The Impact of Health Information System Interventions on Maternal and Child Health Service Utilizations in Ethiopia: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Background: Health information systems (HIS) are vital in supporting all aspects of managing health systems, financing, policymaking, and service delivery. A package of priority HIS interventions was piloted in selected woredas across all regions in Ethiopia. This study examined the impact of HIS interventions on maternal and child health (MCH) service utilization. Methods: A 2-arm quasi-experimental study was implemented in intervention and control woredas. Baseline and endline household and health facility surveys were conducted for both arms in 2020 and 2022, respectively. At baseline, 3,016 mothers and 167 health facilities were surveyed. At endline, 3,076 mothers and 160 health facilities were surveyed. The study used modified Performance of Routine Information System Management tools for the facility survey and a structured questionnaire for the household survey. Difference-in-difference (DID) analysis using mixed effect modeling was employed to measure changes and to account for clustering and control for likely confounders. Results: Intervention sites showed greater improvements in 75% of key HIS performance indicators. The changes in 90% of the MCH service utilization indicators were higher in the intervention sites. Significant (DID: P