Routine health information system and health facility data for neglected tropical diseases: Buruli ulcer

Overview

This guidance was developed based on a template provided to health programmes by the WHO Division of Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact. WHO regional advisers and disease focal points in the WHO Global Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme provided technical content in alignment with the road map. A drafting team comprising WHO technical officers and BU disease experts working on skin NTDs at global, regional and country levels contributed to the writing and review of initial drafts of the document. Independent BU experts and selected national programme managers from BU-endemic countries reviewed the guidance for technical accuracy and relevance.

This document addresses the collection, aggregation and basic summary analysis of individual data on BU cases collected at BU treatment centres based on the BU 01 and BU 02 forms. It provides guidance on the analysis and use of routine BU data collected at the health facility level. It presents core facility indicators and analysis, provides suggestions for questions on review of data quality as well as considerations and limitations for using the data and analysis.

By the end of this document, readers should be able to: describe core BU indicators and notable trends in incidence, geographical distribution and progress towards control of the disease; monitor clinical case management outcomes; understand how to interpret changes in trends over time, by gender, age group and location; and assess data quality and understand its implications when interpreting data.