National Systems for Generating and Managing Data for Health

Abstract

Macfarlane, AbouZahr and Tangcharoensathien examine the need for information to guide policy development, programme planning and implementation at every level of a health system. They provide an overview of the range of data sources that a national health information system coordinates to produce that information, including: management information systems; subsystems for: national accounts, the health workforce, infrastructure, equipment and commodities; disease surveillance systems and registries; household surveys; decennial population censuses; and vital registration statistics on births and deaths. The authors point to growing demand for data to track progress towards targets such as for the Sustainable Development Goals as well as to monitor actions at the local or district level. They describe much needed efforts to strengthen under-resourced health information systems in low-and middle-income countries.