Making Distance Learning an Effective Health Information Systems Training Strategy: A Combined Social Network Analysis and Content Analysis Perspective

Abstract Health Information Systems (HIS) training have been recognized as one of the important aspects of any HIS implementation which contributes to its success or failure. Providing high quality training in low resource settings have been a challenge for many HIS initiatives including for the Health Information Systems Program (HISP) with regard to its DHIS 2 implementations. In order to tackle these challenges, it was decided to introduce online distance training as a supplement to its face‐to‐face training academies. However, the interactions generated within the online training and the perceived knowledge construction was variable in different training instances. Therefore, the study made use of social network analysis (SNA) and content analysis (CA) as tools to understand the type of interactions that took place within such learning instances and the degree of knowledge constructions that was achieved through such interactions. This enabled the study to assess the best practices when utilizing online distance learning for providing HIS training in low resource settings particularly with regard to ‘short’ online training programs. The findings from the study supports the successful utilization of short online learning programs for the said purpose with adaptation of ‘best practices’ to enable participant interactions and knowledge construction.