<b>Managing Data Quality in Health Information Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence and Insights from a Systematic Review</b>

This study systematically reviews healthcare data quality metrics and implementation challenges in health information systems (HIS) across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), synthesizing findings from 30 peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2024. The review followed scoping and PRISMA 2020 guidelines and employed a consensus-based thematic synthesis approach, drawing literature from seven databases and analysing it in relation to four research questions covering data quality metrics, implementation barriers, healthcare data sources, and their alignment with quality standards. Studies spanned 13 SSA countries and employed diverse qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods designs. Completeness, accuracy, timeliness, and consistency emerged as the most frequently used data quality metrics. Implementation was hindered by seven recurring barriers, including data integrity issues, inadequate human resource capacity, poor supervision, infrastructural deficits, and weak governance structures. Six primary data source categories were identified, with paper-based facility registers and DHIS2 being the most commonly used. Alignment between data sources and quality metrics varied considerably, exposing limitations in reliability, interoperability, and accessibility. The review provides a regionally grounded synthesis of HIS challenges and offers evidence-based insights for improving healthcare data quality. It recommends investments in digital infrastructure, standardization of data tools, capacity building, and policy reform to support more effective, equitable, and data-driven healthcare delivery across SSA.