Between October 2010 and February 2011, K4Health conducted a qualitative assessment of health information needs in Peru in the cities of Lima, Ayacucho, Ica, and Ucayali. Using the social network mapping methodology (Net-Map), the needs assessment aimed to: (1) understand current systems for health knowledge management and existing in-country resources, (2) identify areas that need improvement, and (3) make recommendations to strengthen the availability and use of health-related information.

The needs assessment revealed that the health system in Peru is characterized by a slow flow of health information, particularly down to the periphery. Key findings included:

• Health information needs differ at each level of the health system, from policy makers and program managers to service providers.
• Access to information and information technologies decreases from the national health system level to the local level.
• Training and technical assistance are important links that enable health information exchange among the network of 199 health organizations, including government institutions, donors, NGOs, professional networks, academic institutions, and grassroots organizations.
• Important technological gaps exist between urban and rural health care facilities: most service providers outside Lima and in rural areas have limited or no Internet access. In contrast, every health care provider interviewed in both urban and rural areas had a mobile phone.

Recommendations for improving information exchange in the health system include:

• promoting the flow of information to promote access to information at the peripheral levels while reducing overload at the national and regional levels;
• improving training, technical assistance, and supervision processes so that managers and providers who need technical health information receive it;
• adapting information to the needs of manager and providers at different levels and packaging it in appropriate formats; and
• establishing an entity to be responsible for producing synthesized, tailored health information for different levels of providers.