Building a culture of developing annual health work plan based on data: Critical health system related factors influencing data utilization in Bukedi region, Uganda

Utilization of routine health data for Annual Health Work Plan (AHWP) development is crucial for effective health planning. However, data use remains a challenge in many health facilities, especially in low-resource settings like the Bukedi region of Uganda. In order to assess data utilization for AHWP development and identify health system related factors influencing data use among healthcare workers in Bukedi region, a cross-sectional study was conducted and 313 healthcare workers in Bukedi region health centres were interviewed. Data on data utilization practices and health system related factors were collected and analyzed using STATA version 14. Multivariate analysis identified significant health system related factors influencing data utilization for AHWP development. Most respondents were female (59.74%), married (77.96%), Catholic (46.65%), residing outside health centre quarters (82.43%) and health workers without medical records qualification were 91.69%. The level of data utilization for AHWP development was low at 31%. Multivariate analysis showed significant health system-related factors and it included regular facility meetings (AOR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.23 - 0.92; P=0.028), poor data quality (AOR: 0.0003; 95% CI: 0.00003 - 0.004; P=0.000), feedback from the Ministry of Health (AOR: 47.4; 95% CI: 19.5 - 115.02; P=0.000), leadership culture (AOR: 42.2; 95% CI: 20.6 - 86.6; P=0.000), availability of trained staff (AOR: 300.1; 95% CI: 98.9 - 911.2; P=0.000), and internet availability (AOR: 0.07; 95% CI: 0.009 - 0.49; P=0.008). Data utilization for AHWP development in Bukedi health centres remains low and is influenced by various health system related factors, such as lack of skills, inadequate training, insufficient leadership support, poor data quality, and infrastructure gaps. Addressing these barriers through training, leadership engagement, and infrastructure improvements is crucial to enhance data-driven health planning.