Brief: Considerations for the Use of Routine Data for Evaluation of Public Health Programs

Brief: Considerations for the Use of Routine Data for Evaluation of Public Health Programs
Abstract: A routine health information system (RHIS) collects and
provides data about standard health and vital events at
regular intervals to support the decision-making process at
each level of the health system. Use of data from RHIS for
evaluation has grown as more resources are dedicated to
improving these systems. Secondary data, including routine
data, are not collected by the data user but have appealing
advantages over primary data collected for specific research.
They are typically collected more frequently or over a longer
period; boast greater cost efficiency, in some cases; and may
be available more quickly.1–2 However, routine data are
not appropriate for all evaluation questions or all contexts.
Evaluators must carefully consider aspects such as data
quality, usability, and accessibility before deciding to use
these data.

MEASURE Evaluation, which is funded by the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID), has
used RHIS data in numerous evaluations over the past 20
years. This brief shares field experiences from this work and
key considerations for the use of RHIS data in evaluation.
Shortname: FS-20-418
Author(s): Measure Evaluation
Year: 2020
Language: English