Governments world wide are increasingly demanding outcome measures to evaluate research investment. Health and medical research outputs can be considered as gains in knowledge, wealth and health. Measurement of the impacts of research on health are difficult, particularly within the time frames of granting bodies. Thus evaluations often measure what can be measured, rather than what should be measured. Traditional academic metrics are insufficient to demonstrate societal benefit from public investment in health research. New approaches that consider all the benefits of research are needed.
Monitoring equity and research policy
Assessing outcomes of health and medical research: do we measure what counts or count what we can measure?
Wells R and Whitworth JA: Australia and New Zealand Health Policy 4:14, 28 June 2007
Generating political priority for global health initiatives: A framework and case study of maternal mortality
Shiffman J: Global Center for Development, July 2007
The author developed this framework while conducting an in-depth case study of the safe motherhood initiative and supplemented the findings with research done on AIDS, reproductive health, and other health initiatives. At its core, the framework posits eleven factors under four key categories (actor capability, framing, political opportunities, and issue characteristics) driving the success or failure of health initiatives (i.e. polio eradication, the AIDS movement, etc).
Assessment of a national monitoring and evaluation system for rapid expansion of antiretroviral treatment in Malawi
Lowrance D, Filler S, Makombe S, Harries A, Aberle-Grasse J, Hochgesang M, Libamba E: Tropical Medicine & International Health 12 (3): 377-381, March 2007
Monitoring and evaluation of national antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs is vital, but routine, standardized assessment of national ART patient monitoring systems has not been established. Malawi has undertaken an ambitious ART scale-up effort, with over 57 000 patients initiated on ART by June 2006. This paper reports on an assessment of the national ART monitoring and evaluation system in Malawi to ensure that the response to the epidemic was being monitored efficiently and effectively, and that data collected were useful. It propoises that assessment of ART monitoring and evaluation systems can optimize the effectiveness of national ART programs, and should be considered in other resource-constrained countries rapidly scaling up ART.
The use of personal digital assistants for data entry at the point of collection in a large household survey in southern Tanzania
Shirima K, Mukasa O, Armstrong Schellenberg J, Manzi F, John D, Mushi A, Mrisho M, Tanner M, Mshinda H, Schellenberg D: Emerging Themes in Epidemiology 4:5, 1 June 2007
Survey data are traditionally collected using pen-and-paper, with double data entry, comparison of entries and reconciliation of discrepancies before data cleaning can commence. We used Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) for data entry at the point of collection, to save time and enhance the quality of data in a survey of over 21,000 scattered rural households in southern Tanzania.
Country health fact sheet system 2006: South Africa
World Health Organisation
The AFRO’s Global Health Atlas brings together for analysis and comparison standardised data and statistics for diseases at country, regional, and global levels. The Atlas acknowledges the broad range of determinants that influence patterns of infectious disease transmission. Country fact sheets are available for South Africa.
Country health fact sheet system 2006: Swaziland
World Health Organisation
The AFRO’s Global Health Atlas brings together for analysis and comparison standardised data and statistics for diseases at country, regional, and global levels. The Atlas acknowledges the broad range of determinants that influence patterns of infectious disease transmission. Country fact sheets are available for Swaziland.
Country health fact sheet system 2006: Tanzania
World Health Organisation
The AFRO’s Global Health Atlas brings together for analysis and comparison standardised data and statistics for diseases at country, regional, and global levels. The Atlas acknowledges the broad range of determinants that influence patterns of infectious disease transmission. Country fact sheets are available for Tanzania.
Country health fact sheet system 2006: Uganda
World Health Organisation
The AFRO’s Global Health Atlas brings together for analysis and comparison standardised data and statistics for diseases at country, regional, and global levels. The Atlas acknowledges the broad range of determinants that influence patterns of infectious disease transmission. Country fact sheets are available for Uganda.
Country health fact sheet system 2006: Zambia
World Health Organisation
The AFRO’s Global Health Atlas brings together for analysis and comparison standardised data and statistics for diseases at country, regional, and global levels. The Atlas acknowledges the broad range of determinants that influence patterns of infectious disease transmission. Country fact sheets are available for Zambia.
Country health fact sheet system 2006: Zimbabwe
World Health Organisation
The AFRO’s Global Health Atlas brings together for analysis and comparison standardised data and statistics for diseases at country, regional, and global levels. The Atlas acknowledges the broad range of determinants that influence patterns of infectious disease transmission. Country fact sheets are available for Zimbabwe.