Percent of health facilities that had stock-outs of essential lifesaving medicines for mothers, newborns and children in a specified period

Definition:

Percent of health facilities that had stock-outs of essential lifesaving medicines for mothers, newborns and children in a specified period

Numerator:

Number of health facilities that had stock-outs of essential lifesaving medicines for mothers (oxytocin, magnesium sulfate, dexamethasone, oral amoxicillin, injectable gentamicin (context-specific malaria rapid diagnostic tests, antimalarial and antiretroviral agents)), newborns and children (vaccines, oral rehydration salt, zinc, oral amoxicillin, injectable gentamicin (context-specific malaria rapid diagnostic tests, antimalarial and antiretroviral agents in a specified period))

Denominator:

Total number of health facilities.

Disaggregation:

Facility type, managing authority, specific type of medicine/commodity (e.g. priority medicines for women and children, mothers, newborns)

Data Requirements:

Stock out data may also refer to specific time period (1 month, 3 months).

Use of out-of-stock cards and direct observation to collect data through survey or routine information systems.  Availability is reported as the percentage of medicine outlets where a particular medicine was found on the day of the survey. Health facility reports may also include stockouts indicators but require regular independent verification.

See also: Percent of facilities that experienced a stockout at any point during a given time period

Data Sources:

Health facility survey

Essential drugs survey

SARA (service availability and readiness assessment)

SPA (service provision assessment)

Routine logistic information system

Purpose:

This indicator measures the availability of physical resources at the facility. Access to 16 (possible) essential medicines for mothers and children are intended to be available within the context of functioning health systems at all times and in adequate amounts.

Issue(s):

If it is not necessary or feasible to collect information on several essential medicines, other indicators on more specific essential medicines are available.

References:

World Health Organization (WHO). Consultation on Improving Measurement of the Quality of Maternal, Newborn and Child Care in Health Facilities.; 2013. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/128206/1/9789241507417_eng.pdf

World Health Organization (WHO). 2015 Global Reference List of 100 Core Health Indicators.; 2015. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/173589/1/WHO_HIS_HSI_2015.3_eng.pdf