Recommended readings
Assessing the impact of humanitarian assistance in the health sector
Forget performance: health interventions in humanitarian crises should be assessed for their impact
Authors:
L. Roberts; C.-A. Hofmann; BioMed Central
Publisher:
Emerging Themes in Epidemiology, 2004
Published in the journal Emerging Themes in Epidemiology, this paper argues that the health impact of programmes in emergency settings is too often assumed. There is now a substantial body of knowledge about public health interventions in emergencies, due to pressure for improved scrutiny and accountability in aid spending. However, documentation of the impact of humanitarian interventions on human health and mortality remains limited. The authors stress that there are multiple factors influencing impact that go beyond humanitarian aid. For example, variations in baseline mortality, due to factors such as seasonal trends, disease epidemics and HIV/AIDS, can be significant.
The authors conclude that epidemiological studies are a potentially useful tool for measuring the impact of health interventions in humanitarian crises. They call for more emphasis to be placed on impact assessment, using robust health outcomes as a measure rather than performance indicators. To make assessments more rigorous, they argue it is essential to address the deficit in epidemiological skills within nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) working on the ground. They call for increased funding for training and retraining staff, greater collaboration between donors and relief workers, and the development of a culture that rewards documentation of failures as well as successes. [adapted from author]
