Usability evaluation of a DHIS2-based electronic information management system for environmental, occupational health and food safety in Sri Lanka

Objectives The Public Health Inspector (PHI) Monthly Report is a critical document that provides insights into environmental, occupational health and food safety aspects within each Medical Officer of Health area in Sri Lanka. Currently, PHIs use a paper format to track these key health indicators,...

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Main Authors: Achala Jayatilleke, Prabhadini Godage, Sapumal Dhanapala
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-06-01
Series:BMJ Health & Care Informatics
Online Access:https://informatics.bmj.com/content/32/1/e101357.full
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author Achala Jayatilleke
Prabhadini Godage
Sapumal Dhanapala
author_facet Achala Jayatilleke
Prabhadini Godage
Sapumal Dhanapala
author_sort Achala Jayatilleke
collection DOAJ
description Objectives The Public Health Inspector (PHI) Monthly Report is a critical document that provides insights into environmental, occupational health and food safety aspects within each Medical Officer of Health area in Sri Lanka. Currently, PHIs use a paper format to track these key health indicators, resulting in incomplete and inaccurate national data. This study evaluates the usability of a DHIS2 (District Health Information Software 2) based digital solution to improve PHI reporting.Methods The DHIS2 system was customised to address the gaps in the current reporting process, and its usability was evaluated using the System Usability Scale (SUS) with 50 stakeholders who tested the system.Results The DHIS2 platform was flexible enough to be customised to meet the requirements of the new electronic Environmental, Occupational Health and Food Safety Information Management System (eEOHFSIMS). The system achieved an average SUS score of 72.25, exceeding the accepted benchmark of 68, with a high SD of 13.37. However, a 92% knowledge gap remained.Discussion Digitising the PHI monthly report using DHIS2 addresses the challenges of traditional paper-based reporting, enabling timely monitoring of public health indicators. The favourable SUS score confirms the system’s high usability, yet the knowledge gap underscores the need for ongoing user training to ensure data quality.Conclusions The eEOHFSIMS demonstrated its capacity to deliver accurate, complete and timely data, greatly benefiting Sri Lanka’s primary healthcare services. This system enhancement supports better-informed decision-making, aligns with national health policies and enables continuous monitoring and evaluation of public health services.
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spelling doaj-art-637b705f0ce345738b47ab0185d7cd192025-08-20T02:06:01ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Health & Care Informatics2632-10092025-06-0132110.1136/bmjhci-2024-101357Usability evaluation of a DHIS2-based electronic information management system for environmental, occupational health and food safety in Sri LankaAchala Jayatilleke0Prabhadini Godage1Sapumal Dhanapala22Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri LankaPostgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri LankaCountry Office, World Health Organization, Colombo, Sri LankaObjectives The Public Health Inspector (PHI) Monthly Report is a critical document that provides insights into environmental, occupational health and food safety aspects within each Medical Officer of Health area in Sri Lanka. Currently, PHIs use a paper format to track these key health indicators, resulting in incomplete and inaccurate national data. This study evaluates the usability of a DHIS2 (District Health Information Software 2) based digital solution to improve PHI reporting.Methods The DHIS2 system was customised to address the gaps in the current reporting process, and its usability was evaluated using the System Usability Scale (SUS) with 50 stakeholders who tested the system.Results The DHIS2 platform was flexible enough to be customised to meet the requirements of the new electronic Environmental, Occupational Health and Food Safety Information Management System (eEOHFSIMS). The system achieved an average SUS score of 72.25, exceeding the accepted benchmark of 68, with a high SD of 13.37. However, a 92% knowledge gap remained.Discussion Digitising the PHI monthly report using DHIS2 addresses the challenges of traditional paper-based reporting, enabling timely monitoring of public health indicators. The favourable SUS score confirms the system’s high usability, yet the knowledge gap underscores the need for ongoing user training to ensure data quality.Conclusions The eEOHFSIMS demonstrated its capacity to deliver accurate, complete and timely data, greatly benefiting Sri Lanka’s primary healthcare services. This system enhancement supports better-informed decision-making, aligns with national health policies and enables continuous monitoring and evaluation of public health services.https://informatics.bmj.com/content/32/1/e101357.full
spellingShingle Achala Jayatilleke
Prabhadini Godage
Sapumal Dhanapala
Usability evaluation of a DHIS2-based electronic information management system for environmental, occupational health and food safety in Sri Lanka
BMJ Health & Care Informatics
title Usability evaluation of a DHIS2-based electronic information management system for environmental, occupational health and food safety in Sri Lanka
title_full Usability evaluation of a DHIS2-based electronic information management system for environmental, occupational health and food safety in Sri Lanka
title_fullStr Usability evaluation of a DHIS2-based electronic information management system for environmental, occupational health and food safety in Sri Lanka
title_full_unstemmed Usability evaluation of a DHIS2-based electronic information management system for environmental, occupational health and food safety in Sri Lanka
title_short Usability evaluation of a DHIS2-based electronic information management system for environmental, occupational health and food safety in Sri Lanka
title_sort usability evaluation of a dhis2 based electronic information management system for environmental occupational health and food safety in sri lanka
url https://informatics.bmj.com/content/32/1/e101357.full
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AT sapumaldhanapala usabilityevaluationofadhis2basedelectronicinformationmanagementsystemforenvironmentaloccupationalhealthandfoodsafetyinsrilanka