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
   1. What is a survey?
   2. Types of outcomes and indicators measured in a survey
   3. Reasons to do a survey
   4. Questions to ask before beginning or commissioning a survey
   5. Alternatives to conducting new surveys
   6. Limitations of surveys
   7. Valid questions to answer
   8. Formulation of goals and objectives
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
28. Dissemination and action

Reasons to do a survey

(go to Outline)

Surveys can be time-consuming and expensive activities. As a result, surveys should be done to answer program-oriented questions:

• Include only information useful to design or revise interventions
• Do not include information which is just "of interest" or already proven or obvious

Answers to such program-oriented questions may be necessary to:

• Determine need for new program
• Help design new program
• Evaluate existing program

Surveys may also be done to gather data to use to advocate for additional resources in order to meet the needs of a neglected emergency-affected population.

The survey done in Badghis Province, Afghanistan was the first assessment done in a relatively neglected province.

1

Why do you think the Badghis survey was done? The Badghis survey was done to determine if the population needed additional health or nutrition services and to help with the design of new programmes by determining which services might be needed. It was also done as a baseline. This baseline would be compared to the results of a follow-up survey to measure change. This could be useful in evaluating any future programmes. Therefore, all three program questions above were important in Badghis Province.