Evaluating STI - Health Systems Trust

DISCA analysis at a
district level
There are computer programmes available that could be used to
analyse the information from the DISCA reports, however the majority
of people who would be using the DISCA in their local clinics would
not have access to these programmes. This booklet will therefore
focus on manual analysis of the information.
Summary sheets are available on which the findings from 6 clinics
can be represented.
In using these summary sheets, clinics should be grouped according
to the District structure. For example, clinics that fall under one
supervisor should be analysed together.
Ensure that all the reports have been submitted and follow up on any
that are missing.
Summary sheets
– 3 –
Practical Task – Summarise the information from 4
DISCAs
The summary sheets have been reproduced in the following pages.
They are broken down into smaller units with comments on how to
record and interpret the information.
Information from 4 DISCA reports has been filled in to provide
examples and give some practice in interpreting the information.
Calculate the averages and percentages in the appropriate places.
The second column of the summary sheet gives guidance about where
to find the information requested.
From the information filled in on the summary sheets, list the various
issues that need addressing and record these on a sheet of paper.
Appendix 1 provides some comments on the information from the 4
DISCAs entered on the summary sheets.
Quality of Information
When summarising the information from the DISCA forms, you may
find that some of the information is clearly incorrect. For example,
the number of adult clients entered may exceed the total number of
clients. There may also be sections of the form that are not completed.
The summary sheets do not record every item on the DISCA. For
example, they do not reflect whether after hours services are available
in an area, nor whether privacy can be provided at the clinic. They
focus on the aspects of management that could be improved without
major policy changes or changes that would be costly e.g. creating
more space at a clinic to improve privacy.
The quality of the information itself tells you something about the
quality of care at the clinic.
It is usually not a cost effective use of time to try to get all the correct
information at this stage, but investigating these matters would be
part of the feedback that needs to be given to the clinic staff.
Obviously if figures are clearly incorrect, it does not make sense to
use them in calculating percentages.