Health information dashboards, which are collections of relevant indicator visualizations for management, have become a common feature and strategy for improved information use in the health sector. They should provide any manager with quality information in a format that points out the performance of health service provision, and thus necessitate good knowledge of visualization techniques to both develop and interpret. Since health management is a dispersed and decentralized activity, dashboards need to be relevant to varied users, and various administrative levels of the health services. This can be achieved by enabling all users to make their own dashboards, based on the indicators they need, and presented in a suitable manner to track the local priority activities.In this study we examine user-defined dashboards in Indonesia, which has implemented a flexible and open source platform for health management (DHIS2). While the technical flexibility of the platform has been taken advantage of by providing platform customization training, the study finds that the quality of the dashboards created face numerous challenges. These challenges point to poor visualization competence. We conclude by calling for such competence to be addressed by the training curricula, as well as by utilizing existing "best practice" dashboards from WHO now available for the same platform.

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A number of applications have been used for managing health data and information and tend to be fragmented between health programs in health offices. In consequence, the analysis and interpretation process becomes difficult since the data is scattered in separate sources. One of the solutions offered as an effort to synchronize and integrate health data in Indonesia is through implementing District Health Information Software (DHIS2). DHIS2 is an application that emphasizes data integration at the health office level. Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing UGM has been partnered with the Special Region of Yogyakarta Health Office to carry out community service activities in the context of utilizing DHIS2 for health data integration in the province. The implementation of DHIS2 was divided into 4 stages, namely workshop on data availability, socialization, and training of DHIS2; data mapping and customizing DHIS2; implementing health data integration; and dissemination, supervision, and evaluation. Six health offices were the target of community service activities in the province. DHIS2 has facilitated health office staff to analyse and visualize health information that is used for decision making and advocacy. This community service activity supports the government’s efforts to provide one-stop data and contributes to strengthening health information systems both nationally and regionally.

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