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Institutional Pressures Shaping Data Use in Health Management at the District Level in Malawi

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After Latour: Globalisation, Inequity and Climate Change (IFIPJWC 2023)

Part of the book series: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology ((IFIPAICT,volume 696))

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Abstract

This paper explores how institutional theory illuminates the factors influencing the use of Health Management Information System (HMIS) data in healthcare service delivery at the district level in Malawi. It specifically probes the coercive and normative dimensions of the healthcare system’s institutional framework and their impact on data utilization. The research adopts a qualitative methodology, comprising semi-structured interviews, participant observations, artefact reviews, and field visits to four District Health Offices in Malawi. The results demonstrate that healthcare staff’s behavior towards data use is moulded by directives from the government and health partner organizations. While the Ministry of Health has endeavoured to introduce standardized data reporting formats, certain health partner organizations maintain non-congruent reporting structures for HMIS data. This duality compels healthcare staff to comply with both reporting formats, resulting in parallel reporting that impedes effective data utilization at the district level. This research offers valuable insights into the Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) domain by presenting empirically based viewpoints on the institutional pressures affecting data utilization in resource-limited settings. The findings hold particular relevance for Malawi’s HMIS, which grapples with the continuous task of enhancing the volume and calibre of data to bolster healthcare service delivery.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Computing Department, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi

    Auxilia Nyaukaya Kaunda & Tiwonge Davis Manda

  2. Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Jens Kaasbøll & Flora Asah

Authors
  1. Auxilia Nyaukaya Kaunda
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  2. Tiwonge Davis Manda
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  3. Jens Kaasbøll
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  4. Flora Asah
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Correspondence to Auxilia Nyaukaya Kaunda .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Matthew R. Jones

  2. University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Arunima S. Mukherjee

  3. University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway

    Devinder Thapa

  4. University of Essex, Colchester, UK

    Yingqin Zheng

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Kaunda, A.N., Manda, T.D., Kaasbøll, J., Asah, F. (2023). Institutional Pressures Shaping Data Use in Health Management at the District Level in Malawi. In: Jones, M.R., Mukherjee, A.S., Thapa, D., Zheng, Y. (eds) After Latour: Globalisation, Inequity and Climate Change. IFIPJWC 2023. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 696. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50154-8_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50154-8_23

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