The movement toward mobile data collection has certainly made an impact on speed and timeliness, but also on quality of information collected.
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Now, if someone records an age that isn’t within an acceptable range, for example, a system can now prompt that data collector of the mistake.
The current question is how to make data accessible in electronic formats, according to Amanda Makulec, program manager and monitoring and evaluation associate for John Snow Inc. Tools like customizable electronic dashboards are becoming the new norm, but its important to ensure that data remains accessible for community level health workers, too, Makulec said.
Multiple streams of in-depth data collection also means the reporting burden increases for often overworked health facility workers, for example.
About the author
Kelli Rogers@kellierin
Kelli Rogers is a global development reporter for Devex. Based in Bangkok, she covers disaster and crisis response, innovation, women’s rights, and development trends throughout Asia. Prior to her current post, she covered leadership, careers, and the USAID implementer community from Washington, D.C. Previously, she reported on social and environmental issues from Nairobi, Kenya. Kelli holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and has since reported from more than 20 countries.