Collecting Health data in AfricaPeter Hessels, senior ICT advisor/trainer

What can we learn?

• Collecting health data

• Existing datasets: Demographic Health Survey, HMR

• OSS: District Health Information System

My question: What do we learn from this example: Do’s and don’ts

Why?“Reliable and timely health information is an

essential foundation of public health action and health systems strengthening, both nationally and internationally.”

“Health workers are overburdened by excessive data and reporting demands from multiple and poorly coordinated subsystems”

- Health Metrics Network

Health Metrics NetworkAs of June 2010, 83 countries are applying the

principles and approaches of the HMN Framework to strengthen their national Health Information System (HIS) and to improve their health status by using better health information.

Call to action• Global Health Information Forum 2010• 500 health information experts• HMN, WHO, World Bank, …

Call to action• guaranteeing transparency of all health data

with due considerations for privacy and confidentiality

• strengthening intersectoral collaboration and coordination to develop and govern national health information system policies

• investing in appropriate technology – based on open standards – that permits rapid expansion to rural populations that empowers frontline employees with real time access to information and permits rapid action in public health emergencies

• ….

Collecting Health Data (for research)

Reliability of data:

• Literacy/illiteracy

• Levels of authority

• Understanding the research

• Understanding the questions

• Language issues (understanding and

vocabulary)

Collecting Health Data: Privacy and consent

• Consent

• Understanding what is consented

• Privacy & fears

Demographic Health Surveys (DHS)

• Data quality: coherent, consistent

• Systematically

• Can be used as reference data

• Data policy

• Preservation of data

Demographic Health Survey (DHS)Data Policy:

Thank you for your request to access the DHS geographic data files. Your request is on hold at this time because you did not submit a sufficiently detailed description of your project.

To fulfill our ethical obligation to survey respondents and our sponsoring agency, we must know how the geographic data in these files will be used before authorizing its distribution. Please explain in detail how you will make use of the geographic attributes that are contained in the geographic dataset. As a reminder, the DHS geographic data file is separate from the regular DHS data files and contains only the DHS cluster ID, corresponding latitude/longitude coordinates, DHS region, and altitude.

If you have made this request in error, no further action is needed. If you still wish to access the DHS geographic data, please provide an expanded description of your project clearly stating how the geographic data will be used.

You can make these changes by logging in at the following location: http://www.measuredhs.com/login.cfm

Use the email and password you selected on the registration form to login.

Thank you. LOGIN INFORMATION: Login Email: p.hessels@kit.nl Password: ODDC

DHS• Since 1984• technical assistance to more than 240 surveys• over 85 countries• understanding of health and population trends

in developing countries.

fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, gender, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and nutrition.

Demographic Health SurveySTAT compiler - include multiple indicators,

residence breakdown, and age categories associated with an indicator topic.

STAT mapper - Geographic representation of data

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)

Health Metrics Network• Since 2005• Global partnership• Strengthening national health systems• Country owned• Toolkit• Health System Assement Tool• Maternal Mortality Measurement Resource• Resources

HISP – Health Information Systems Program

HISP is a global south-south-north collaborative network. Our aim is better health care in developing countries through the combination of research on and implementation of Health Information Systems.

http://dhis.uio.no/demo

Lessons?• Standardistation – data, indicators• Collaboration• Analysis • Visualisation• …