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| RAPID COMMUNICATION |
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| Year : 2016 | Volume
: 3
| Issue : 1 | Page : 34-35 |
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Ensuring improvement in the health data to revamp the health systems: World Health Organization
Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava, Prateek Saurabh Shrivastava, Jegadeesh Ramasamy
Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, India
| Date of Web Publication | 24-Jun-2016 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava
Department of Community Medicine, 3rd Floor, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Ammapettai, Thiruporur–Guduvancherry Main Road, Sembakkam Post, Kancheepuram - 603 108, Tamil Nadu
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2350-0298.184683
How to cite this article:
Shrivastava SR, Shrivastava PS, Ramasamy J. Ensuring improvement in the health data to revamp the health systems: World Health Organization. Int J Adv Med Health Res 2016;3:34-5 |
How to cite this URL:
Shrivastava SR, Shrivastava PS, Ramasamy J. Ensuring improvement in the health data to revamp the health systems: World Health Organization. Int J Adv Med Health Res [serial online] 2016 [cited 2023 Mar 29];3:34-5. Available from: https://www.ijamhrjournal.org/text.asp?2016/3/1/34/184683 |
The member states of the World Health Assembly have adopted Sustainable Development Goals since September 2015, which aims toward the development of a safe and healthy world, through the proposed seventeen goals.[1] However, none of these goals can be achieved, if the stakeholders are devoid of reliable, precise, and complete data, which will enable them to successfully understand the deficient areas so that the available resources can be allocated in a rationale and evidence-based manner.[1],[2]
| Absence of Reliable Data: Consequences and Facts | |  |
Any nations with defects in the data collection or analysis of health data have to face numerous challenges, and thus most of the decisions are made only on the basis of assumptions.[2] Further, serious concerns are raised about the quality of operation of the health system as no accurate details are available about peoples' health.[2],[3] In fact, in excess of two-thirds of the world's population are residing in nations that do not have reliable estimates on death rates.[1] Thus, it is extremely difficult to ascertain the key health priorities of these nations and take conclusive decisions with regard to deployment of health workforce or even financing a specific intervention.[1],[2],[3] In addition, most of the developing nations fail to attract financial assistance due to the absence of compiled health data related evidence.[4]
However, nations with the sound management information system can build a sense of confidence among donors and, thus, encourage better coordination between the concerned parties.[2],[3],[4] In addition, those nations which are still dependent on paperwork for their health-related estimates have to face a number of challenges such as heavy paperwork by health workers, minimal attention toward the quality of health care offered, no scope to implement prompt corrective measures, and difficulty in communicating with different stakeholders at once.[2],[3]
| Recent Innovations: Health Data Collaborative System | | |
To deal with all possible shortcomings of the paperwork and, at the same time, enhance the benefits of data maintained through electronic media, the World Health Organization has launched a Health Data Collaborative system in collaboration with different stakeholders.[1],[5] It comprises 100 core health indicators, distributed across four major sections, namely, health status indicators (age-sex-cause specific mortality, fertility, morbidity); indices based on risk factors (nutrition, infections, etc.); indicators related with services coverage (immunization, screening, mental health, etc.); and health systems-based parameters (quality and safety of care, accessibility, health workforce/information/financing/security).[5]
The ultimate aim of this health information system is to strengthen a nation's capacity to collect, analyze, and use health data so that administrative overload can be minimized.[1] It is anticipated that it will be utilized by sixty low-income nations and their supporting donor agencies to eventually strengthen the nation's health information system by the year 2024.[5] Further, the anticipated benefits will be both local (enabling health workers to take prompt interventions) and national (to ensure effective planning and a rapid response) through the usage of real-time data.[1],[5] In fact, Bangladesh has already started using the interface through improving the monitoring and evaluation activities.[1]
| Conclusion | | |
To attain the health-related goals, the need of the hour is to invest at both national and international levels to build robust health information systems. This will act as a key strategy to enable policymakers for better planning and extending good quality care to the general population.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | | |
| 1. | |
| 2. | Zodpey SP, Negandhi HN. Improving the quality and use of routine health data for decision-making. Indian J Public Health 2016;60:1-3.  [ PUBMED]  |
| 3. | Kaplan B. How should health data be used? Camb Q Healthc Ethics 2016;25:312-29. [ PUBMED] |
| 4. | Lesko CR, Todd JV. The best of both worlds: Collaborations can improve epidemiological analyses of public health data. Sex Transm Dis 2016;43:41-3. |
| 5. | |
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