The Knowledge for Health (K4Health) project recently conducted a qualitative assessment of health information needs in Uttar Pradesh, India. The assessment was designed to inform stakeholders on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the health information system in the state and to identify priority issues and suggest potential solutions.
K4Health will be presenting the findings during upcoming dissemination workshops in Uttar Pradesh. During the workshops, K4Health will present the health information needs, sources and barriers across all levels of the health system, as well as highlight knowledge management solutions to expand reach, increase usefulness and use of health information, and strengthen capacity. The goal of the workshops will be to develop a vision for follow-on knowledge management activities to address the gaps that persist throughout the health system.
Provided below is a summary of the objectives of the needs assessment and key findings. A special effort was made to understand the health information needs of grassroots health workers at the village level, but the assessment also examined:
- The nature, depth, and breadth of information needs throughout the health system;
- The preferred sources of information and existing mechanisms for sharing information and updating knowledge system-wide;
- The level of access and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs); and
- The role of professional networks in information sharing.
Key Findings
Information needs
At the national level, policymakers are interested in locally relevant, evidence-based best practices. State officials focus on translating policy into health programs and view information as the written guidelines and circulars that they receive from central government authorities to dispatch to the district level. At the district and block level, the focus is on program implementation and the flow of information shifts from written to oral communication channels.
Information seeking and sharing
The Internet is the primary source of information at the national level, and state health officials only use the Internet when they have a specific need. They reported getting their information from the State Innovations in Family Planning Services Agency (SIFPSA) library, the State Health Department, and the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) Web site. Personnel at the district and block levels typically receive information in letters and over the phone. Hard copies are the preferred sources of information at the national, state, district and block level. At the grassroots level, meetings are the preferred source of information.
Barriers to information flow
The organizational culture in the state health system does not promote information seeking and sharing. Most personnel do not make any special effort to seek out information; some blame lack of time, and others see no need.
Information and communication technologies
Although access and use of the Internet varies at the different levels of the health system, access and use of mobile phones is almost universal. State and district level participants routinely use SMS messaging, and while many grassroots health workers did not know how to use SMS, they were willing to learn how.
Networks
With the exception of health education officers at the block level, all other health personnel interviewed for the needs assessment reported having some kind of professional organization or association they could join.
Questions
If you have any questions or comments concerning the needs assessment conducted in Uttar Pradesh, or would like to learn about K4Health's other research activities, please visit our needs assessment page or contact the team at needsassessment@k4health.org.
