WHO Launches SCORE Technical Package to Improve Global Health Data

Countries must be able to measure progress to make progress, according to World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as the global health body launches a technical package designed to improve health data collection for the COVID-19 response and beyond.

Key Clinical Takeaways:

• The World Health Organization introduced the SCORE for Health Data Technical Package to address critical gaps in country-level health information systems and emergency response infrastructure.
• The package integrates more than 90 universally accepted tools and standards, supported by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative, to help governments measure mortality, birth rates, and health disparities.
• Initial releases include guidance on essential interventions, underlying elements, indicators, and tools to address data gaps, with assessment instruments and global status reports scheduled for later release.

The Global Health Data Deficit During a Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights an urgent need for timely and reliable data to drive strategic health action. Many countries still lack both the infrastructure to routinely gather health information and the analytical capacity to use these metrics for effective health actions and emergency response. Accurate numbers remain necessary to understand specific country needs, improve health, save lives, and direct scarce resources to where they are needed most. Particularly during COVID-19, reliable data serves as the best way to coordinate response efforts and improve health in all areas.

Harmonizing Standards Through the SCORE Package

In response to challenges highlighted in the WHO World Health Statistics 2020 report, the SCORE (Survey, Count, Optimize, Review, Enable) Technical Package aims to improve the availability of timely, reliable, validated, and comparable health data. Representing all key elements for optimized health information system performance in a single, harmonized package, it helps governments around the globe set benchmarks and improve standards in healthcare. Using data to inform public health priorities and strategies has never been more important, notes Dr Kelly Henning, Director of Public Health Programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies, which provided funding to support the initiative. The package provides country governments around the world with essential technical guidance to strengthen their own data systems.

Practical Interventions for Communities and Health Systems

The initial release includes two core documents: SCORE Essential Interventions, which covers health information system overviews, underlying elements, indicators, and sample actions; and SCORE Tools and Standards, which offers resources to address critical data gaps. Concrete community applications include registering births so children can access essential health services, attend school, and apply for passports. Accurate death registration captures causes of death so policy-makers understand all-cause and COVID-specific mortality and associated risk factors to implement life-saving programs. Disaggregating health data by age, sex, and cause of death illustrates root causes of health disparities, directing resources to vulnerable groups facing language barriers or stigma. Health facilities can regularly measure service quality, workforce metrics, and patient data to make a compelling case for increased funding, while integrating health data with other sectors helps address social determinants such as pollution, sanitation, and nutrition.

Scaling Up Capacity for Sustainable Systems

We must keep score to save lives, states Dr Samira Asma, WHO Assistant Director-General for Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact, emphasizing the need to rapidly scale up capacity for data collection and use to improve policy and performance. The organization urges immediate investment in statistical systems to respond to the pandemic, meet Sustainable Development Goals, and achieve the Triple Billion targets before the window of opportunity closes. Country-owned, disaggregated data remains essential for resilient and sustainable health systems going forward. Future components of the package, including the SCORE Assessment Instrument and global, regional, and country status reports, will be released later in the year to help authorities plan and monitor progress against national priorities and global targets.