CRVS assessments: Know your system
What are the key actions for improvement?
By evaluating the results of rapid and comprehensive assessments, countries will be able to better identify what steps are needed to improve CRVS systems. Country experiences in Africa and the Asia–Pacific region have shown that the four-group typology as determined by the rapid assessment, is relevant and helpful in identifying key actions and implementing pathways suitable to individual country circumstances and capacities.
For each of the four classifications, the key priority actions are outlined below, with corresponding pathways for strengthening CRVS systems also shown. Based on the outcome of rapid assessment and subsequent positioning within the typology, countries should be able to identify which of these four proposed pathways best matches their situation.
- Countries with dysfunctional systems
- Countries with weak systems
- Countries with functional but inadequate systems
- Countries with satisfactory systems
Roadmap of suggested pathways for strengthening CRVS systems according to country grouping
x indicates the action should be considered
Key actions for countries with: |
dysfunctional systems |
weak systems |
functional but inadequate systems |
satisfactory systems |
Advocate for improved CRVS |
x |
x |
x |
|
Review legal and regulatory framework contents and compliance |
x |
x |
x |
|
Review resources (human, infrastructural and financial) for civil registration |
x |
x |
x |
|
Establish coordination mechanism linking key stakeholders |
x |
x |
x |
|
Review functioning of existing coordination mechanisms and enhance as required |
|
x |
x |
x |
Develop or update training manuals for civil registration implementation |
x |
x |
x |
|
Conduct comprehensive assessment of all aspects of current systems |
|
x |
x |
|
Develop a prioritised improvement plan |
|
x |
x |
|
Review and revise birth and death forms |
x |
x |
|
|
Conduct reviews of quality of death certification and coding |
|
|
x |
x |
Develop curricula and provide ongoing training for physicians to correctly certify causes of death |
x |
x |
x |
|
Improve physician certification practices |
|
|
x |
x |
Strengthen skills and capacities for mortality coding |
|
|
x |
x |
Improve coding practices |
|
|
x |
x |
Introduce computerisation for registration, and for data transfer, storage and analysis |
x |
x |
x |
x |
Compile, review and analyse available hospital data and produce summary statistics |
x |
x |
|
|
Starting in urban areas, improve the systems in place and compile and analyse the data
|
x |
x |
|
|
Compile and analyse available mortality data and interpret the results for action |
|
|
x |
x |
Use verbal autopsy to generate data on cause-specific mortality in settings where deaths do not occur in medical facilities |
x |
x |
x |
|
Make use of data from health and demographic surveillance sites to generate data on levels of mortality by age and sex |
x |
x |
|
|
Introduce sample registration to generate nationally representative vital statistics |
|
x |
x |
|
Conduct research into the potential of mobile phones for recording vital events at community level |
x |
x |
|
|
Where there are already local-level procedures for identifying and counting births and deaths, use mobile phones to standardise reporting and improve data completeness and timeliness |
x |
x |
|
|
Mobilise communities by conducting information, education and communication campaigns |
x |
x |
x |
|
Increase coverage in remote or marginalised populations by reaching out to under-served population groups and providing incentives for registration |
|
x |
x |
|
Deploy mobile registration units in remote areas and make registration forms available in local languages |
|
x |
x |
|
Introduce computerisation to facilitate the compilation, transfer and analysis of existing data |
|
x |
x |
x |
Introduce electronic patient records in major hospitals, incorporating appropriate software for facilitating transmission and analysis of data |
|
x |
x |
x |
Introduce automated coding software to standardise and speed up the analysis of mortality data |
|
|
x |
x |
Improve the timeliness and dissemination of data |
x |
x |
x |
x |
Facilitate access to vital statistics by decision-makers and other users such as researchers |
x |
x |
x |
x |
Read more
Guidance tool for how to develop a strategic plan from civil registration and vital statistics assessment findings. This document provides practical advice for countries that have undertaken the comprehensive assessment on how to transition from assessment results to a strategic improvement plan.
Launch of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative in Colombia
Laureate Professor Alan Lopez AC, CRVS Technical Director of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative from the University of Melbourne describes interventions that Colombia will use to improve their cause of death data.
The Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative in Sri Lanka
Video with Technical Director of the Data for Health Initiative at the University of Melbourne, Professor Alan Lopez on Sri Lanka's work to improve civil registration and vital statistics.