Practice, enablers and barriers of health information system accountability framework in Northwest Ethiopia 2023

Abstract Background The government of Ethiopia has designed different initiatives for the Health Information Systems (HIS), including an Information Revolution (IR) transformation agenda by 2015. Various interventions and working documents have also been developed and implemented targeting the different aspects of the HIS program. However, there is no nationally designed accountability framework to govern HIS activities. Besides, how health institutions follow and monitor HIS activities is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the practice and barriers of HIS accountability framework at the selected public health institutions. Method A descriptive qualitative study design was employed from June 05 to July 12, 2023. Purposively selected informants from public health institutions were recruited for key informant interviews. A prepared pilot-tested semi-structured interview guide was used. The conventional content approach was used to summarize and synthesize the information explored. Findings The study revealed that most respondents described the concept and advantages of the HIS accountability framework in different ways. The participants believed the HIS accountability framework would help to govern and manage behavioral-related HIS challenges. It was indicated that the framework will help to control the recurrence of HIS errors, enhance the commitment and adherence of health professionals, and improve data handover practice, data security and privacy, data quality, informed decision, and finality quality of care. Lack of national guidelines on the HIS accountability framework, the poor culture of accountability, multiple responsibilities and workload, high staff and leadership turnover, lack of motivation, and security problems were stated barriers to implementation of the HIS accountability framework. It was suggested to create a conducive work environment, engage health professionals and other actors during the intervention development, build the skills on HIS leadership, and have the national HIS accountability framework document to implement the intervention effectively. Conclusions Even if there is a better understanding of the concept and advantages of the HIS accountability framework, its practice across the system is limited. It would be better to design the HIS accountability framework using a human-centered design/approach by engaging the key HIS actors and understanding their working environment.