South African Health Videos Improve Health Data Collection

Dr. Valerie Yeager, assistant professor of Global Health Management and Policy at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, has completed three “edutainment” videos that are being used in eLearning in the South African healthcare environment.

These videos are part of a five-year project by Tulane and MEASURE Evaluation SIFSA, a USAID-funded project to improve health data collection and improve strategic information capacity in South Africa. Designed in an accessible, infographic style and aimed at an audience of South African health workers, the videos clearly explain the need for and the process of obtaining health data during routine health visits and reporting this information up the chain.

“When we’re talking about collecting health data necessary for decision-making at health facilities as well as district, provincial, and national health levels, the adage of ‘garbage-in, garbage-out’ comes to mind.,” said Dr. Yeager. “We have to start with correct and consistent data collection in health facilities in order for the information to be useful for health policy making.”

These videos can be found on the MEASURE Evaluation Strategic Information site: http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure/sifsa/videos.