Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Ministry of Health

Information revolution (IR) Model facility

Master Facility
Learning Registry
hospitals’ training

Session Three: MFR Data quality assurance

August /2019
 Session Objective
The objectives of this session are:
 To understand the data quality features of the MFR data

 To comprehend the processes of MFR data quality

assurance
 MFR Data Quality assurance
 In order for the information on MFR to be useful for data
consumers, it has to have and maintain high quality.

 Quality dimensions of the MFR data includes:

 Accuracy
 Current (Timeliness)
 Complete
 Relevance

 If an MFR is perceived to be outdated, incomplete, or

inaccessible, it ceases to be a valuable tool & stakeholders
will go back to developing their own facility lists.

 Hence, there has to be a strong data quality assurance

mechanism in place to have a data that are updated and
validated more frequently.
 MFR Data Quality assurance
 The data quality assurance mechanisms of the MFR can be
broadly classified in to:

1. System’s in built quality

control

2. External quality control

System’s in-built quality
Control

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 System’s in-built quality control
 There can be a lot in the system so that it controls data
quality faults. The following can be applied:

 Validation rules: In-built capability to control data quality

problems such as having:
o “A must to be filled”: can’t proceed unless you enter the
data
o Not accepting a wrong format: unless in correct format, it
won’t allow entering the data
o Skip pattern: the system should help to skip some data
elements. Example: if facility type is health post then
number of beds should be skipped.
o Has dashboard for an instant look in to the distribution
and amount of HFs for easy pick of data quality problems
 System’s in-built quality control…
 Checking for variable mismatch: capability to match
different variables and identify/signal possible areas of
duplication/mismatch. Example:
- same or different facility name and geographic
coordinate,
- clinic with number of beds,
- dental specialty clinic with maternity services etc.

In such cases the MFR has to alert the data curators for possible
data quality check.
System’s in-built quality control…
 Auditing the Log table: Whatever change has been
made in to the MFR, is recorded in the log management
module which is readily available for data approvers and
super administrators to check. This table helps:

o To view what change happened and when and by

whom (It makes the change auditable)

o To identify potential areas for improvement and

capacity building needs: Example,
- same person making repeated mistakes,
- recurring mistakes on same variable by different
users)
System’s in-built quality control…
 Other system capabilities:

 The system will have capability to record when data were

last updated and by whom. The longer a facility data
remained not updated signals for quality control/check.

 The system should inform data curators on the number

facilities with missing data and the amount of missing data
per facility.

 Outlier identification
External Quality control

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 External Quality control
 This refers to MFR data quality assurance procedures that
are beyond the capability and control of the system itself.

 There are data quality errors that the system can’t detect
regardless of its capabilities. Example:
o wrong facility name with correct data rule,
o not adding new facilities,
o an outdated data while there is an update etc.

So we need to have mechanism in addition to the MFR system

capability to improve and maintain data quality on a regular basis.
 External Quality control…
 The following are some of the data quality activities that
should be beyond the system:
 Quality control by Data curators:
 Data curators at all levels and also data approvers should
look for inconsistencies, missing values, old data (timely
entry of new health facility data and update), wrong
entries etc on the MFR and routinely update/ correct.

 In identifying the correct value of the data, curators may:

 review other systems,
 directly talk to the facility point of contact through
telephone, emails etc to obtain the required data
(with the exception of validating coordinates)
 assess them during supportive supervision
 External Quality control…
 Data entry role is assigned only for one entity (Regulatory
body) which avoids double standards and improves
accountability.

 Presence of Approval mechanism:

o The approver is gatekeeper for controlling data quality
problems. When individuals enter a wrong data but correct
data rule, then the approver has to deny the entry thereby
preventing wrong data from entry.

o Whenever change happens in the MFR, the approver should

go further steps to check for correctness before approval.
o Asking for license in case of new facility entry, change of
operational status and administrative area change etc
o Having a phone call conversation with the facility point of
contact
o Assigning the respective health office for in person check up
 External Quality control…
 Mentorship and supportive supervision: Data
validation can be done through supervisory visits or
through dedicated visits to the facility to determine the
validity of the MFR data.

 Facility assessment: Based on availability of resources,

it is advisable to select few facilities and do some data
quality checks verifying directly that the data in the list are
accurate.

 Use of existing platforms for data update:

 Yearly facility license renewal requirement
 mandatory annual 4P’s assessment of health facilities by
HHrRD.
 SPA etc
 External Quality control…
 Standard for system upgrade: it is agreed that new
requirement gathering and general system upgrading
happens every two years to respond to the needs of our
stakeholders. Unless it serves its objectives, its usability
and quality will be in jeopardy.

 Triangulation: Comparison of MFR data with other systems

to identify data quality gaps. Significant discrepancy on certain
variable among different systems. Example:
o Number of physicians for a facility on MFR and HRIS

 Securing the log-in information of data curators/approvers

 Capacity building training to improve data quality

 And others
Thank you!