Level of implementation of district health information system 2 at public health facilities in Eastern Ethiopia

OBJECTIVE: The major aim of this study was to assess the level of District health information system 2 (DHIS 2) implementation in the public health facilities (HFs) in Dire Dawa City Administration. METHODS: This study was employed both quantitative (cross-sectional) and qualitative (phenomenological) study designs. All public HFs found in Dire Dawa City Administration and health workers were participated in the study. Quantitative data were collected using a pre-tested, structured, self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were entered into Epi-Data and analyzed using STATA version 14 software. A descriptive summary was computed using proportion and frequencies. Qualitative data were collected from in-depth interview with key informants (KIs), and the results were then analyzed thematically. RESULTS: The overall implementation level of DHIS 2 was 80%, which shows good implementation. The main difficulties encountered in implementing DHIS 2 were a lack of power backup (64.3%), unreliable internet connectivity (43%), and a lack of training (34.6%). According to an in-depth interview with a 32-year-old professional, “…there is offline and online DHIS 2 software for data collection and reporting that is an opportunity for the health center, but there is a challenge of interruption of electricity lost unsaved data and hinder data to enter and view for making a decision….” CONCLUSION: The level of DHIS 2 implementation in this study was good compared to other studies in Ethiopia. However, more than half of the HFs require infrastructure maintenance and support.