Ghana supports all TB-burden district hospitals with DHIS2 Android

The Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the Ghana Health Service, in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis (TB) Control Programme, has developed a client-based individual case management record system to collect, manage and analyse transactional case-based records for TB screening, TB care and treatment and TB DOTS in 113 TB-burden district hospitals using DHIS2 Tracker Capture. This system, called the TB care eTracker, has been deployed in Ghana, especially in districts with a high TB burden.

The web version of the TB care eTracker, deployed in 2014, has worked, but users have encountered key challenges. These include:

• Limited or no internet connectivity, affecting its full use to collect, manage and analyse transactional case-based records for TB care.
• A limited number of devices for screening and data capture at the hospitals, especially in the TB-burden districts that were running the system.
• Data use and feedback to facilities from districts on tracking defaulters and generating visit schedules.

Objectives

The key objective of deploying the tablet-based eTracker is to give service providers at the lower level access to client information safely, securely and easily, whenever and wherever it is needed. It is an essential part of the drive by the Ghana Health Service to improve the care of clients by enabling community health officers (CHOs) and other GHS staff to increase their efficiency and effectiveness. To achieve the full benefits of the eTracker at the lower level, it is essential to deploy it to programmes such as TB care and screening, ART (HIV care) and maternal and child health services across the country.