Assessing Maternal and Child health Service Continuity Using Routine Health Information System Data: A Sub-National Analysis from Zambia

Background Routine Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) generate extensive maternal and child health (MCH) data but remain under-utilized for sub-national performance analysis and supervisory decision-making, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (Ramadan et al., 2023; World Health Organization, 2023). Applying a continuum-of-care lens to routine data may reveal structural service delivery gaps that are not visible in survey-based evidence (Grewal et al., 2024).  Methods We conducted a desk-based secondary analysis of routine DHIS2 data for eight MCH indicators across all 15 districts in Eastern Province, Zambia, covering the period 2023–2025. Indicators represented antenatal, intrapartum, postnatal, and child preventive stages of the MCH continuum of care, consistent with WHO guidance on routine health facility data use (World Health Organization, 2023).