Category: Monitoring & Evaluation
Using electronic immunization registry data to demonstrate the value of digital systems
Sep 23, 2020
A growing number of countries have embraced electronic immunization registries (EIRs) that enable data-driven decision-making. To better shape the value proposition for countries using or considering using EIRs, the BID Initiative has started a new scope of work led by a global BID Analytics team that will use data from the digital systems in Tanzania. The work builds on previous landscaping and stakeholder conversations held in late 2019 and early 2020, to summarize common immunization barriers and the EIR features that help respond to these challenges.
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Going beyond denominators: Defining the value of electronic immunization registries to solve for health system barriers
Aug 27, 2020
Data can make the invisible visible. More complete, reliable, and real-time information on health trends, coverage rates, and service gaps can help strengthen health systems and better allocate precious resources. This fact has been recognized by a growing number of countries embracing electronic immunization registries (EIRs) to help monitor individual immunization schedules and vaccination histories. But even as countries adopt EIRs and understand their value, there are many questions about how best to implement them, as well as their effectiveness, cost, and impact on health outcomes.
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Journal article assesses the costs and savings of introducing electronic immunization registries
Aug 7, 2020
As COVID-19 squeezes health systems, clinics and hospitals around the world are finding themselves strained by the global pandemic. Digital and data systems can help countries respond to these evolving health trends and demands. A recent journal article about the BID Initiative, published in the Pan African Medical Journal, assesses the incremental costs of implementing electronic immunization registries (EIRs) in Tanzania and Zambia. Using data from both countries, BID conducted a micro-costing study about the service delivery and logistical costs of EIRs.
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BID by the numbers: New data reveals time-savings, more empowered decision-making among health workers
Nov 29, 2018
Beatrice Owawa is a Reproductive and Child Health nurse at the Usa River Health Center in Tanzania, one of more than 1,500 health facilities implementing data quality and use interventions across Tanzania and Zambia in partnership with the BID Initiative. As she toggles between dashboards on her tablet, you would never know it, but Beatrice used to depend on pen and paper for documenting her facility’s immunization clinics.
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New immunization data reveals state of the field and the important role of data in vaccination
Aug 24, 2018
Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) released new immunization data from 2017 that reveals global progress toward immunization targets, and where countries and stakeholders are still falling short. Nine in 10 infants were vaccinated last year, or 123 million babies worldwide. But since 2015, the percentage of children around the world who have received the full three-dose course of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3), has leveled out at 85 percent. DTP3 is a key indicator of immunization program performance.
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BID analytics: Leveraging data from electronic immunization registries for meaningful insights
Aug 9, 2018
The electronic immunization registries (EIRs) introduced under the BID Initiative in Tanzania and Zambia have now been scaled to 1,571 health facilities (1,273 in Tanzania; 298 in Zambia). Every day health workers are registering new children into the EIRs and capturing their birth date, their caregiver’s contact information, and the dates they received their last vaccine. More than 467,105 children have been registered into the Tanzania Immunization Registry (TImR) and more than 96,383 children have been registered into the Zambia Electronic Immunization Registry (ZEIR). That’s a lot of data that was previously unavailable above the facility level. But what can we learn from this new information?
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BID Initiative digs into data at Teach to Reach workshop
May 23, 2018
Earlier this month, PATH and the BID Initiative participated in the “Teach to Reach: Innovative Methods for Immunization Training” workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from May 1-3. This three-day hands-on forum provided participants with an opportunity to use a design-thinking approach to tackle issues related to workforce performance within immunization programs. Approximately 100 participants from Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, India, and other global partners attended the workshop. BID participated in a number of sessions, including a well-received demonstration of the Tanzania Immunization Registry (TImR) during the opening night of the workshop.
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Planning for compasses, not maps: BID celebrates a culture of learning, applies principles of adaptive management
Mar 16, 2018
Beatrice Owawa’s fingers dance across the screen of her tablet. She nimbly jumps from one window to the next, as she checks vaccine records and stock levels in the Tanzania Immunization Registry (TImR) at Usa River Health Center in Arusha, where she works as a medical attendant. When Beatrice pulls up a list of young patients who have recently missed their vaccines, she takes down their names and contact information and begins to call their caregivers. It may seem unremarkable, but the task of identifying patients who have fallen through the cracks used to be nearly impossible. Before TImR, Beatrice relied on paper registries to track “defaulters,” or patients who had missed a life-saving vaccine.
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What are the costs and benefits of implementation?
Aug 30, 2016
How much does it cost to implement BID interventions in the test sites in Tanzania and Zambia? What are the capital and recurrent costs of operating BID interventions? What are the resources required to implement interventions in each district? How do the costs of providing immunization services and reporting compare for the current system and after BID interventions are implemented? What are the benefits of the BID interventions that can be quantified in monetary terms? These are some of the key questions policy makers and donors are asking the BID team as we move forward with implementing interventions in facilities in Tanzania and Zambia.
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Increased collaboration among partners in Zambia to improve immunization
Aug 23, 2016
Optimizing immunisation coverage in Zambia is an important goal, achievable with Ministry of Health leadership and close collaboration among partners. Implementation of appropriate technology could help to increase coverage, but new technology is not a solution in itself. The skill and engagement of users are critical elements for the success of any innovation.
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