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BID Initiative shares lessons and recommendations in new series of briefs

By Celina Kareiva, Communications Associate, BID Initiative

Sep 15, 2017

Posted in , , , , ,

Photo: PATH/ Gabe Bienczycki. The BID Initiative recently launched a series of briefs summarizing our learnings in our two demonstration countries of Tanzania and Zambia.

From its earliest days, the BID Initiative has been committed to sharing its learnings with others interested in improving immunization data quality and use. We recently launched a series of briefs summarizing our work alongside the governments of Tanzania and Zambia and our lessons and recommendations spanning seven key subject areas, ranging from the software development cycle, to change management, and peer learning. We’re thrilled to share these briefs with you.

Overview: Routine immunizations and new vaccine introductions are two best buys in global health. While immunization coverage has increased dramatically in the last decade, more must be done to ensure every child is reached. To address these data-related challenges, the BID Initiative is introducing a series of data use and data quality interventions in Tanzania and Zambia. Read the full overview here.

Data use: Global stakeholders and national governments openly acknowledge that routine immunization programs and new vaccine introductions face significant challenges related to the collection and use of quality data for planning, management, and performance improvement. The BID Initiative strives to create a culture of data use by introducing a suite of interventions and activities that simplified data flows and reporting, and made data accessible across multiple levels of the health system. Read the full brief here.

Electronic immunization registries: Electronic immunization registries (EIRs) have been central to the BID Initiative’s work. EIRs help produce and manage data, providing people who use them in their daily work with better access to information and the ability to build their data analysis skills. Read the full brief here.

Software development cycle: Tanzania’s and Zambia’s national EIRs were one of the most significant and intricate interventions developed to address critical data-related challenges. The creation of a national-level immunization registry requires an intense software development process and in-depth knowledge of clinical care, routine immunization services, vaccine schedules, as well as an understanding of the data that will feed into the EIR. Read the full brief here.

Rollout strategy: The BID Initiative’s rollout strategy builds health workers’ awareness, access to information, motivation, and empowerment to act, as well as the skills they need to improve data quality and use across the health system. District Immunization Mentors, later known as Data Use Mentors, were identified from among local government staff to lead the rollout of interventions and encourage buy-in. Read the full brief here.

Change management: Although electronic registries are a critical intervention to improve data availability, quality, and use, they are only one piece of the equation. The change management process ensures that digital health technologies are adopted and integrated within existing systems and cultures of health facilities. Read the full brief here.

Peer learning: The BID Initiative embedded a peer learning network within its structure to ensure that countries collaborated to identify shared problems and test shared solutions. The BID Learning Network (BLN) features three tiers of country participation: discussion countries, design countries, and our two demonstration countries of Tanzania and Zambia. Read the full brief here.

Sustainability: Sustainability has been a core principle of the BID Initiative from its earliest days. Planning for sustainability focuses on four key areas: policy, institutional factors, technical issues, and financial considerations. Read the full brief here.

Next week, the BID Initiative will further celebrate our commitment to collaboration at its final BLN Discussion Meeting in Lusaka, Zambia. Follow updates from the meeting on our Twitter and Facebook pages, and check back here, for further coverage.

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