Health Managers’ Utilization of Evidence to Inform Annual Health Sector Planning and Budgeting Process in Bungoma County, Kenya
Keywords:
Annual Performance Reviews, Devolution, Evidence, Health Managers, Planning and BudgetingAbstract
Evidence-based planning and budgeting within the health sector are essential in strengthening the health system building blocks. Decentralization has presented opportunities for collecting local and reliable data to facilitate evidence-based planning and budgeting. Despite the increasing availability of routine health information at all levels of the health system, its effective utilization among health managers in lower and middle-income countries remains inadequate. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the health managers’ utilization of evidence to inform the annual planning and budgeting process. The study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design, incorporating quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative data were collected from 170 health managers, while qualitative data were gathered from three county department of health executives and 83 community health committee members across eight functional community health units. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS v. 29.0) was employed for analyzing the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data. Only 42.4% of health managers received training in planning, budgeting, and annual performance reviews (APRs). Among the 45.9% who conduct APRs, only 47.4% use the findings to inform the process. A significant association was found between training and conducting of APRs, χ2 (1, N = 170) = 21.73, p < .001, and between training and the utilization of APR findings in decision-making, χ2 (1, N = 78) = 14.72, p < .001. Although 75% of health managers acknowledged the availability of health information, 71% disagreed that they have skills in data use for planning and budgeting and 54% disagreed regarding the reliability of the available data. The health managers who were trained in health sector planning, budgeting, and APRs were more likely to use findings to inform the process. To improve evidence-based planning and budgeting, the county health department should allocate additional funding towards conducting APRs as a critical first step in guiding the identification of priorities. Additionally, there is a need to implement capacity-building initiatives targeting health managers across all tiers of the county health system, focusing on data management and its effective utilization in planning and budgeting.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2023 Mildred Nanjala Wamalwa, Maximilla Wanzala, Benedict Ondiek Alala
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Edwin Ambetsa Amira, Benedict Ondiek Alala, Maniagi Musiega, Influence of Liquidity Risk Management on Financial Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya , African Journal of Empirical Research: Vol. 4 No. 2 (2023): Jul-Dec 2023
- Jamgun Jensen Iravonga, Consolata Ngala, Benedict Ondiek Alala, Muli Maingi, Effect of Integrated Financial Management Information Revenue Systems on Financial Management in County Governments, Kenya , African Journal of Empirical Research: Vol. 4 No. 2 (2023): Jul-Dec 2023
- Douglas Simiyu Wafula, Tibbs Charles Yugi, Benedict Ondiek Alala, The Moderating Role of Fund Size on the Relationship between Disposition effect and Portfolio Financial Performance of Mutual Funds in Kenya , African Journal of Empirical Research: Vol. 4 No. 1 (2023): Jan-Jun 2023
- Mildred Nanjala Wamalwa, Maximilla Wanzala, Benedict Ondiek Alala, Knowledge and Attitude of Health Managers Towards the Annual Health Sector Planning and Budgeting Process in Bungoma County, Kenya , African Journal of Empirical Research: Vol. 4 No. 2 (2023): Jul-Dec 2023
- Zachary Onyango Odiyo, Benedict Ondiek Alala, Ben Oseno, Effects of Funds Disbursement on Financial Sustainability of Public Secondary Schools in Alego Usonga Sub-County, Kenya , African Journal of Empirical Research: Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024): April-June 2024
- Mable Wanyonyi, Maximilla Wanzala, Mary Kipmerewo, Evans Raballah, Influence of Integrating Childbirth Preparation Program on Birth Outcomes among Pregnant Women in Western Kenya , African Journal of Empirical Research: Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024): April-June 2024
- Janes Otieno Ouko, Christine Wanjala, Maximilla Wanzala, Charles Mutai, Lucy Mandillah, Ethnobotanical Assessment of Herbal Medicine Practices for Cancer Treatment among Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Kenya , African Journal of Empirical Research: Vol. 5 No. 3 (2024): Jul-Sep 2024