TOOL: Tipsheet: Sources of HRH Data
Objective: Understand the sources of HRH data and communicate the value of health workforce information.
Review: Amanda
As much as possible, the HIS should use common datasets and a standardized data exchange format. This will ensure that the HRIS can regularly share data with other systems. Linking HRH data with broader health information--such as disease burden, health services utilization, and patient outcomes--can prioritize health worker training and deployment in order to meet health system goals.
iHRIS will require an initial input of health worker data, which will need to be collected from one or more sources. Often the first source of HRH datato be considered is the national health management information system (HMIS), which might provide the number of doctors, nurses, or midwives but little else. This systemmayhelp a country look at deployment issues or inequities, butgivesnone of the granular data essential to supporting the health workforce.
Another source of health worker data most countries have is the payroll system designed to ensure that public sector workers get paid. These systems frequently have large gaps; for example, they usually don’t include health-specific information, such as cadres or health competencies. They also often don’t include the duty station—the community or facility health workers are working in; they would instead favor the ‘duty station’ where health workers get paid, perhaps the district health office.
The public sector payroll system almost never includes non-public sector employees. Thatinformation is usually only captured by the different non-public sector organizations themselves. Grouped into faith-based organizations (FBOs), nongovernmental organizations(NGOs), and for-profit providers and organizations, these bodies have their own payroll systems, at a minimum. There is often an umbrella organization or association that may provide services to all of their member organizations.
Training institutionscan provide data on the incoming pipeline of health workers from preservice education, as well as improvements to competencies through in-service education. Professional councils are probably the most powerful sources of information. These regulatory bodies register and license all health professionals of a particular cadre. They capture information on all health workers regardless of the sector they are working in, and they gather data directly from the health workers themselves, not through any complex and error-prone management structure.
Table or diagram: Examples of institutions that may provide data on HRH.
National institute of statisticsData related to the population census
Ministry of defenseData on military health workers
Ministry of healthNumber of health workers
Ministry of financePayroll information for public sector workers
Private sector organizations such as FBOs and NGOsPayroll information for private sector workers
Migration officeRecords or categories of migrant health workers
Ministry of laborNumber of health workers
Medical councilRegistry of public, private, and foreign doctors
Nursing councilRegistry of public and private nurses
Nursing associationRegistry of nurses
School of medicineRecords of medical students
School of nursingRecords of staff and students
School of midwiferyRecords of staff and students
School of technicians on healthRecords of staff and students
Regional health centersRecords of regional health workers
Other health worker associationsRegistry of public, private, and foreign health workers
Labor unionsRegistry of public, private, and foreign health workers
Tags: assessment;data quality; data sources; data standards; data use; health workforce information; HRH data