Building a National Model for Knowledge Exchange in Malawi: Findings From a Health Information Needs Assessment

Figures & data

Table 1. Number of interviews and focus group discussions conducted, by health system level

	Central level	District level	Community level	Total
Individual interviews	20	4	1	25
Respondent profile	Directors, officers, and senior managers from the government, nongovernmental organizations, and professional networks	District health officers and nongovernmental organizations district managers	Health facility staff
Focus group discussions	1	3	6	10
Respondent profile	United States Agency for International Development staff	District health management team and nongovernmental organizations district managers	Health facility staff and community health workers

Table 2. Summary of key findings

Major themes	Key findings
Information Needs	• Health care workers at all levels have difficulty obtaining current, evidence-based information on family planning/reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, such as reference materials, best practices, and health and service statistics.• Community health workers are the last to receive reliable information—they need synthesized information in the local language and in a format suitable for dissemination.
Accessing and Sharing Information	• Ministry of Health receives current health information but lacks a way to package and share knowledge with service providers and partner organizations.• E-mail and the Internet are widely used for seeking and sharing information at the central level and among international nongovernmental organizations.• Outside major cities, oral communication channels are preferred, including radio, face-to-face meetings, and, more recently, mobile phones.• Print materials are essential, especially given limited Internet access.• Mobile phones are commonly used at all levels for text messages and calls.
Barriers	• No national system for knowledge sharing and no central location where complete, up-to-date family planning/reproductive health and HIV/AIDS information can be found.• Governmental and organizational websites are usually out of date.• Mobile phone networks can be unreliable and air time is costly.• Most district health staff members have limited access to computers and the Internet and community-level staff have virtually no access.• Chronic understaffing leaves little time for seeking or sharing information.
Opportunities	• Mobile phone access is better than expected at all levels and offers a promising way to reach frontline health workers through an SMS network.• Technical Working Groups already exist and could be strengthened to provide a national platform for partners to meet and to share information.• District health offices have the potential to serve as local information hubs for district and community level staff.