Abstract
BackgroundOver recent years there has been a strong movement towards the improvement of vital statistics and other types of health data that inform evidence-based policies. Collecting such data is not cost free. To date there is no systematic framework to guide investment decisions on methods of data collection for vital statistics or health information in general. We developed a framework to systematically assess the comparative costs and outcomes/benefits of the various data methods for collecting vital statistics.MethodologyThe proposed framework is four-pronged and utilises two major economic approaches to systematically assess the available data collection methods: cost-effectiveness analysis and efficiency analysis. We built a stylised example of a hypothetical low-income country to perform a simulation exercise in order to illustrate an application of the framework.FindingsUsing simulated data, the results from the stylised example show that the rankings of the data collection methods are not affected by the use of either cost-effectiveness or efficiency analysis. However, the rankings are affected by how quantities are measured.ConclusionThere have been several calls for global improvements in collecting useable data, including vital statistics, from health information systems to inform public health policies. Ours is the first study that proposes a systematic framework to assist countries undertake an economic evaluation of DCMs. Despite numerous challenges, we demonstrate that a systematic assessment of outputs and costs of DCMs is not only necessary, but also feasible. The proposed framework is general enough to be easily extended to other areas of health information.
Highlights
Health information, in particular vital statistics and cause-ofdeath (COD) data, is an essential public good
Ours is the first study that proposes a systematic framework to assist countries undertake an economic evaluation of data collection method (DCM)
We demonstrate that a systematic assessment of outputs and costs of DCMs is necessary, and feasible
Summary
In particular vital statistics and cause-ofdeath (COD) data, is an essential public good. Every year, one-third of births are not officially recorded, and threequarters of all deaths are either not registered or lack a medically certified cause [1]. Recent global initiatives have called for significant improvements in country systems to register births, deaths and causes of death [2,3]. Over recent years there has been a strong movement towards the improvement of vital statistics and other types of health data that inform evidence-based policies. Collecting such data is not cost free. We developed a framework to systematically assess the comparative costs and outcomes/benefits of the various data methods for collecting vital statistics
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