Strengthening the Link between Traditional and Modern Practices for Improving Data Quality in Health Information Systems: The Case of Malawi

This paper describes an empirical qualitative analysis of how knowledge and data generated through traditional health practices, specifically by traditional birth attendants, with respect to maternal and child health, define and control data quality in health information system. The aim is to gain an understanding of how knowledge and data crosses the boundary between traditional and modern sectors with varying practices, and how the existing mechanisms linking the two sectors can be strengthened. Using an interpretative approach, this research provides the health informatics and information systems community with an understanding of how bridging the divide between scientific and indigenious knowledge can improve data quality in a context where two different sectors exist; each utilising different types of knowledge. Concepts from community of practice theory were employed as the framework for analysis. We recommend that boundary crossing of knowledge and data between the two health sectors must be tailored from histrorical, cultural and modern perspectives, with an emphasis on: i) utilizing the historical‐cultural means of capturing data through chiefs and ii) the modern mechanisms of utilising health surveillance assistants as the link.