Factors promoting eRegister and data use for evidence-based midwifery practice in Lesotho: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: Electronic health register's (eRegisters) use have recently gained popularity in Africa. eRegisters are used to capture real-time patient information on several encounters with a healthcare provider. Given poor maternal and child health outcomes in Lesotho, eRegisters provide a promising innovative means of enhancing health outcomes, especially those related to midwifery. eRegisters capture maternal and newborn care services provided at healthcare facilities. Such data are important for informing evidence-based midwifery practice. Lesotho, a landlocked, sub-Saharan African country, piloted use of an eRegister in 2018. However, factors promoting eRegister and data use have not been fully documented. Therefore, this study explored factors promoting eRegister and data use for midwifery practice in Lesotho. DESIGN: The study used a descriptive qualitative approach with interviews and focus group discussions used to collect data. Descriptive content analysis as outlined by Erlingsson and Brysiewicz (2017) was followed during data analysis. SETTING: The study was conducted at three of the eRegister piloting facilities in Lesotho to examine eRegister implementation across different levels of care. Data collection occurred between December 2023 and March 2024. PARTICIPANTS: Purposive sampling was used to recruit healthcare workers across the three facilities. Participants were selected to capture the range of relevant roles and experience with eRegister across each facility, and 7, 6 and 5 participants were recruited. RESULTS: Five categories emerged as factors promoting eRegister and data use: system readiness, organisational environment, data value and utility in practice, human resource competency and digital literacy and governance and stakeholder engagement. CONCLUSION: This study identified critical factors that promote the use of the eRegister and data in Lesotho. The findings suggest that while external funding and partner responsiveness have been pivotal in sustaining eRegister operations, long-term sustainability will require stronger national ownership, including domestic investment in infrastructure, technical support and digital health governance. Future studies should explore the effect of eRegister use on clinical outcomes and examine strategies for scaling up digital health interventions in resource-limited settings.