Troubleshooting Guide for Common DHIS2 Tracker Issues

Digital systems, including the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2), are integral to many countries’ COVID-19 vaccine implementation; they are used to collect individual or aggregate data on vaccination, vaccine availability, and uptake of vaccines.

In 2022, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) completed calls with Global COVID-19 Vaccine Access (Global VAX) surge countries, as well as a survey to 42 USAID Missions receiving funding for COVID-19 vaccines. From the responses received, USAID identified common issues with and challenges in timely data entry at the service delivery points and the quality of and access to data, as well as the use of data for decision-making, with a primary concern being around a backlog of unreported COVID-19 vaccination data.

Many of the countries under Global VAX were using DHIS2, as well as DHIS2 Tracker, for COVID-19 data reporting. While data was collected during vaccination sessions, the ability to input the data was constrained, leading to data entry backlogs. These backlogs resulted in fragmented and delayed reporting of immunization coverage, vaccine utilization, and metrics needed for timely decision-making.

This technical toolkit builds on those findings and presents guidance to resolve identified information and communication technology challenges by users with the use of the DHIS2 and DHIS2 Tracker. The tools provided, designed in consultation with users for actionable results, are designed to help countries quickly address identified challenges, respond to the current pandemic, and scale DHIS2 Tracker implementations into the future so that they do not repeat similar challenges experienced during the pandemic response.