Patterns of essential health services utilization and routine health information management during Covid-19 pandemic at primary health service delivery point Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Abstract
Background: Health information system refers to any system that captures, stores, manages, and transmit information related to health of individuals. The essential health service includes Antenatal care, skilled birth attendant, emergency, outpatient, Inpatient, Pneumonia, and Immunization. The current pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has proved devastating in low-income countries, which were already suffering from low access for basic health service utilization. The pandemic might generate disruptive collateral damage to ongoing healthcare services through diverting available healthcare resources to the fight against the pandemics in these countries. This study aimed to assess the pattern of essential health services utilization, data accuracy checking, and information use performance review practice at selected public health center in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

Methods: We employed cross-sectional study and retrospectively reviewed health records to assess the pattern of selected essential health service utilization, data quality, and performance review practice before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of twenty-seven health centers, nine health centers were randomly selected from three sub-cities to review key indicators using a guiding checklist. Data were extracted using record verification protocol. Data was entered, cleaned, and analyzed using STATA version 14. We used average change in proportions to describe the pattern of service utilization, data quality and performance review practice before and during COVID 19. The mean difference before and during COVID 19 was compared using paired T-test statistics.

Result: Essential health services utilization has been partially or completely disrupted in the selected health centers. Pneumonia (70%), Upper respiratory diseases (65%), PICT (54%), Out-patient (42%), and 39% for data quality and performance review practice (39%) showed significant reduction during COVID 19 cases reported in the country. ANC1, ANC4, Penta1, and Penta4 service show almost in a similar trend from month to month before and during COVID-19.

Conclusion: Service utilization like emergency, out-of-patient, and VCT cases significantly reduced during COVID-19 pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, routine data accuracy checks, and RHIS performance reviews practice were also significantly reduced. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2021; 35(SI-1):90-97]

Key words: Data quality, data use, health service utilization