Barriers and opportunities to using health information in policy implementation: The case of adolescent and youth friendly health services in the Western Cape

Abstract

Background: The production, use and exchange of health information is an essential part of the health services, as it is used to inform daily decision-making and to develop new policies, guidelines and programmes. However, there is little insight into how health care workers (HCWs) get access to and use health information when implementing new health programmes.Aim: This study explored the multifaceted role of health information within policy implementation processes and aimed to understand the complexities experienced by HCWs who need to develop adolescent health profiles (AHPs), a criterion of implementing a larger Adolescent and Youth Friendly Services Programme (AYFSP).Setting: This case study was undertaken in Gugulethu, a peri-urban, low-income neighbourhood in Cape Town, South Africa.Methods: Data were collected through ethnographic qualitative methods, including participant observation, interviews and workshops, and 15 participants were enrolled for this purpose.Results: Findings showed that HCWs experienced different barriers when accessing information to develop the AHPs, including a lack of access to databases, a lack of support and inadequate guidelines. Nevertheless, HCWs were resourceful in using informal information and building strategic relationships to navigate and gain access to the necessary data to develop AHPs.Conclusion: This case study provided insights into the practical difficulties and innovative strategies which arise when HCWs attempt to access and use health information within a real-life health programme. Findings highlighted the need for more training, support and guidance for HCWs to improve the meaningful use of health information during policy implementation processes and to strengthen health services in South African primary care clinics.

Using health information for community activism: A case study of the movement for change and social justice in South Africa

“…The available RHISs are also considered technocratic, whereby most health information is only stored in reports and not adequately used in programme development or policy and health systems strengthening efforts [11]. This fragmentation hinders the effective flow of health information within the health system and results in unequal access to health information for health systems actors [12][13][14][15][16]. Additionally, South African data integrity policies are outdated, creating, a continuous challenge to protect private patient information and in turn hinders the effective flow of health information across different levels of the health system [17,18].…”

“…To substitute this lack of, and poor access to data, health actors in South Africa frequently use non-routine health information within their daily work, including conversations with patients and colleagues, experiences and observations and various other types of formal and informal tacit knowledge [13,19]. This formal and informal tacit knowledge is obtained through training, skill-building and work experience and considered to be the unwritten memory of an organization, which is hard to measure or quantify [20].…”

What Drives Elderly People in China Away from COVID-19 Information?

“…The exchange and use of health information is an important component of health services and is one of the six cornerstones of countries’ health systems proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Health information contributes to individuals’ understanding of medical policies, expands their knowledge of health, and improves their health behaviors [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Development prospects of youth-friendly clinics under healthcare reform

“…In turn, Van Pinxteren M., Cooper S., Colvin C. J. Feng N., Jin X., Wu J., Wang L., investigated the barriers and opportunities of information on health under providing of effective medical policy (Van Pinxteren et al, 2021).…”