From data to action: Analyzing data to inform SMC implementation, 2016

In preparation for the upcoming SMC season, NMCPs in Guinea, Mali, Niger and The Gambia have been working with key partners to ensure data quality that reliably informs the microplanning and data collection for the upcoming SMC campaign. 

While in the Gambia, SMC administration and collection of routine data is fully digital, with data collectors using both tablets and smartphones, a hybrid paper-to-digital process has been developed in Guinea, Mali and Niger to strengthen data management and reporting capacity both in the field and at health centers as well as at district level. To facilitate this process, district data managers will be provided with digital devices and will use specifically designed digital forms, based on existing paper tools, to digitize daily and end of cycle (EOC) reports, using the eValuate database. eValuate is the digital M&E platform, developed by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), where SMC administrative data captured in the field is entered, stored and analyzed for reporting. This information will be used to build daily and EOC campaign reports that will be fed back to district teams and NMCPs at the central level for analysis and problem-solving. The paper-to-digital system will also be used on a daily basis to track and report any reported adverse reactions to the National Pharmacovigilance Center, as well as track doses administered. In addition, NMCPs will also have access to the database to track SMC implementation in real-time. 

In order to strengthen the quality of data gathered through digital data collection in the Gambia, a data quality assurance team, composed of ICT technical experts, will be deployed to regional hubs in the Upper River and Central River regions. “They will systematically track data entered into devices by data collectors with the aim of identifying and resolving inevitable entry errors by “checking early for bad data” and conducting field level training and corrective action where required throughout the campaign cycles to ensure continuous data quality,” explained CRS’ Eric Hubbard (MEAL Coordinator, ACCESS-SMC Project).