ArticlePLOS global public health2022
Assessing routine health information system performance during the tenth outbreak of Ebola virus disease (2018-2020) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A qualitative study in North Kivu.
Article in PLOS global public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement responses to viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks: A mixed-method evaluation of information management practices for Safe and Dignified Burials.Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada · 2026Article
- Access to licenced vaccines for high-threat infectious diseases: a scoping review and interpretive analysis of Ebola virus disease.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Negligence in data recording during institutional birth: exploring health workers' perspectives on the barriers and enablers of data documentation practices.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- Barriers and facilitators to healthcare facility utilization by non-Ebola patients during the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Global health research and policy · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
16 authors.
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Abstract
The Democratic Republic of Congo has implemented reforms to its national routine health information system (RHIS) to improve timeliness, completeness, and use of quality data. However, outbreaks can undermine efforts to strengthen it. We assessed the functioning of the RHIS during the 2018-2020 outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) to identify opportunities for future development. We conducted a qualitative study in North Kivu, from March to May 2020. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 key informants purposively selected from among the personnel involved in the production of RHIS data. The topics discussed included RHIS functioning, tools, compilation, validation, quality, sharing, and the use of data. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was used to study the interviewees' lived experience. The RHIS retained its structure, tools, and flow during the outbreak. The need for other types of data to inform the EVD response created other parallel systems to the RHIS. This included data from Ebola treatment centers, vaccination against Ebola, points of entry surveillance, and safe and dignified burial. The informants indicated that the availability of weekly surveillance data had improved, while timeliness and quality of monthly RHIS reporting declined. The compilation of data was late and validation meetings were irregular. The upsurge of patients following the implementation of the free care policy, the departure of healthcare workers for better-paid jobs, and the high prioritization of the outbreak response over routine activities led to RHIS disruptions. Delays in decision-making were one of the consequences of the decline in data timeliness. Adequate allocation of human resources, equitable salary policy, coordination, and integration of the response with local structures are necessary to ensure optimal functioning of the RHIS during an outbreak. Future research should assess the scale of data quality changes during outbreaks.
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