Background: The demand for quality maternal and child health (MCH) data is critical for tracking progress towards attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal 3. However, MCH cannot be adequately monitored where health data are inaccurate, incomplete, untimely, or inconsistent. Thus, this study assessed the level of MCH data quality. Method: A facility-based cross-sectional study design was adopted, including a review of MCH service records. It was a stand-alone study involving 13 healthcare facilities of different levels that provided MCH services in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Data quality was assessed using the dimensions of accuracy, timeliness, completeness, and consistency. Health facilities registers were counted, collated, and compared with data on aggregate monthly forms, and a web-based data collation and reporting system, District Health Information System (DHIS2). The aggregate monthly forms were also compared with data in the DHIS2. Eight MCH variables were selected to assess data accuracy and consistency and two monthly reports were used to assess completeness and timeliness. Percentages and verification factor were estimated in the SPSS version 22 package. Results: Data accuracy were recorded between the data sources: Registers and Forms, 102.1% (95% CI = 97.5%—106.7%); Registers and DHIS2, 102.4% (95% CI = 94.4%—110.4%); and Forms and DHIS2, 100.1% (95% CI = 96.4%—103.9%). Across the eight MCH variables, data were 93.2% (95% CI = 82.9%—103.5%) complete in Registers, 91.0% (95% CI = 79.5%—102.5%) in the Forms, and 94.9% (95% CI = 89.9%—99.9%) in DHIS2 database. On the average, 87.2% (95% CI = 80.5%—93.9%) of the facilities submitted their Monthly Midwife’s Returns reports on time, and Monthly Vaccination Report was 94% (95% CI = 89.3%—97.3%). The overall average data consistency was 93% (95% CI = 84%—102%). Conclusion: Given the WHO standard for data quality, the level of MCH data quality in the health care facilities at the Cape Coast Metropolis, available through the DHIS2 is complete, reported on timely manner, consistent, and reflect accurately what exist in facility’s source document. Although there is evidence that data quality is good, there is still room for improvement in the quality of the data.
A facility-based cross-sectional study design involving review of records of MCH service data was used. The study was conducted in 13 healthcare facilities in the Cape Coast Metropolis—the only metropolis, out of the 22 districts in the Central Region of the Ghana. The Metropolis has fertility rate of 2.2 and a general fertility rate of 59.2 births per 1000 women aged 15–49 years [23]. In 2019, the metropolis had 38 health facilities of all types. The sampling was done in two stages, one was the selection of the Cape Coast Metropolis out of the 22 districts in the region. The Metropolis was purposefully selected because of its uniqueness as one of the largest districts in the region and the only one with the full cadre of health facilities, including, a Teaching Hospitals. The second stage involved the selection of the health facilities. Desk review of documents showed 38 health facilities both government and private are situated in the Metropolis. Thirteen health facilities; 4 private and 9 government/public that met the inclusion criteria of providing MCH services in the Metropolis, were selected. We relied on key variables for conducting MCH data quality assessment recommended by WHO [24]. Based on this recommendation, the MCH variables selected were, antenatal care first (ANC1) coverage, antenatal care first fourth (ANC4) coverage, first dose of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPT1), administration of Tetanus–Diphtheria Vaccine (Td2 +) in pregnancy, deliveries attended by a skilled birth attendant/midwife in a health facility, access to early postnatal care (PNC), pentavalent vaccine first and third (Penta1 and Penta3) dose coverage in children under one year of age (Table (Table11). MCH variables with definition and data source Source: Ghana Health Service: Standard Operating Procedures for Health Information Managers, 2012 A data collation sheet was used to collect data. Three data sources were used to assess the routine data quality metrics: primary source data at health facilities (antenatal registers, delivery registers, postnatal registers, and EPI tally sheets); facility aggregate data (Midwife’s returns form and vaccination form); and facility-reported data in DHIS2. The ANC registers, PNC registers, Delivery book registers, and EPI tally book were used to collect data on accuracy of MCH variables. For each selected MCH variable, we recounted the data in the register on monthly basis and the results documented in a data collation sheet. Further, data in the monthly midwives, and vaccination report forms were documented in the data collation sheet for each of the selected variables. The same process was repeated for facility-reported data in DHIS2 for midwives returns report and vaccination report. The focus for data completeness, timeliness, and consistency was the data in DHIS2 database and not the registers or facility forms. Therefore, two main reports (the reporting rate summary and the summary reporting form) were extracted from DHIS2 database. The reporting rate summary was used to assess the completeness and timeliness of facility reporting, whereas summary reporting form assessed the completeness of indicator data and consistency of data (consistency over time, consistency between related data, and outliers in the referenced year). The reporting periods for data accuracy, timeliness, and completeness assessment were January 2020 to December, 2020, and that of consistency was January 2017 to December 2020. Consequently, a yearly report for the three years, (January 2017 to December 2019), was downloaded from the DHIS2 database to serve as comparison for assessing the consistency of data overtime. A two-day training (with pre-test) was given to two research assistants (RAs with bachelor’s degree in information studies) who subsequently reviewed the documents. The first author did daily supervision to ensure that all collected data were complete and consistent among the two RA. There was largely agreement between the two RAs recounted data, except in one facility where variations were observed once in their figures for two variables (deliveries, and PNC). Subsequently, new collation sheets were given to the RAs to recount the data for the two variables, where the figures tallied. Data analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 22) for Windows. Frequencies and percentages and verification factors (VF) were calculated to characterise data quality by accuracy, completeness, timeliness and consistency. MCH data accuracy was determined through data accuracy checks, which involved verification of the numerical consistency of the recoded data in the (1) RHIS registers kept at the facility, (2) monthly aggregated form generated from the registers, and (3) data found in DHIS2 database, for the eight selected MCH variables, using VF. Verification factor is a summary indicator that measures the ratio of the number of recounted events from source documents to the number of reported events over the same period. Thus, VF is equal to the number of recounted data in the source document divided by the number of reported data in the forms or DHIS2 multiplied by 100. The mean and associated 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of each variable was calculated. When the value of the re-count data and variable data reported are equal, VF is equal to 1 and the report is said to be ideal. Any deviation from VF of 1 is indicative of either under (VF greater than 1) or over reporting (VF less than 1). The difference of an ideal reported VF and observed VF (1-VF) demonstrates either under-reporting or over-reporting. A report was considered accurate if the VF was within ± 10 precision (between 0.9 and 1.10), and inaccurate if the ratio of recount data to the reported data was less than 0.9 or greater than 1.10. Three types of VFs were calculated for data accuracy across the three data sources (registers, aggregated forms, and DHIS2 database). Verification factor 1 (VF1) measures the error in data transfer from the registers to the aggregate data forms; VF2 measures the error in data transfer from the registers to the DHIS2 database; and VF3 measures the error in transferring data from the aggregate form to the DHIS2 platform, as shown in Fig. 1 below. Verification factor from facility register to DHIS2 database Data completeness was assessed in two strands: completeness of the reports, and completeness of variable data reported in DHIS2. Two reports (Monthly Midwife’s Returns for maternal health variables, and Monthly Vaccination Report for child health variables) were considered for completeness of the reports. Facilities which submitted these two reports for the 12 months of 2020 into the DHIS2 platform were assessed. The ratio of total reports available/received to the total reports expected were calculated to show the level of completeness of the reports. Completeness of indicator data reported in DHIS2 was assessed by finding the ratio of number of reports that are complete to the total reports available/received. Timeliness of facility reporting data into DHIS2 was assessed by finding the percentage of facility’s expected monthly reports against the actual reports submitted into the DHIS2 on or before a Ghana Health Service (GHS) scheduled date (5th of the ensuing month) for Monthly Midwife’s returns report, and Monthly Vaccination Report. Consistency of the data was assessed under three groupings: consistency over time, consistency between related variables, and consistency of event reporting. Consistency over time was analysed by finding the mean ratio of an indicator for reference year (2020) to the mean of the same indicator for the three preceding years (2017, 2018, 2019) combined. Data was considered consistent over time if the reported value for the reference year is within ± 33% of the mean value for the preceding three years, taking into consideration any expected changes in the patterns of service delivery [24]. Consistency over time was also assessed to ascertain how individual facility’s values were consistent or different from the district values for the eight MCH data reported into DHIS2 database. Consistency of related variables was analysed by calculating the facility’s ratio for values of indicator-pairs that have a predictable relationship. The indicator pairs considered includes: Penta1 and ANC1; Penta1 and Penta3; and ANC1 and ANC4. Outlier analysis was used to assess consistency of event reporting. Two types of outliers (moderate and extreme) were calculated. Values that were at least two standard deviations from the average value for the MCH variable at a specified time were considered moderate and three standard deviations were considered extreme outliers.
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