Vital Wave partnered with a global foundation to convene a three-day meeting of Data Use Partnership (DUP) country teams in Cape Town, South Africa. These DUP country teams included Ministries of Health, implementing partners, and individuals from all levels and sectors of the national health system. In particular, these individuals developed and implemented localized plans to improve the quality, access, and application of data by healthcare workers, operations managers, and policy-makers. This convening attracted more than 70 people from the region, demonstrating the interest and excitement about the potential impact of improved data utilization in health systems.
The agenda for the workshop included a mix of plenary and small group discussions, coupled with opportunities to see issues brought to life through a digital health ‘use case bazaar’ and site visits in and around Cape Town. The sessions featured opportunities for DUP country teams to share progress and challenges in creating an interoperable health information system and effective data use practices. Participants were also asked to reflect on the challenges they face and what they need to be more effective in promoting data use to improve health outcomes. Ultimately these discussions resulted in a list of key points for consideration and future planning, such as the need for a common data use measurement framework and common data visualizations for use by multiple country programs.
