Routine Health Information Systems - Essay Example

"Routine Health Information Systems" is a great example of a paper on the health system.

Routine Health Information Systems

            The two sources of data I would use to get the information about childhood injuries are the Routine Health Information Systems (RHIS) and the Sentinel Site Surveillance. I would use computerized data collection methods in order to get specific information about childhood injuries in a targeted population. Computerized information is a secondary source of data in a baseline survey. It is important to use the two data sources because the strengths of one data source will overshadow the weaknesses of the other data sources.

Advantages of Routine Health Information Systems (RHIS)

            An RHIS is a technological source of data collection in the health care system. It is an ongoing data collection of specific health conditions. The system contains information about childhood injuries that are continuously collected. One advantage of this data collection source is that it contains all the information that will help in supporting and managing a health condition.

            The other advantage of this data source is that it will increase my understanding of childhood injuries because it contains accurate and timely information about childhood injuries. Since information is recorded continuously in the system, it will enable me to know whether child injuries have been reducing or increasing within a specific period. This means that data acquired from the RHIS will help in effective monitoring of the progress towards elimination after the implementation of the program interventions. The RHIS will help me evaluate the control and prevention activities used in the childhood injury prevention program (Ahanhanzo, Ouendo, Leveque, et al, 2014).

Disadvantages of the RHIS

            One of the disadvantages of this data source is that it may contain irrelevant and poor quality data. This is because the information recorded in the system is usually too general. The other disadvantage is that the system may not have enough information needed for the effective planning of the program. In addition, most RHIS may have data flow issues. For instance, some information may be underreported and some may be missing in the system (Aqil, Lippeveld & Hozumi, 2009).

Advantages of Sentinel Surveillance

            This is a data collection source that can provide specific information about a medical condition. One advantage of this data source is that it contains high-quality data. This is because it only contains specific information about a targeted site or population. The other advantage of the data sources is that it can be helpful in identifying and monitoring the trend of a medical condition. In this preventive program, it will be used in identifying the trends of childhood injuries in a specific location. In addition, it a cheaper source of information compared to other electronic sources (Losos, 2006).

Disadvantages of Sentinel Surveillance

            One disadvantage of the source is that the data collected may not be easy to generalize. This is because the patients may not be from the targeted community. In addition, the sources require frequent monitoring to ensure high-quality information is recorded. In addition, it may not contain consistent information since changing a healthcare service in a hospital may result in a bias trend data (Randrianasolo, Raoelina & Ratsitorahina, 2010).