09 – Strengthening Information Systems and Linkages to Care

Once a system has been piloted and rolled out in the field, it is important to carefully monitor its use. For a system to be effective, data collection must be done accurately and in a timely manner, collected data must be validated and (if needed) cleaned, and reports must be viewed regularly. It is important to understand whether the system is i) being used and ii) being used effectively. Monitoring can be carried out remotely by looking at reports; however, it is also important for system developers to visit the field, speak with the end-users and observe them using the system. This will give end-users the opportunity to identify pain points in the system and suggest useful system features that would make their work more efficient.