Data quality review: module 2: desk review of data quality

This module of the World Health Organization’s Data Quality Review (DQR) Toolkit provides guidance for conducting a desk review of data quality using information routinely collected through health information systems. The document describes a standardized approach for assessing the completeness, timeliness, consistency and plausibility of reported health data without requiring additional data collection. It focuses on the analysis of routine programme indicators in key public health areas, including maternal health, immunization, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, and outlines recommended core and additional indicators for data quality assessment.

The guidance details the preparation, implementation, analysis and interpretation of desk review results at national and subnational levels. It defines data quality dimensions and metrics used to evaluate reporting completeness, internal consistency, consistency over time, relationships between related indicators, comparisons with external data sources and the quality of population denominators. Practical examples, calculation methods and reporting formats are provided, together with data requirements and recommendations for automated analysis using an Excel-based tool. The module is intended to support annual assessments of routine health-facility data and to strengthen the use of health information for programme monitoring, planning and decision-making.