Project

Equity and Social Determinants of Health in Health Information Systems to inform Policies and Guide Reproductive Health Programs

Egypt
Jordan
Morocco
Project ID
108857
Total Funding
CAD 668,700.00
Project Status
Active
End Date
Duration
36 months

Programs and partnerships

Program(s)
Global Health

Lead institution(s)

Egypt
More content related to this institution

Lebanon
More content related to this institution

Summary

The research will promote greater disaggregation of health information and inclusion of gender and social determinants of health indicators in Health Information Systems (HIS) at the national level in Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.Read more

The research will promote greater disaggregation of health information and inclusion of gender and social determinants of health indicators in Health Information Systems (HIS) at the national level in Egypt, Jordan and Morocco. Through this, the project aims to address the data gaps in measuring inequality and the hurdles to using such data for pro-poor policy change in the these countries. The project will support both policy level changes and guide program implementation in these three countries. The project will also comprise support for capacity strengthening of relevant policy and HIS stakeholders to promote the generation and use of disaggregated health information in policies and programs. The proposed HIS will inform implementation by engaging with programs addressing specific sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges.

Project results will include two packages of HIS indicators for each of the three countries. A core set of indicators to highlight greater disaggregation of health information from a multisectoral perspective. The second will support reproductive health programs to incorporate missing social dimensions of health and equity, including gender, in planning and implementation of interventions. Relevant action plans, monitoring and evaluation plans for specific SRH interventions will be produced. There will also be strengthening of relevant capacities of stakeholders. Project success will be measured in terms of the extent to which there is a consensus on the set of HIS indicators that are feasible for use in each of the three countries.

The project is of three year duration and will be led by the Social Research Centre (SRC) at the American University in Cairo. It will build on SRC’s previous work at the regional level supported by World Health Organization and United Nations Population Fund’s regional office.

The project is closely aligned with the Government of Canada’s new feminist international assistance policy, the strategic priorities detailed in the 2016-2030 WHO led Global Strategy for Women, Children and Adolescents, and the overarching 2030 global agenda for sustainable development.

Research outputs

Access full library of outputs Opens in new tab
Article
Download PDF
Language:

English

Summary

This study is based on extensive evidence-based assessments. The aim of this paper is to evaluate how well Jordan’s health information system (HIS) incorporates social determinants of health inequity (SDHI) and to propose suggestions for future actions. An extensive evidence-based assessment was performed. A meta-synthesis of the inclusion of the SDHI in the HIS in Jordan was conducted. After searching and shortlisting, 23 papers were analyzed using Atlas.ti 9.0 employing thematic analysis technique. The HIS in Jordan is quite comprehensive, comprising numerous data sources, various types of information, and data from multiple producers and managers. Nevertheless, the HIS confronts several obstacles and fails to ensure the timely and secure publication of available data. The assessment of the inclusion of the DHI in the HIS showed that the HIS allows for the measurement of progress in relation to social policies and actions but has a very limited database for supporting the inclusion of health inequity measures. One reason for the difficulty in identifying fairness is that certain crucial information necessary for this task cannot be obtained through the available institutional HIS or population survey tools. Additionally, relevant modules for fairness may be missing from population surveys, possibly due to a failure to fully utilize the capabilities of the institutional HIS. There are opportunities to make use of Jordan’s dedication to fairness and its already established strong HIS. Some social determinants of health exist in the HIS, but much more data, information, and effort are needed to integrate the SDHI into the Jordanian HIS. A proposal from a regional initiative has put forward a comprehensive set of indicators for integrating SDHI into HIS, which could aid in achieving health equity in Jordan.

Author(s)
Alnawafleh, Ahmad
Access full library of outputs Opens in new tab

Share this page