INTRODUCTION

SECTION 1: HEALTH INDICATORS: DEFINITION, USES, AND ATTRIBUTES

• 1.1 Essential definitions
  • 1.1.1 The concept of health
  • 1.1.2 Defining the indicators
  • 1.1.3 Data, indicator, and health indicator
  • 1.1.4 Positive and negative indicators
• 1.2 Uses of health indicators
• 1.3 Disaggregation based on characteristics of person, place, and time
• 1.4 Desirable attributes of a health indicator

SECTION 2: DEVELOPMENT AND MEASUREMENT OF HEALTH INDICATORS

• 2.1 Conceptual considerations: indicators categorized according to their mathematical measurement
  • 2.1.1 Count
  • 2.1.2 Ratio, proportion, rate, and odds
  • 2.1.3 Definition of multiplicative base used to describe the population
• 2.2 Indicators categorized according to their mathematical and epidemiological interpretation
  • 2.2.1 Indicators based on incident events
  • 2.2.2 Indicators based on prevalent events
  • 2.2.3 Relation between incidence rate and prevalence rate
  • 2.2.4 Uses of prevalence and incidence indicators
• 2.3 Types of health indicators
  • 2.3.1 Morbidity indicators
  • 2.3.2 Mortality indicators
  • 2.3.3 Indicators of behavioral risk factors
  • 2.3.4 Health services indicator
• 2.4. Practical indications for the formulation of health indicators
  • 2.4.1 Defining the reference period
  • 2.4.2 Definition of a new event
  • 2.4.3 Defining the denominator
  • 2.4.4 Comparing indicators in different population groups
  • 2.4.5 Standardizing mortality rates
  • 2.4.6 Other factors

SECTION 3: DATA SOURCES FOR DEVELOPING HEALTH INDICATORS

• 3.1 Data sources
  • 3.1.1 Primary data sources
  • 3.1.2 Secondary data sources
  • 3.1.3 Advantages and disadvantages of primary and secondary data sources
• 3.2 Attributes to consider in selecting secondary data sources
• 3.3 Main data sources
  • 3.3.1 Demographic censuses
  • 3.3.2 Health information systems
  • 3.3.3 Routine data from health facilities
  • 3.3.4 Population surveys
• 3.4 Mapping of data sources

SECTION 4: PROCESSS TO EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF DATA AND HEALTH INDICATOR

• 4.1 Introduction
• 4.2 Defining and characterizing the health indicator being evaluated
• 4.3 Key stakeholders in the process of evaluating health indicators
• 4.4 Steps for evaluating the quality of health indicators
• 4.5 Evaluation of mortality data

SECTION 5: INDICATORS ESTIMATED BY INDIRECT METHODS: BASIC CONCEPTS, USES, AND LIMITATIONS

• 5.1 Methods for indicator estimation
• 5.2 Uses and limitations of estimating indicators
• 5.3 Estimation of maternal and infant mortality indicators
  • 5.3.1 Methodology of the MMEIG
  • 5.3.2 The IHME methodology
  • 5.3.3 Estimates of infant mortality in the Region of the Americas

ANNEX

• FILE FOR DESCRIBING INDICATORS
• Model file