Health Emergencies in Large Populations - The H.E.L.P. Course

1. Participants are able to identify for their context and intervention relevant data for the different phases of the programme cycle

1.1. Participants are able to explain what the purpose and use is of the data that they collect.

• Variety data requirements for different uses

• Primary data; secondary data

• Quantitative data; qualitative data

1.2. Participants are able to explain the utility of several modes of data acquisition and the general principles behind these.

• Primary data; secondary data

• Data collection methods

  • Observation

  • Questionnaires; Interviews; focus group discussions; crowd sourcing

  • Digital technologies

• Exhaustive surveys vs sampling

  • Probability (random) sampling

  • Non-probability (non-representative) sampling

    • Convenience sampling

    • Purposive sampling

• Estimating the number of affected people (examples)

• Bias -Selection bias, confirmation bias, confounding.

• Triangulation

1.3. Participants are able to identify relevant and reliable data sources on the World Wide Web (www).

• Building a list with relevant sources on the www

2. Participants are able to examine data in a critical manner

2.1. Participants are able to describe key elements for assessing the quality of data

• Spotting dubious data (ACAPS)

• Belief versus evidence

• Disaggregation of data

2.2. Participants are able to describe how the way data are presented may influence the users' understanding

• Examples data visualization

Consider brief reference to computerized data systems: Epi-Info, Epi-Stat, SSPS, STATA, excel.

If there is a group of learners interested to go more into this and a facilitator to do so, time can be set aside in one of the 45 min end of afternoon sessions

3. Participants are able to discuss and justify whether to go forward with data collection or sharing data when this might endanger affected people, one self, colleagues or one's institution

See also modules Ethics, Communication with the Media, Humanitarian Protection and Sexual Violence

3.1. Participants are able to discuss what kind of data may cause one to be faced with controversies for collecting and sharing

• The ‘data dilemma' for collection and sharing

  • Examples of data that may cause negative consequences

3.2. Participants are able to describe points that may guide the decision to collect or share sensitive data or not.

• Relevant principles, standards and norms

  • Do no harm

  • Privacy and confidentiality