Application of a Weighted Absolute Percentage Error-Based Method for Calculating the Aggregate Accuracy of Reported Malaria Surveillance Data.

Abstract

Aggregate malaria data reporting accuracy indicates the overall quality of reported malaria surveillance data and is calculated using a routine data quality audit (RDQA) toolkit during a health facility audit. Three example scenarios are presented that highlight the limitations of the aggregate reporting accuracy methods of three malaria RDQA toolkits. A weighted absolute percentage error-based aggregate data reporting accuracy (WADRA) approach was found to resolve these limitations by using the register values as the weighting factor, enabling the detection of low-accuracy facilities that are otherwise considered high-accuracy by the current toolkits. Accordingly, country malaria programs should consider adopting the WADRA method in their RDQAs to maximize the detection of low-accuracy facilities and enhance decisions ranging from the development and implementation of corrective action plans to the prioritization and allocation of resources for data quality improvement efforts.