Table 2.

Summary of themes and sub-themes in thematic analysis

Main themes	Minor categories	Explanation
Access to MIS	Collecting and inputting data	Participants spoke about data collection as a predominantly paper based exercise, although this was seen as pragmatic and cost driven, rather than ideal.
	Setting and time of MIS access	Data entry was usually an office based procedure, whereas review and analysis might rely on remote access. Modern technology facilitated multiple simultaneous use
	Reasons for stakeholder access	Access for data input, administration, monitoring and evaluation was described
	Support and training in MIS use	Both formal and informal training were reported with the need for training to be an ongoing process.
	Usability and value of MIS	Ease of use and ability to accommodate different levels of expertise and confidence were explained.
Data and its function	Confidence in the data	Data quality was a frequent theme that included accurate and secure data with consistency of MIS use, safeguards and ‘back –up’
	Data processing	Data cleaning, extraction, analysis and linkage were explored
	Use of the data	Use of MIS data in administration, monitoring the progress of individual participants and monitoring the progress of the entire project were described.
Development and updating of the MIS	Procurement of the MIS,	The cost complexity and ownership of procured MIS were important aspects of this theme
	Specificity of the MIS, degree to which it is bespoke or generic	Both fairly simple (built on generic platforms) and complex, bespoke MIS were described.
	Stakeholder involvement in the development of the MIS	There was consensus on the need to involve different stakeholders in MIS development from the outset. And the complexity of preserving data integrity within a ‘live’ data collection environment was acknowledged.