Introduction: The community-based health information system (CBHIS) is a vital component of the community health system, as it assesses community-level healthcare service delivery and generates data for community health programme planning, monitoring, and evaluation. CBHIS promotes data-driven decision-making, by identifying priority interventions and programs, guiding resource allocation, and contributing to evidence-based policy development.
Objective: This scoping review aims to comprehensively examine the use of CBHIS in African countries, focusing on data generation, pathways, utilization of CBHIS data, community accessibility to the data and use of the data to empower communities.
Methods: We utilised Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review methodology. We searched eight databases: PubMed, EMBASE, HINARI, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and grey literature databases (Open Grey and OAIster). We synthesized findings using a thematic approach.
Results: Our review included 55 articles from 27 African countries, primarily in Eastern and Southern Africa, followed by West Africa. Most of the studies were either quantitative (42%) or qualitative (33%). Paper-based systems are primarily used for data collection in most countries, but some have adopted electronic/mobile-based systems or both. The data flow for CBHIS varies by country and the tools used for data collection. CBHIS data informs policies, resource allocation, staffing, community health dialogues, and commodity supplies for community health programmes. Community dialogue is the most common approach for community engagement, empowerment, and sharing of CBHIS data with communities. Community empowerment tends towards health promotion activities and health provider-led approaches.
Conclusion: CBHIS utilizes both paper-based and electronic-based systems to collect and process data. Nevertheless, most countries rely on paper-based systems. Most of the CBHIS investments have focused on its digitization and enhancing data collection, process, and quality. However, there is a need to shift the emphasis towards enabling data utilisation at the community level and community empowerment.
Keywords: Africa; Community accessibility; Community empowerment; Community health systems (CHS); Community-based health information systems (CBHIS); Data utilisation; Health systems; data-driven decision-making.
For community health services and systems to work well, health managers and other data users, including policy and decision-makers, need a community-based health information system (CBHIS) that produces reliable and timely information on how well these services are working and that supports the use of CBHIS data to improve community health service delivery. This scoping review aimed to explore the use of CBHIS in African countries. It focused on data generation, pathways, use of CBHIS data, community data access, and use of CBHIS data to empower communities. The review authors collected and analysed all relevant studies to answer this question and found 55 articles from 27 African countries. The review found that most countries use paper-based information systems for data collection, while some have adopted electronic and digital systems. CBHIS also collects information on human resources, medicines, and supply systems. CBHIS data are used to guide policy development, allocate resources, track commodities supplies, staff for community health programmes and organise community health dialogues. Community dialogue is the most common approach for engaging, empowering, and sharing CBHIS data with communities. Community empowerment involves activities that promote health and health provider-led approaches. There is a need to focus on enabling the use of data at the community level and empowerment.
Copyright: © 2024 Kuvuna B et al.