Course Two

Data Management and Analysis in the Health Sector

Course overview
The Centre of Excellence in Health M&E at Mzumbe University is excited to offer a new short course in Data Management and Analysis in the Health Sector. Data management and analysis are major components of monitoring and evaluation and are critical skills for M&E and other health professionals. This course will equip participants with the necessary skills to manage data and conduct simple analyses for reporting and decision making.

The course will focus on data management and analysis using Microsoft Excel and District Health Information System (DHIS2) and will incorporate both research and routinely available health-related data. The course is appropriate for beginners who are looking to improve their capacity to use Excel and DHIS2 for better data analysis and decision making.

Target audience

• RHMT and CHMT members and co-opted members.
• Health-related LGA personnel.
• Facility in-charges, health managers and data clerks.
• Hospital management team.
• In-country health implementing partners.
• Health researchers.
• University students in health-related fields.
• Others interested in increasing their knowledge and skills in management and analysis of health-related data.
• Participants of Mzumbe M&E courses.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand types of variables and how to transform raw data into datasets for analysis.
• Use Microsoft Excel to:
  o Manage and clean data.
  o Create and manipulate variables.
  o Plan for and conduct simple analyses, including descriptive statistics.
  o Visualize data using tables and charts.
• Use DHIS2 to:
  o Access MTUHA and programme data.
  o Visualize data using tables, charts and maps.
  o Manipulate data using the pivot table application.
  o Assess data quality using built-in data quality applications.
• Interpret data and communicate analysis findings.

COURSE LOGISTICS

• The course will be held in Morogoro Town.
• The cost for the course is TZS 800,000 per participant (includes: tuition, study materials, refreshments, and certification packages only).
• Participants are expected to come with a laptop that meets the following two criteria:
  o The laptop must have Microsoft Excel installed
  o The laptop must be able to connect to internet through either a USB internet dongle or a wireless network
• Participants are highly encouraged to come with their own internet source (e.g., smart phone with hot spot capabilities, USB internet dongle, etc.) in order to minimize connectivity issues.

This course is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Tanzania; Mzumbe University, Tanzania; and the University of California, San Francisco, USA.

For more information about the course, please contact the Centre of Excellence in Health M&E at coehme@mzumbe.ac.tz OR contact one of the course coordinators.