02112nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653003300055653002000088653002100108653001100129653002400140653001200164653002300176653003500199100001300234700001600247700001400263245009400277856005900371300001100430490000700441050003200448520134000480022001401820       1996                            d  c1996 Sep10aCommunicable Disease Control10aData Collection10aHealth Promotion10aHumans10aInformation Systems10aleprosy10aProgram evaluation10aQuality Assurance, Health Care1 aGrodos D1 aFrançois I1 aTonglet R00aHealth information systems for leprosy control programmes: a case for quality assessment.  uhttp://leprev.ilsl.br/pdfs/1996/v67n3/pdf/v67n3a02.pdf  a171-820 v67  aInfolep Library - available3 a<p>A qualitative study was carried out aimed at checking the level of understanding and the actual use of the indicators recommended in leprosy control programmes by either the World Health Organization or the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations. Two successive questionnaires were sent to 268 leprosy control programme managers. The first one concerned information about the main characteristics of the programme, the information system in operation, and the data regarded as indispensable or useful for programme monitoring. The respondents to the first questionnaire (n = 64) proposed an extraordinarily wide range of indicators, mainly ill-defined. The respondents to the second questionnaire (n = 37) to whom a limited list of precisely defined indicators was submitted did not succeed in reaching a complete agreement on any of these indicators. Although the question of programme monitoring has been dealt with at an international level for years, there is an urgent need for a real agreement of international agencies and managers of leprosy control programmes on the indicators to be used. Programme managers in the field are obviously open to the idea of greater intervention by international organizations to improve data collection and to encourage standardization of computerized information systems.</p>  a0305-7518