Health information system management for policy response of the district health service network at Phetchabun province

Abstract

This qualitative research aimed to study the management of health information systems for responding to policies of the district health service network in Phetchabun province. The sample was purposively selected as information workers including 35 people from the district health service network and 22 people from district health service network management experts. Research tools included framework and group discussion recordings form. Data were collected from focus groups and 3 rounds of the Delphi technique. Data were analyzed including the median (MD), interquartile range (IR), weighted mean (WM), and content analysis. The results found that there was consistency between the opinions from the focus group discussion and the opinions obtained using the Delphi technique. The probability trend was quite high to very high (MD= 4.11-4.89). There was a consistency of answers in the same
direction and consensus, which was quite high to very high (IR= 0.00-1.00). The management of the information system for responding effectively to public health policy consisted of 4 issues including 1) Effective policy response that consisted of having plans/projects that respond to the policy, indicators, and performance according to the target for each indicator. 2) Quality health information that were timely, comprehensive, covered, reliable, accurate, and meets the needs of analyzing health problems
and health status, operations, surveillance, prevention and control of disease, health promotion and medical treatment. 3) Effective of health information system organization which must be initiated with production, usage, storage, searching and disposal. Utilization of various technologies should be performed for needs system, management, standards, quality control, analysis, synthesis, communication and benefit of information utilization covering health status, health behavior and factors affecting health, and 4) The efficiency of health information system management that depends on planning, goals setting and obvious indicators, organization preparation, regulation, monitoring and evaluation. In summary of this research results, to increase the efficiency of management of health information systems, administrators should proceed at the policy level including operational planning,
preparation, personnel development, work process and practice manual, and also continuous supervision and monitoring. This will be an important mechanism for increasing the efficiency of health information system management.