Site Assessment Checklist

 

Infrastructure

Human

• NS Team
• Staff in each department- # of interns, residents, consultants, nurses weekday vs weekend

Technical

• Computers
• Internet (wifi)
• Database hardware
• Database software
• Equipment needed to collect variables (i.e., vitals equipment), assemble data, maintain data

Hospital

• Are medical records paper or electronic?
• Existing platforms for data collection at hospital?
• Other department databases?

Cost Assessment

• Start up costs
• Maintenance costs
  • Salaries
  • Technology (hardware, software, internet/wifi)
  • Printing costs

Other

• Compliance with national guidelines or regulatory statutes
  • In alignment with MOH mHealth/eHealth policies/standards?
  • In alignment with Duke/HIPAA standards?

Organization

Mapping

• Map start to finish (from data collection to compilation/assembly to storage to analysis to reporting to use)

Data Management Protocols and Data Quality

Data Collection

• Data Elements
  • Are data elements for each of the indicators clearly defined? If not, what changes are recommended?
  • Are there automated or manual validation checks for the data elements in the data set? If not, state the recommended changes to improve quality checks.
  • Is it possible to link relevant databases to support the project’s/programme’s claims? Which databases should be linked and what identifiers might be used to link them?
• Data collection using paper forms
  • If data from paper forms are needed to support the claims, is it feasible to readily access the data and is there a system linking the paper data to digital data? If not, what recommendations can be made to improve data use and accessibility?

Data Storage

• Data transmission
  • Is the system for data backup, archiving and updating adequate?
• Data Security
  • Are adequate data security measures in place?
  • Is client information encrypted?
  • Are measures in place to limit access to the data at each stage of collection and storage?

Data analytics/dashboard

• Data dashboard
  • Is there a convenient way to export the data into a usable format and share it?
  • For each indicator, is the level of disaggregation and reporting in alignment with how the indicator should be measured? If not, what changes should be made?
  • Does a data dashboard exist to produce the following? Monthly/quarterly reports
  • How frequently are new data entered by individuals at each level of the organization?
  • How frequently are data accessed by individuals at each level of the organization?
  • Are visual forms of the data (e.g., graphs, charts, tables, maps) readily available and/or easy to generate? ###Data Management
• Staff training
  • In total, how many staff members are involved with data collection for this specific project?
  • How many days in the last year, on average, have these staff members been trained on data collection procedures for this project?
  • Is there a plan for refresher training in data collection?
  • Given the size of the project, are there enough staff to support it?
  • Given the complexity of the project, has sufficient training time been built in?
• Supervision
  • If a supervisory role exists, does the level of supervision appear to be adequate given the scale of the operation?
  • Has the role of supervision of the data collection process been assigned?
  • How often does data collection staff receive an oversite visit?
• Data documentation
  • Does documentation exist for key programme operations and procedures?
  • Does documentation (e.g. a written protocol) exist to describe the use of the mobile/ paper tools for data collection?
  • Does documentation exist for management of the data, roles and responsibilities?
  • Are skip patterns in data clearly documented?
  • Is there a documented system to check for data accuracy (such as random checks, regular tabulations to assess that the data make sense)?

Data Use

• Are meetings held regularly to discuss issues of data management and use?
• Based on existing meeting records, is data quality discussed during these meetings?
• Reporting? (y/n) How?
• Research? (y/n) How?
• Audit? (y/n) How?