Sources of Vital and Health Statistics

Census:

A census is the entire process of gathering, compiling, analyzing, evaluating, and publishing demographic, economic, and social data related to all people in a country or delimited territory at a specific time or times. Country in 1970. Fix land under the control of a person, state, city, etc. is referred to as delimited territory.

History of collecting census:

• In Sweden, the first modern census was conducted in 1742 A.D.
• The majority of nations conduct censuses every ten years.
• The first National Population Census in Nepal was conducted in the year 1911 AD (BS 1968). There was a lack of information and it was insufficient. In this manner, the 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011 censuses were conducted. With technical aid from the United Nations, the first modern and scientific census was carried out in 1952/54. (2009-2011BS). The most recent census was conducted in 2011. The National Planning Commission Secoretanate's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), which publishes it, is responsible.

Advantages of census:

• It offers data on people's demographic, social, religious, economic, and health circumstances.
• It offers the information required for management, planning, research, health services, etc.
• It is useful to know the crude rates of birth, death, and infant mortality, among other statistics.
• It aids in forecasting future needs for things like food, water, human resources, and health care.
• Comparing the current state of health with earlier times and with national and international locations is helpful.

Disadvantages of census:

• It is really expensive.
• It requires a lot of laborers.
• Reporting that isn't complete could be caused by insecurity and geographic diversity.
• It requires a lot of time to analyze and publish.

Registration/vital registration system:

A important document is one that pertains to a vital event, such as a birth, death, migration, divorce, or marriage. The vital registration system is the method used to record these important occurrences with the relevant government. The statistics that result from compiling the registration events are referred to as vital statistics. It is a continuous, obligatory recording of important events.

Advantages:

• The registration must be finished in order to get the most recent information on mortality and fertility.
• Provides comprehensive demographic information that can be utilized to project and estimate the population.
• It aids in gauging the success of the FP program.
• The cause of death can be evaluated or analyzed using the death certificate.
• Can be used for planning purposes and administration.

Disadvantages:

• These important occurrences are not being reported by people, hence the data is inaccurate. It causes a number of issues.
• The majority of births occur outside of hospitals, and the first week of life is when most infant deaths occur.
• For some events, late registration is more frequent.

Notification of disease

The notification of disease system involves the recording and reporting of frequently occurring diseases to the relevant authority. It also provides up-to-date information on the incidence, distribution, and prevalence of diseases that need reporting. 

Advantages:

• Useful details on the occurrence and distribution of diseases
• Early notification of the onset and spread of a new disease.
• Non-communicable disorders like cancer, mental illness, congenital anomalies, stroke (CVA), etc., can be reported.

Disadvantages:

• Only a small portion of the community's overall illness is covered.
• People fail to correctly disclose the ailment, which results in underreporting.
• Cases that are unusual or subclinical are not reported because they are not recognized.

Records:

A record is information that was gathered and preserved on a specific topic. The hospital, school, and medical clinic records provide some information on diseases, according to the definition of "record," which is "to register in to produce a permanent file of something." These are listed as the main source of data regarding disease prevalence in the neighborhood. This is regarded as a crucial source in cases where disease notification and critical registration systems are lacking.

Advantages:

• Provides details about medical activity,
• Offers details on the aforementioned topics, such as:
  • Patient demographics include geographic location, age and gender distribution, and ethnicity, race, and religion. iv. The frequency of illness and the length of hospital stays
  • The spread of illnesses
  • Time between the onset of the illness and hospital admission
  • Patient distribution based on social and biological features
  • Hospital care costs, etc.

Disadvantages:

• Records only a small number of patients who visit the hospital for treatment.
• The admissions process is selective and may differ from hospital to hospital.
• It is impossible to define the population (population at risk) that a hospital serves. The catchment area's boundaries are not set in stone.

Health Surveys:

A survey is a method for gathering fresh data for analysis, like a household survey. Surveys about any element of health, including morbidity, mortality, fertility, nutritional status, etc., are called "health surveys." Demographic, health, household, environmental sanitation, and other health surveys are used to identify specific health-related conditions in the community. In 1956 A.D., Nepal underwent its first health sampling survey.

Health survey methods can be broadly classified as follows:

• Health interview survey (face to face)
• Health examination survey
• Health records survey
• Health questionnaire survey

Advantages:

• Compared to a census, surveys based on samples are less expensive, simpler to conduct, and yield data more quickly.
• Aids in double-checking the census data.
• Estimations from intercensal surveys of several significant demographic factors (birth, death, etc.)

Disadvantages:

• Provides scant details on particular circumstances.
• Results from the tiny sample size might not be generalizable to the entire population.
• Surveys are pricy, time-consuming, and challenging to carry out.