoring, coordination, and response to data quality issues.
The app facilitates the review of data recorded in source documents and reported to the next level. The app includes data quality checks of completeness of reporting and data elements, timeliness, accuracy, and consistency and is designed to collect data on the health facility’s readiness to produce high-quality data.
The development of the Android app will help encourage the use of the M-RDQA tool and facilitate aggregation of results from a select set of data quality metrics at the subnational up to the national levels. Standard aggregate data on quality of data for selected key indicators will enable PMI Measure Malaria and country malaria programs to evaluate trends and compare results across health facilities, districts, and regions.
A more coordinated and standardized approach to routine data quality checks will help program managers understand where the needs are and how best to address them.
