DATA SOURCES FOR DEVELOPING HEALTH INDICATORS
Contents
Concepts of primary and secondary sources of data, identification, description, uses, and limitations of the principal data sources used in public health to develop health indicators.
Objective
To explain basic concepts as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the principal data sources used in public health to develop health indicators.
AFTER READING THIS SECTION, THE READER WILL BE ABLE TO DEFINE:
- The difference between primary and secondary data sources
- The main secondary data sources for estimating indicators
- The main criteria for assessing the quality of secondary data sources
- The effect of the quality of data sources on the quality of health indicators
When a decision is made to use indicators to monitor a given aspect of a population's health, there are two clear options:
- To identify existing data sources which, though not formulated for the purpose, can facilitate the development of reliable indicator(s).
- To devise specific data collection mechanisms for developing the indicator or set of indicators when there are no adequate data sources.
These two options define what is called secondary data from secondary sources and primary data from primary sources. The choice of whether to create new data sources for a given objective involving monitoring of a population's health or to use available data sources should be based on the advantages and constraints associated with these two options. It is therefore important to weigh the quality of the existing data sources against the effort required to create and maintain new data sources.