Bringing data users and producers together, applying tools to improve data use, and training health professionals in data-informed decision making cannot be sustained unless mechanisms are put in place to ensure that host organizations are supportive and committed to continued data use. Recording: http://universityofnc.adobeconnect.com/p9k8b5x0d9g/

1. Data Demand & Use:
Strengthening and Organization’s
Capacity to Use Data
Webinar Series #8
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Presenters: Tara Nutley, Nicole Judice and
Dauda Sulaiman Dauda

2. Troubleshooting
 If you lose connectivity
 Re-enter the meeting room by clicking on the webinar link
provided
 If you have trouble with audio
 Refer to the conference call instructions in the upper right
hand corner
 Send an email to leah.gordon@unc.edu

3. Tips for Participating in the
Discussion
 To comment, raise your hand by clicking on the
icon.
 Speak into your microphone (be sure it is enabled by clicking
on the icon at the top of the screen).
 Type questions in Q&A window located at the top of your
screen.
 A recording of the webinar will be made available
at www.measureevaluation.org/ddu

4. Agenda
• Welcome - webinar tips
• Brief overview of Data Demand and Use
• Presentation of Tools
• Field Application of Tools
• Questions and Answers
• Wrap up

5. Why improve data-informed
decision making?
Pressing need to develop health
policies, strategies, and
interventions

6. “… without information, things are done
arbitrarily and one becomes unsure of
whether a policy or program will fail or
succeed. If we allow our policies to be guided
by empirical facts and data, there will be a
noticeable change in the impact of what we
do.”
National-level Policymaker, Nigeria

7. Definitions
 Data use – Using data in the decision making
process
 monitor a program
 create or revise a program or strategic plan
 develop or revise a policy
 advocate for a policy or program
 allocate resources
 Data Demand - decision makers specify what kind of
information they want & seek it out

8. Data-informed Decision Making Cycle

9. Improving Data-informed Decision
Making
Data Users & Data Producers
Tool Application Capacity Building Organizational Support
Monitoring & Evaluation System Improvements

10. Rapid Assessment
 Stakeholder Engagement Tool
 Assessment of Data Use Constraints
 Information Use Mapping
 Framework for Linking Data with Action
 Observation of management meetings and
processes
 Discussions with SI Team and others
 Site visits

11. Capacity Building
 Global DDU Training Resources (curricula)
 Data informed decision making – key concepts
 Data analysis, interpretation, presentation,
communication and use
 Providing feedback and sharing information
 Developing action plans
 Identifying commitments to strengthening data use
 Tools to facilitate data use

12. Organizational Support
 Mentoring
 Strengthening feedback mechanisms
 Data use supportive supervision checklists
 Institutionalizing the Information Use Map and
Framework for Linking Data to Action
 Documenting data use

13. PEPFAR Service
Delivery Project
Strengthens Data Use

14. PEPFAR Service Delivery Project
 Large amount of data collected, feeding NNRIMS
 Data were not being used effectively at sites or
within project
 Pervasive mistrust of data
 Lack of understanding of how RHIS data could
be used
 Lack of understanding of how key indicators
calculated and use for program improvement

15. Approach with Service Delivery
Project
Data Users & Data Producers
Rapid Assessment Capacity Building Organizational Support
Monitoring & Evaluation System Improvements

16. Rapid Assessment
 Phase I: Pre-workshop assessment
 Discussion with AIDSRelief SI Team
 Observation of “Dashboard Meeting”
 Information Use Map
 Two site visits
 Phase II: Self-assessment
 Small group discussions using the Assessment of
Data Use Constraints and Framework for Linking
Data with Action

17. Capacity Building
 Three workshops with data producers and data
users:
 Central AIDSRelief/Nigeria staff
 Facility-based M&E Officers
 Facility-based Program Managers (“Program
Coordinators”)

18. Capacity Building
 DDU Global Training Resources:
 Small group discussion using Assessment of Data
Use Constraints and develop action plan;
 Discussion of importance of M&E in program
management;
 Framework for Linking Data with Action;
 Hands-on exercises in analysis and interpretation;
 Addressing feedback mechanisms;
 Full explanation of performance indicators.

19. Organizational Support
 Recommendations provided to central office and
SI Team
 Collaborative approach to supervision and
feedback
 DDU Supportive Supervision Checklist

20. Evaluation
 Six and 12 month evaluations conducted on-line
with workshop participants
 Surveys were based on retrospective reporting
about improvements compared to before the
workshop

21. Improvements in Data Use Since
the Training
95%
100% 85% 86%
76%
80%
55%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Presented data Assisted Aware of LPTF Implemented Explain
graphically decision makers using info from solutions to indicators
with MR identified relevance to
interpretation barriers service delivery

22. Success Story
“I presented a report which showed a high number
of clients lost to follow up, and told the facility
managers that this shows we are not actually doing
home visits appropriately to track clients. I asked
for permission to coordinate home visit activities,
and now there is an active home visit team in the
facility.”
M&E Officer, ART Facility
Nigeria

23. Project commitment to data use
 AIDSRelief fully funded the Capacity Building
and Training strategy
 New project leadership promotes SI and use of
data for program improvement
 Atmosphere and communication at management
meetings are more productive and collaborative

24. Organizational changes to
improve data use
 Specific staff member is responsible for DDU
 Quarterly M&E Forum
 Feedback provided to sites and reviewed in PMT
meetings
 Service delivery improvements
 Central team meetings – discuss data and
exchange best practices
 Clinical advisors routinely request data

25. Questions and Answers

26. MEASURE Evaluation DDU Resources
 www.measureevaluation.org/ddu
 Data Demand and Use Tool Kit
 Data Demand and Use Training Resources

27. Join Data Use Net
Send an email to listserv@unc.edu. Leave the
subject field blank and in the body of the message
type „subscribe DataUseNet.‟ For example:
To: listserv@unc.edu
From: youremail@youremail.com
Subject:
Subscribe Data Use Net

28. Presenter Contact Information
 Tara Nutley - tnutley@futuresgroup.com
 Nicole Judice – njudice@futuresgroup.com

29. MEASURE Evaluation is funded by the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) and implemented by the
Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill in partnership with Futures Group International,
ICF International, John Snow, Inc., Management Sciences for
Health, and Tulane University. Views expressed in this
presentation do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the
U.S. government.
MEASURE Evaluation is the USAID Global Health Bureau's
primary vehicle for supporting improvements in monitoring and
evaluation in population, health and nutrition worldwide