Creating a “Community of Information Practice” for improved routine health data management in Resource Constrained Setting: The case of Mbingo Primary Healthcare facility, South Africa

Abstract

Intrigued by the outstanding performances of a rural health care facility in relation to data management and use, recognized by the KwaZulu-Natal Ministerial Award in 2017 and 2018, respectively, we draw on an interpretive case study to further our understanding of the role of the healthcare managers in this and the context in which they operated. The performance of the healthcare facility in relation to data management and use could be traced to the cultivation of a “Community of Information Practice” around data management and the leadership style of the healthcare manager and the commitment of the staff. The study highlights the healthcare manager as pivotal in strengthening a data use culture in resource-constrained healthcare settings. This paper presents a practical approach in operationalizing health indicators in resource-constrained settings. This paper contributes to CoP by extending the role of the facilitator beyond the usual role as organizer of meetings to champions of the CoP. The paper concludes that healthcare managers are change agents, who make sense of changes with their colleagues, by sharing knowledge and experiences in a way that allows continuous learning to take place, creating a sustainable context for continuous use of health data.