The second phase of the IMPULSE study in Uganda aims to implement newborn data improvement interventions in six health facilities and measure their impact on maternal and newborn data quality and use. This will involve comparing pre- and post-intervention data as well as evaluating differences between intervention and control sites.
A consortium of partners, including the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the WHO Collaborating Centre for Maternal & Child Health (Italy), Makerere University School of Public Health, Doctors with Africa CUAMM, and other international stakeholders, is implementing the Improving Quality and Use of Newborn Indicators (IMPULSE) study across four African countries: Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and the Central African Republic. This phased study aims to generate evidence on the quality of routine health information systems for newborns and stillbirths in health facilities and districts.
During the co-creation meeting held in early March in Entebbe, presentations stimulated discussions on data accuracy, sources of inconsistencies, and opportunities for refinement in Phase 2.
The first phase of the IMPULSE study assessed the quality of routine health facility data for 12 newborn health indicators across 154 sites, including 98 health facilities in 43 districts across the four participating countries.
Findings from Phase 1 were presented at a workshop in Entebbe on 30th July 2024, attended by key stakeholders, including representatives from Uganda’s Ministry of Health (MoH). The study identified critical challenges in data reporting and management at both health facility and district levels. It also highlighted the urgent need for stronger health information systems, particularly in data collection, aggregation, and reporting.