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Indicators for Monitoring Health Targets

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The Palgrave Handbook of Global Health Data Methods for Policy and Practice

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Abstract

Macfarlane, AbouZahr and Frank describe indicators that the health sector uses to measure performance against agreed targets and to compare health-care coverage and health outcomes between groups and across countries. They provide advice about interpreting indicator values and explain that the validity and reliability of indicators depends on the quality of data on which they are based—usually sourced from routine facility information systems, censuses, civil registration and surveys. The authors warn that one indicator only represents a piece of reality and that it is best to interpret them in the context of a conceptual framework. The authors observe that international agreements to attain development goals have increased pressure on national governments to report escalating numbers of indicators and that international partners are collaborating to harmonize their requirements.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, and Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Sarah B. Macfarlane

  2. CAZ Consulting Sarl, Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative, Geneva, Switzerland

    Carla AbouZahr

  3. Public Health Research and Policy, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    John Frank

Authors
  1. Sarah B. Macfarlane
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  2. Carla AbouZahr
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  3. John Frank
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah B. Macfarlane .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics School of Medicine, and Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Sarah B. Macfarlane

  2. CAZ Consulting Sarl, Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative, Geneva, Switzerland

    Carla AbouZahr

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Macfarlane, S.B., AbouZahr, C., Frank, J. (2019). Indicators for Monitoring Health Targets. In: Macfarlane, S., AbouZahr, C. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Health Data Methods for Policy and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54984-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54984-6_2

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-54983-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-54984-6

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