The dissemination and use of data generated by a routine health information system (RHIS) have traditionally been limited to the health system. The community is not typically viewed as part of the health system and is not seen as a consumer or user of health data. As a result, the community is disengaged and does not play an active role in improving its own health status, the health system, and the data the system generates; and the health system is not held accountable to the community it serves.
Because the community is considered to be outside the health system, interventions to promote community involvement are seen as externally driven, and do not succeed in establishing community leadership and ownership. Ownership requires taking responsibility and with that comes accountability.
In the case of health, both the health system and the community have important roles to play and, therefore, both have shared accountability for ensuring or contributing to the improvement and/or maintenance of the health of the community.
The document offers a matrix on the degrees of shared accountability. It also offers a scorecard for shared community?health system accountability for data use and actions, which can be used to help monitor the level of engagement of the health system (including the private health sector) and the community in sharing information and taking relevant actions. JSI/MEASURE Evaluation. 2018.
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