Health Metrics Network: Assessing the National Health Information System
This tool aims at carrying out a broad-based assessment of the system’s own environment and organization, responsibilities, roles, and relationships; and of the technical challenges of specific data requirements in order to:
- Allow objective baseline and follow-up evaluations—assessment findings should therefore be comparable over time
- Inform stakeholders—for example, of aspects of the Health Information System (HIS) with which they may not be familiar
- Build consensus around the priority needs for health information system strengthening
- Mobilize joint technical and financial support for the implementation of a national HIS strategic plan—with indications of the priority investments in the short term (1–2 years), intermediate term (3–9 years) and long term (10 years and beyond)
- Tool Designer Organization:
- Health Metrics Network, World Health Organization
- Download:
- Tool
in English and Guide 
in English from WHO web site - Contact:
Summary of main features
- Purpose
- This tool is used to assess the national health information and statistical systems and will enable the different partners working within a country to be better able to harmonize and align their efforts around a shared vision of a sound and effective national health information system ("national HIS")
- Scope of interventions
- Health information and statistical systems
- Limitations
- Output
- The assessment report should provide information for the development of a comprehensive strategic plan for national HIS strengthening
- Time frame
- Stakeholders may decide to repeat the comprehensive assessment exercise at appropriate intervals. In many settings, assessments of the national HIS or its individual components may already have been conducted and should be built upon, not duplicated
- Potential users
- All major stakeholders, including the producers, users and financiers of health information and other social statistics at various national and sub-national levels
- Skills required
-
- The stakeholders involved in the process should cover knowledge of the six components of health information systems, i.e., HIS resources, indicators, data sources, data management, information products, and dissemination and use
- Sufficient technical qualifications are needed to be able to score a given item of the assessment
- Type of software
- Excel and Adobe PDF
- User manual available?
- Yes
- Type and length of training required
- NA
- Available languages
- English
- Country applications
- NA
- Last update and version
- 2007