The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #63174

Rebecca A. Fields, MPH¹, Stephanie J Posner, PhD², Ann M. Jimerson, BA¹, and Peter K. Mmbuji, MD, MMed³. (1) CHANGE project, Academy for Educational Development, 1825 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, 202-884-8000, rfields@aed.org, (2) Department of International Health and Development, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2200, New Orleans, LA 70112, (3) Infectious Disease Surveillance Project, National Institute for Medical Research, P.O. Box 9653, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

In developing countries, district officials such as district commissioners or council members are in a position of decision-making authority regarding the commitment of resources for health. Such officials are unlikely to have a background in health, yet are expected to make informed decisions on health matters using the information presented to them by health personnel. If provided clearly and in a way that speaks to the concerns of such decision-makers, routine health information can result in decisions to provide additional or better-directed financial or human resources, and increase visibility and political commitment to health. If provided unclearly or inadequately for the needs of such groups, information may be misunderstood or overlooked, resulting in a loss of potential benefits and raising the risk of inappropriate actions for addressing health needs.

This presentation will draw on experience from South Africa, Tanzania, and other developing countries regarding the presentation and use of health information by district officials and community leaders. It will describe the potential actions that such target groups can take with routine health information, the concerns and constraints facing them, and ways for optimizing the presentation of data. Topics to be addressed include effective visual display of information, when to present it, and by whom. The presentation will also discuss the design of interventions to increase appropriate data utilization. Such efforts should help ensure that investments in health information system design and management result in desirable decision-making that contributes to improved health status.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to identify at last three target groups for routine health data and four types of actions that these groups can take with such data
• Participants will be able to describe at least three ways of presenting health data so as to enhance its ease of understanding and utility to non-health decision-makers.

Keywords: Communication, Decision-Making

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.