Health Information System and Strengthening Activity Survey

This survey is designed to be a high-level qualitative inventory of all health information systems (HIS) and system strengthening activities present in a country, including human resources information systems (HRIS), as well as other areas of information management in health care. The survey has two goals: a) to highlight opportunities for system strengthening work; and b) to facilitate interoperability between related systems and activities.

Please use the following sample form, which includes guidelines and example data, as a reference when filling out the survey. A blank template is provided to record each system or activity found. Photocopy and complete a copy of the template for each system or activity.

The remaining sections of the tool provide guidance for the types of business domains that most often exist within health systems to help locate and identify relevant systems and activities. The business domains are derived from the HIS strengthening work of the Health Metrics Network (HMN), a global partnership that focuses on helping countries and organizations improve health by strengthening the systems that generate health related information for evidence-based decision-making. HMN collaborated with health informatics experts to identify ten building blocks, or domains, of HIS. For a comprehensive assessment of HIS and more information on HIS strengthening, visit http://www.who.int/healthmetrics/en/.

Once you have completed the survey, review it with the Stakeholder Leadership Group (SLG) to determine where there might be overlaps in HRIS information. For example, you may find that an existing system already tracks health worker trainings or certifications, and could be linked to an HRIS in development to supply missing data on health professionals' qualifications. The survey should also clarify any gaps in health worker information that are present, such as if salary or deployment data are not being tracked in any system.

Identifying these gaps and overlaps in data will factor into the SLG's plans for strengthening the HRIS. For example, instead of building an entirely new system, the group may find it sufficient to link two existing systems and improve them incrementally. At minimum, the survey will provide a complete picture of all health information systems present in the country that the SLG and other decision makers can use as a reference going forward.

Completed Template Example for Reference

Suitable for printing. PDF

HIS Assessment Survey - Printable Format

Suitable for printing. PDF

HIS Assessment Survey - Electronic Format

Suitable for modifying or completing on the computer. Microsoft Word