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Table 2 Types of analytic methods applied among studies that analyzed RHIS data

From: Using routine health information data for research in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Data use purpose

Type of disease/service studied

Range of data (unit)

Level of aggregation

Analytic methods

Other information sources included

Reference

Time series analysis

 Epidemiology

Child health, malaria, tooth extraction

15 (year) - 120 (month)

Ward, municipal, district

Time series correlograms; ordinary least-squares regressions adjusted for seasonality and lag; non-linear time series correlation and regressions

GPS coordinates, Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Station Data, satellite data, meteorological department data, program data

[73,74,75,76]

 Program evaluation

General, maternal and child health, maternal health, vaccine prevented childhood illnesses, malaria

5 (year) - 168 (month)

Facility, district, region, nation

Ordinary least squares regression; negative binomial generalized linear model; random effects negative binomial regressions; switching regression methods weighted by propensity scores

Program data, program reports, data from Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Health, Malaria Indicator Survey, Demographic Health Survey, Health Facility Survey, community survey, satellite data, sentinel site case-investigations/surveillance, abstraction from hospital registries

[33, 34, 37, 40, 54, 55, 58, 77,78,79,80,81]

 Impact evaluation (non-program)

General

84 months (month)

Facility

Linear mixed-effect time-series analysis with a segmented regression parameterization

None

[82]

Interrupted time series analysis

 Program evaluation

General, maternal and child health, maternal health, malaria

53 (month) - 132 (month)

Facility, intervention vs. control groups, district

Generalized least square model with autoregressive structure; generalized least square model with controls, with autoregressive process and moving average process; segmented linear regression

Meteorology Department data, program data, facility survey

[38, 45, 83,84,85,86]

 Impact evaluation (non-program)

Maternal and child health

44 (month)

District

Segmented linear regression with district fixed effect and clustered standard error at district level

Demographic Health Survey

[68]

Difference-in-difference analysis

 Program evaluation

General, child health, maternal health

4 (year) - 48 (month)

Facility, district, province

Ordinary least squares regression with and without propensity score matching; Wilcoxon rank-sum test on median difference-in-differences between facilities; descriptive comparison of means

Verified data from Performance-Based Financing system

[41, 42, 59, 87, 88]

Pre-post comparison analysis

 Program evaluation

Child health, maternal health, maternal and child health, vaccine prevented childhood illnesses, malaria, HIV or related diseases

2 (year) - 48 (month)

Facility, district

Chi-square test; Pearson correlation; Wilcoxon signed-rank test; paired sample t-test; linear regressions; Poisson regression; negative binomial regression; logistic regression

Bureau of Statistics data, program reports, Meteorological Department data, entomological sentinel surveys, Demographic and Health Survey, UN Interagency Group for Childhood Mortality Estimation(CME Info) database, abstraction from facility registers, community surveys, vital registry, provincial maternal death notification register

[35, 39, 48, 57, 89,90,91,92,93]

 Impact evaluation (non-program)

Child health

26 (month)

District

Pearson chi-square test

District hospital registers, Safe and dignified burials for all deaths database

[67]

Other longitudinal analysis

 Epidemiology

Maternal health, malaria

12 (year) - 16 (year)

District

Chi-square test; negative binomial regression

Review of hospital death records

[94, 95]

 Monitoring and assessment of service provision

HIV or related diseases

3 (year)

District

Descriptive comparison over time

Surveys with health facility managers

[96]

 Program evaluation

Genera, child health, malaria, malaria and other parasitic diseases

3 (year) - 24 (month)

Facility, district, nation

Poisson regression to explore association between intervention coverage and disease burden; Mann–Whitney U Test to compare prevalence in intervention and non-intervention area; linear regression model; student t-test

Sentinel surveillance data, program reports, national facility and community survey, Bureau of Statistics data, program data

[47, 52, 66, 97,98,99]

Geostatistical analysis

 Epidemiology

Child health, malaria, malaria and HIV/AIDS, meningococcal meningitis

1 (year) - 520 (week)

District

Cluster analysis; cross-correlations of different spatial scales between time series of cases; Bayesian hierarchical Poisson model and smoothed model estimates plotted on district maps

Malaria Indicator Survey, Demographic Health Survey, program data

[100,101,102,103,104]

 Monitoring and assessment of service provision

Malaria, maternal health

1 (year) - 57 (month)

Facility, district

Kriging (ordinary kriging, space-time ordinary kriging, local space-time ordinary kriging); Bayesian geostatistical negative binomial model

Service Delivery Indicator Survey

[105,106,107,108,109]

 Program evaluation

Malaria

36 (month)

District

Bayesian geostatistical models and Bayesian generalized linear models

Malaria Indicator Survey, malaria control program data, satellite data, Demographic Health Survey, ACTWatch household surveys

[110]

Other cross-sectional analysis

 Epidemiology

Maternal health

Median of 24 months

Province

Linear regression model

None

[111]

 Monitoring and assessment of service provision

General, child health, maternal health, mental health

1 (year)

Facility, district, municipality, state

Descriptive statistics, Tobit regression model, bivariate and multivariate linear regression models,

Nutrition Service Delivery Assessment, abstraction from Integrated Nutrition Register, structured questionnaire with district health officers, District-level household and facility surveys, National Register of Health Service Providers, data from Institute of Geography and Statistics

[112,113,114,115]

 Program evaluation

HIV and related diseases

1 (year)

District

Mixed-methods

Register reviews and a series of patient folder (health record) reviews

[51]