The use of epidemiological tools in conflict-affected populations: open-access educational resources for policy-makers

Table of Contents

1. Welcome
2. Introduction: Epidemiology in crises
3. Ethical issues in data collection
4. Need for epidemiologic competence
5. Surveys - Introduction
6. Surveys - Description of sampling methods
7. Surveys - Sampling error, bias, accuracy, precision, & sample size
8. Surveys - Resources required for surveys
9. Surveys - Critiquing survey reports
10. Surveillance - When to do surveillance
11. Surveillance - Methods
12. Surveillance - Common problems
13. Programme data
14. Rapid assessment
15. Mortality - Indicators and their measurement
16. Mortality - Data sources
17. Mortality - Interpretation and action
18. Nutrition - Introduction and background
19. Nutrition - Indicators and their measurement
20. Nutrition - Data sources
21. Nutrition - Interpretation and action
22. Health services
    1. Health service indicators
    2. Health service utilization
    3. Effectiveness of health services
    4. Delay in seeking health care
    5. Overall evaluation of health services
23. Vaccination programmes
24. Water supply, sanitation, and shelter
25. Violence
26. Presentation of results
27. Formulating conclusions and recommendations
28. Dissemination and action

Health service indicators

(go to Outline)

There are two main components of health service delivery that affect the impact of clinical health services. The first is coverage, or what proportion of the population who need such services actually seek and receive them in a timely fashion. The second is effectiveness, meaning the probability that a person who does access health services will receives appropriate services. The following indicators measure these components.

• Outpatient consultation rate - measured using program data
• Proportion of illness episodes for which appropriate care was sought - often measured during surveys by interview
• Average delay in seeking health care - also measured in surveys

Of course, none of these indicators says much about the reasons why people may or may not seek care nor why health services may be of poor quality. Qualitative and survey techniques can be used to gather information to address these questions.