The key concept embedded within the health MDGs
is the notion of rate (that is, changes in the level, over time), of some measurable performance
indicator. Due to the complexity of objectively
demonstrating that rate changes (positive or
negative) have occurred, it is important to have as
good a baseline health assessment as possible.
However, it is easier to obtain this information at a
country or large regional level than for small
populations where the number of measured “events”
is small and variable over the standard time period
(one year). One highly reliable source of country level
data is the Demographic Health Surveys (DHS),
which are performed in many countries every four to
five years. Unfortunately, these data are never
presented (disaggregated) below a provincial or
regional level, due to sample-size issues. Therefore,
any project should carefully consider how to choose
a realistic suite of KPIs.