Improving rehabilitation data in Uganda

The importance of rehabilitation services

Rehabilitation services enable optimal functioning, improve quality of life, increase productivity, and maximize the effectiveness of other health interventions. They are essential to ensuring continuity of care and represent one of the core components of universal health coverage (UHC). One third of the world's population is living with health conditions that could benefit from rehabilitation at some point in their lives, and this need will only grow due to ageing populations, surging noncommunicable diseases, and conflict-induced injuries. However, rehabilitation is often under-prioritized in countries' health systems and UHC strategies, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Uganda's strategic plan for rehabilitation

In Uganda, the Ministry of Health has recognized the necessity of strengthening rehabilitation within the health system to better address existing and emerging population needs. The development of the Uganda Rehabilitation Strategic Plan 2024/25-2029/30 has been a significant step forward in addressing the rehabilitation needs, including assistive technology, of the Ugandan people. The operationalization of this strategy requires extensive planning and decision-making at the national level, which should be informed by quality rehabilitation data and information that reflects the status of rehabilitation services in Uganda. However, the current health facility data does not show the actual rehabilitation service volume, quality, and coverage.

Enhancing data systems

With the support of Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS), a global activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Ministry of Health has engaged in integrating rehabilitation into the routine health information system (RHIS) using the WHO RHIS - Rehabilitation Module. The integration will take place across the nation through the existing District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) platform. With technical guidance from WHO, ReLAB-HS supported the Ministry of Health in carrying out critical activities, including:

• conducting a facility readiness assessment;
• selecting a set of standard indicators based on WHO recommendations;
• developing and testing customized primary reporting tools for facilities;
• integrating data entry forms and dashboards into the DHIS2 for routine reporting.

Next steps

Rehabilitation professionals from all national and regional referral hospitals and several district hospitals will be trained in data collection and reporting. With WHO's technical support, training materials were developed to use reporting tools and understand data elements. Six experts were trained to conduct the training of rehabilitation workers.

As Uganda takes these critical steps, rehabilitation data will become available for decision-making by health authorities. It sets a precedent for improving rehabilitation services, ensuring better health outcomes and a higher quality of life for its population.

The global impact of WHO RHIS - Rehabilitation module

The WHO RHIS - Rehabilitation module, one of the technical products developed as part of the Rehabilitation 2030 Initiative, is a guidance document designed to support the integration of rehabilitation into health facility reporting. WHO has been supporting implementation in about 10 countries so far. In November 2024, WHO plans to conduct a global training for external experts to assist more Member States in adopting this system.

Participants at the workshop, Uganda.
Photo credit: Md Zabir Hasan