The Role of Data Management in Sustainability of Community Health Programmes: Evidence from Nairobi, Kenya

Purpose: Despite the important role of data in the design, expansion and sustainability of community health programmes, the quality of these data remains questionable. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which data management practices influence the sustainability of community health programmes in Nairobi, Kenya. Methodology: The study is anchored in Systems Theory and Knowledge Management Theory. It employed a positivist philosophical paradigm and a cross-sectional descriptive research design to generate data for examining relationships among variables. The study targeted 746 Community Health Units within Nairobi County, and a sample of 190 was selected using a Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Model calculator. A Likert-scale questionnaire was administered to collect data, generating a response rate of 83% (157). Findings: The results of this study confirmed that data management practices have a statistically significant positive effect (path coefficient = 0.696; SRMR = 0.055; p = 0.000; T = 6.499; R2 = 0.485) on the sustainability of community health programmes. Implications: The study recommends a combination of conventional and digitised data management methods to address the transition from analogue to fully digitised data management. The study also provides programme implementers and policymakers with information on areas requiring investment when introducing or scaling up the use of technology in community health data management. Originality: The study demonstrates that data management practices play a critical role in the decision-making and actions of implementers, policymakers, beneficiaries, and funders, ensuring intended outcomes and continuity.