Application of a Weighted Absolute Percentage Error-Based Method for Calculating the Aggregate Accuracy of Reported Malaria Surveillance Data

Aggregate malaria data reporting accuracy indicates the overall quality of reported malaria surveillance data and is calculated using a routine data quality audit (RDQA) toolkit during a health facility audit. Three example scenarios are presented that highlight the limitations of the aggregate reporting accuracy methods of three malaria RDQA toolkits. A weighted absolute percentage error-based aggregate data reporting accuracy (WADRA) approach was found to resolve these limitations by using the register values as the weighting factor, enabling the detection of low-accuracy facilities that are otherwise considered high-accuracy by the current toolkits. Accordingly, country malaria programs should consider adopting the WADRA method in their RDQAs to maximize the detection of low-accuracy facilities and enhance decisions ranging from the development and implementation of corrective action plans to the prioritization and allocation of resources for data quality improvement efforts.