Academic Journal
Navigating the promise and pitfalls of dashboards in health policy decision making: experiences from Ghana, India, and South Africa.
| Τίτλος: | Navigating the promise and pitfalls of dashboards in health policy decision making: experiences from Ghana, India, and South Africa. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Sukumaran L; Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK., Sakyi KS; Center for Learning and Childhood Development, Accra, Ghana; Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA., Khandelwal V; Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India., Kinney M; School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa., Agbavitoh J; Center for Learning and Childhood Development, Accra, Ghana., Akofio Sowah L; Center for Learning and Childhood Development, Accra, Ghana., Bhan G; Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India., Doherty T; School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa; Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa., George A; School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa; Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa., Ravindranath D; Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India., Tomlinson M; Institute for Life Course Health Research, Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa; School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queens University, Belfast, UK., Verghese N; Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India., Costello A; Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK., Ahmed T; Division of Data & Analytics, Planning and Monitoring, UNICEF, New York, NY, USA., Diaz T; Maternal Newborn Child Adolescent Health and Ageing Department, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland., Dalglish SL; Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK. Electronic address: s.dalglish@ucl.ac.uk. |
| Πηγή: | The Lancet. Digital health [Lancet Digit Health] 2026 Jul; Vol. 8 (7), pp. 100984. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 20. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Review; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Ltd Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101751302 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2589-7500 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 25897500 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Lancet Digit Health Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: [Oxford] : Elsevier Ltd., [2019]- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Dashboard Systems* , Health Policy* , Policy Making* , Decision Making*, India ; Ghana ; Humans ; South Africa ; Child Health |
| Περίληψη: | Dashboards and other interactive web-based data visualisation tools are increasingly being developed to inform health policy at global, national, and subnational levels. Dashboards aim to make policy-relevant data accessible to support decision making, priority setting, policy development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation for those responsible for these functions. However, evidence on how well dashboards fulfil these functions is scarce. In this Viewpoint, we explore the development of dashboards on topics related to children's health and experiences of actors using dashboards in Ghana, India, and South Africa. Although some dashboards are useful for strategic and operational planning, public information, and accountability, many are not well suited for their designated purpose or not integrated into existing processes. Data unavailability, infrequent updates, and poor interoperability within data ecosystems often constrain the potential of dashboards. Governance frameworks limit incentives to improve data quality by restricting data to monitoring roles or failing to promote the active use of data. Although dashboard creation can uncover data-related problems and facilitate collaboration among actors to solve these problems, the development process is more time and resource intensive than many actors anticipate. We highlight the aspects of design, functionality, and context that influence the usefulness of dashboards, discuss practical challenges and opportunities, and offer recommendations to guide the development and implementation of data-driven tools for health policy initiatives. (Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of interests TDo, KSS, GB, TA, AG, AC, SLD, MK, and TDi received funding from the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (2012-05886). KSS is supported by the Elma Foundation (23-P0001-C). AG is supported by SARCHI and extra-mural unit health systems, SA MRC. AG received grants from the Canadian International Development Research Centre, US Fund for UNICEF, and the National Research Foundation. AG received consultancy fees from Gates Ventures and received support from WHO and Global Financing Facility World Bank to attend meetings. AC received support from the Wellcome Trust grant for the Lancet climate and health Countdown. AC also received support for travel to attend the Lancet Commission meeting in Singapore (April, 2024) and for the TARA trial in Mumbai, India on to manage domestic abuse. All other authors report no competing interests. |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260520 Date Completed: 20260731 Latest Revision: 20260925 |
| Update Code: | 20260925 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.landig.2026.100984 |
| PMID: | 42161700 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 2589-7500 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.landig.2026.100984 |