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
23. Vaccination programmes
24. Water supply, sanitation, and shelter
25. Violence
26. Presentation of results
27. Formulating conclusions and recommendations
    1. Over-interpreting results
    2. Extrapolating results to other populations
    3. Knowing background information
    4. Interpreting in context
    5. Targeting recommendations
28. Dissemination and action

Targeting recommendations

(go to Outline)

Prioritize the recommendations

Analysis of health and nutrition data often result in many recommendations. Those on the ground who are responsible for implementing these recommendations may not have the resources to implement them all at once. For this reason, it is helpful to them to prioritize the recommendations so that the most urgent ones are implemented first.

Classify recommendations into categories

To assist with their implementation, recommendations can be classified into categories of short-term, medium-term, and long-term. Some recommendations can be implemented relatively quickly; these should be categorized as short-term. Others may take more basic structural change in programmes; they are medium- or long-term recommendations.

Recommendations can also be classified according to the intended audience. For example, it is of little use recommending to individual health workers to increase funding for clinical health services. They are not the people responsible for such actions. It is also of little use recommending to donors or policy-makers to change the first-line antibiotic for use against dysentery. They will have little idea what you are talking about and even less ability to implement such a recommendation.