title: [The role of a health information system as an aid in making regional public health decisions. Experience in Botswana (Southern Africa)].
abstract: Decision-making procedures within a health system vary according to the administrative and political organisation of each country. All health levels have, daily or irregularly, decisions to make. To provide reliable, objective and understandable information to decision makers is a difficult, expensive and sometimes misleading exercise. Basic data can be gathered through surveys or institutional routine. Through a concrete example within a Primary Health Care context, the possibilities and the advantages of the utilisation of routinely collected information, regionally processed, are described with the positive interactions within the whole health system. Validation, processing, relativization of the results and their use in supervision, epidemiological and performance surveillance are discussed, emphasizing the privileged aspect of Botswana.
authors.affiliation: CHOBE, Botswana.
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Tessier
mesh_terms: D001902:Botswana; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011635:Public Health Administration
vernacular_title: Rôle d'un système d'information sanitaire comme aide à la décision régionale en santé publique. Une expérience au Botswana (Afrique Australe).