Health Information System

Health Information System

The Health Management Information System (HMIS) is intended to generate timely and accurate information to inform health care management decisions at all levels of the health system.
Health information is vital for decision making across all the health system building blocks
The HMIS plays a specific role in the monitoring and evaluation process and is intended to provide warning signals through the use of indicators.

The HMIS is the Ministry of Health’s official reporting system for routine data collection.
The system uses HMIS tools which are filled routinely by health workers to record patient health information.
Health Facility collected data is entered in District Health Information System DHIS II and analyzed and entered in national health Info ration system.

All health centres in Uganda are required to fill hard copy HMIS tool and present their reports to district Bio stats to enter them in DHIS II.

Importance of HMIS is to;

Monitor and evaluate the progress of the sector health activities,
Enable health workers to offer better care and manage health facility supplies and resources,
Support health workers in their efforts to organize and supervise health development work in their communities,
Provide data to the health sector and partners to inform decision making

Integrated Electronic Health Information System:

The integrated HMIS was established to cater for the needs of all the stakeholders.
To improve the, timeliness, completeness and accuracy of reports submitted in an electronic integrated system.

Research

Research is defined as, a careful consideration of a study regarding a particular concern or a problem using scientific methods.

Types of research:

Basic research: A basic research definition is data collected to enhance knowledge. The main motivation is knowledge expansion. It is a non-commercial research that doesn’t facilitate in creating or inventing anything. For example: an experiment to determine a simple fact.
Applied research: Applied research focuses on analyzing and solving real-life problems. This type refers to the study that helps solve practical problems using scientific methods. Studies play an important role in solving issues that impact the overall well-being of humans. For example:

finding a specific cure for a disease.

Problem oriented research: As the name suggests, problem-oriented research is conducted to understand the exact nature of a problem to find out relevant solutions. The term “problem” refers to multiple choices or issues when analyzing a situation.
For example, revenue of a car company has decreased by 12% in the last year. The following could be the probable causes: there is no optimum production, poor quality of a product, no advertising, or economic conditions.
Problem solving research: This type of research is conducted by companies to understand and resolve their own problems. The problem-solving method uses applied research to find solutions to the existing problems.
Research methods include Qualitative and Quantitative

Qualitative Methods

Qualitative research is a method that collects data using tools open-ended questions. The responses collected are non-numerical. This method not only helps a researcher understand what participants think but also why they think in a particular way.

Types of qualitative methods include:

One-to-one Interview:

This interview is conducted with one participant at a given point in time. One-to-one interviews need a researcher to prepare questions in advance. The researcher asks only the most important questions to the participant. This type of interview lasts anywhere between 20 minutes to half an hour.

Focus Groups:

Focus groups are small groups comprising of around 6-10 participants. A moderator is assigned to a focus group to facilitate the discussion amongst the group members.
A moderator’s experience in conducting the focus group plays an important role of asking the correct questions to collect a sizable amount of information related to the research topic

Ethnographic Research:

Ethnographic research is an in-depth form of research where people are observed in their natural environment without This method is demanding due to the necessity of a researcher entering a natural environment of other people.
Geographic locations can be a constraint as well. Instead of conducting interviews, a researcher experiences the normal setting and daily life of a group of people.

Case Study:

Case study research is used to study an organization or an entity. This method is one of the most valuable options for modern this type of research is used in fields like the education sector, philosophical studies, and psychological studies. This method involves a deep dive into ongoing research and collecting data.
Quantitative Research Methods:
Quantitative methods deal with numbers and measurable forms. It uses a systematic way of investigating events or data. It is used to answer questions in terms of justifying relationships with measurable variables to explain, predict, or control a phenomenon.

There are three methods that are often used by researchers:
Survey Research:

The ultimate goal of survey research is to learn about a large population by deploying a survey. Today, online surveys are popular as they are convenient and can be sent in an email or made available on the internet. In this method, a researcher designs a survey with the most relevant survey questions and distributes the survey. Once the researcher receives responses, they summarize them to tabulate meaningful findings and data.

Descriptive Research:

Descriptive research is a method which identifies the characteristics of an observed phenomenon and collects more information. This method is designed to depict the participants in a very systematic and accurate manner. In simple words, descriptive research is all about describing the phenomenon, observing it, and drawing conclusions from it.

Correlation Research:

Correlation research examines the relationship between two or more variables. Consider a researcher is studying a correlation between cancer and married women have a negative correlation with cancer. In this example, there are two variables: cancer and married women. When we say negative correlation, it means women who are married are less likely to develop cancer. However, it doesn’t mean that marriage directly avoids cancer.

Characteristics of research

A systematic approach must be followed for accurate data. Rules and procedures are an integral part of the process that set the objective. Researchers need to practice ethics and a code of conduct while making observations or drawing conclusions.
Research is based on logical reasoning and involves both inductive and deductive methods.
The data or knowledge that is derived is in real time from actual observations in natural settings.
There is an in-depth analysis of all data collected so that there are no anomalies associated with it.
Research creates a path for generating new questions. Existing data helps create more opportunities for research.
Research is analytical in nature. It makes use of all the available data so that there is no ambiguity in inference.
Accuracy is one of the most important aspects of research. The information that is obtained should be accurate and true to its nature. For example, laboratories provide a controlled environment to collect data. Accuracy is measured in the instruments