| dc.description.abstract | Comprehensive and reliable information is the foundation of decision making
across all health system building blocks and is essential for health system policy
development and implementation, governance and regulation, research, human
resources development, health education and training, service delivery and
financing. Data driven decision making involves the use of data to guide the process
of decision making which involved planning, budgeting, organizational learning as
well as follow up of the organizational performance. This concept has been related
to improved efficiency, effectiveness, accountability and meeting external demands
for competitiveness by an organization, despite all this, information/data has not
been used by stakeholders to effectively inform policy and in making strategic
decisions, this has hindered their ability to respond to priority needs and explore
valuable improvement opportunities. This study was therefore carried out to assess
the effects of data utilization on organizational decision making in Lubaga hospital.
A cross sectional survey design was employed for the study and a purposive
sampling technique was used to identify potential participants in the survey. A total
of 165 participants completed the self-administered questionnaires. A correlation
analysis technique was used to determine the relationship between data utilization
variables and decision making variables. The results indicated that only data
management practices (p < .001) influenced financial allocations decisions while
collection processes (p < .134) and feedback mechanisms (p < .094) did not. Access
to data influenced staffing allocations decisions through access different forms of
reports i.e. HMIS (p < .001), hospital annual report (p < 001), health sector
performance report ( p < 001), surveillance reports ( p < 001), national health survey
( p < 001), and census reports (p < 001). Data sharing influenced organizational
learning through periodic data sharing i.e. weekly access (p < 001), monthly access
(p < 001), quarterly access ( p < 001), bi-annual and annual access at (p < 001). In
conclusion, the study identified a limited utilization of data in decision making with
a 38.7% utilization in staffing decision and 35.1% utilization in organizational
learning. Data utilization was however highest in financial allocations at 77.34%.
The study recommended hospital managers to continuously build capacity among
their teams in making evidence based financial decisions. Improved data
accessibility in friendly formats based on user requirements to encourage easy
access for data when required to make decisions, develop skills of knowledge
acquisition, sharing and modification to reflect new knowledge and insights which
can add value to the organization. | en_US |
