PAC Data_2 set.

BackgroundEffective strategies for reducing maternal mortality depend on the accuracy of data. In sub-Saharan Africa, however, weak health systems often result in significant gaps in data collection and analysis. These gaps can lead to misreporting, missing data, or double-counting at health facilities, ultimately skewing the aggregated data reported by Ministries of Health. This is a big problem given that the data shapes planning and policy of the country. In this study, we assessed the data quality of Post-abortion Care (PAC) records across 20 health facilities in Uganda.MethodsA two-stage design was employed. In stage 1, DHIS2 data from 80 public health facilities were reviewed for completeness, timeliness, and internal consistency (2018–2021). In stage 2, 20 facilities that met a predefined eligibility criterion (≥ 50% discrepancy or missing data during stage 1) were purposively selected for in-depth validation. Data were collected retrospectively from facility registers for the last 7 months of 2021 and prospectively for the first 6 months of 2022. Data quality was assessed using adapted WHO data quality review (DQR) metrics.ResultsHealth facilities achieved a 100% timeliness rate for report submissions, with all documents provided by the 7th day of each month. Although a statistically significant positive correlation was observed between the number of women who received PAC and those who received post-abortion family planning (PAFP) (r = 0.083, p Conclusion:Despite high submission rates, PAC data accuracy was notably low, highlighting the need for better data management and record-keeping, particularly in lower-level health facilities. Addressing these disparities is crucial for improving maternal health outcomes, emphasizing the necessity for targeted interventions to enhance data accuracy and reliability within Uganda’s health system.