Data Management Practice and Associated Factors among Health Extension Workers in Awi Administrative Zone, Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia

Background: Data management practice is vital for health workers at all levels so they may use information for decision making. According to the assessment conducted on the Ethiopian national health information system by the Federal Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, health information system resources, data management, information dissemination and information use were rated as “not adequate”. This study aimed at determining the level of data management practice and associated factors among health extension workers (HEWs) in Awi Administrative Zone, Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia.

Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January to May, 2016 at the health posts of the zone. A total of 321 HEWs included in the study were selected using the simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and an observational checklist. The data were cleaned, coded, and entered into Epi-info version 3.5.3 and transferred into SPSS version 20 for analysis. The binary logistic regression model was used for analysis. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) and P-value < 0.05 were used during the multivariable analysis in order to identify factors associated with the data management practice.

Results: The study revealed that good data management practice among HEWs was 75.4% (95% CI: 70.7%, 80.1%). Supportive supervision (AOR = 4.41; (95% CI: 2.07, 9.41), training access (AOR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.34, 4.94), availability of tally sheets (AOR = 3.40; 95% CI : 1.45, 8.01) and reference materials (AOR = 4.99; 95% CI: 2.62, 9.50) were factors significantly associated with the data management practice.

Conclusion: The study indicated that a moderate proportion of HEWs had good data management practice. Supportive supervision, training access, and availability of tally sheet and reference materials were factors associated with the data management practice. Therefore, strengthening supportive supervision, facilitating needs based training, and making tally sheets and reference materials available are of paramount importance for improving the practice.