Skip to main content

Table 4 Indicators for stability used for the evaluation of the influenza sentinel surveillance system in Zambia, 2011-2017a

From: An evaluation of the Zambia influenza sentinel surveillance system, 2011–2017

Indicator

Calculation/data inputs

Data source

Indicator value

Score

Stability

• Frequency of lack of data collection forms

Number of surveillance sites within each reported category [never (0), once per year (1), 2–3 times per year (2–3), ≥4 times per year(≥4)] / Number of surveillance sites

Questionnaire for surveillance staff at sentinel sites

0: 83.3%

3

1: 16.7%

2–3: 0.0%

≥4: 0.0%

• Frequency of lack of sampling material

Number of surveillance sites within each reported category [never (0), once per year (1), 2–3 times per year (2–3), ≥4 times per year(≥4)] / Number of surveillance sites

Questionnaire for surveillance staff at sentinel sites

0: 83.3%

3

1: 16.7%

2–3: 0.0%

≥4: 0.0%

• Frequency at which a power failure, including the generator, occurred at the surveillance sites

Number of surveillance sites within each reported category [never (N), seldom (S), often (O), regularly (R)] / Number of surveillance sites

Questionnaire for surveillance staff at sentinel sites

N: 16.7%

2

S: 50.0%

O: 33.3%

R: 0.0%

• Proportion of sentinel sites with at least one member of staff trained on sentinel surveillance procedures

Number of sentinel sites with at least one trained member of staff / Number of surveillance sites

Questionnaire for surveillance staff at sentinel sites

100.0%

3

• Proportion of sentinel surveillance staff ever trained on sentinel surveillance procedures

Number of surveillance staff ever trained / Number of surveillance staff

Questionnaire for surveillance staff at sentinel sites

90.7%

3

• Proportion of sentinel surveillance staff trained on sentinel surveillance procedures during the last one year

Number of surveillance staff during the last one year / Number of surveillance staff

Questionnaire for surveillance staff at sentinel sites

69.7%

2

• Availability and use of standard operating procedures (SOPs) by surveillance staff

Number of surveillance staff with access and use of SOPs / Number of surveillance staff

Questionnaire for surveillance staff at sentinel sites

97.7%

3

• Proportion of surveillance sites providing samples weekly after 3 months from inception

Number of surveillance sites providing samples weekly/ Number of surveillance sites

ISS database

100.0%

3

• Proportion of weekly surveillance reports sent to MoH

Number of surveillance reports sent to MoH / Number of reporting weeks

Surveillance reports

71.4%

2

  1. Abbreviations: ISS influenza sentinel surveillance; MoH Ministry of Health
  2. aEach quantitative indicator was evaluated as the proportion (expressed as percentage) of the outcome of interest over the total (indicator value). A scale from 1 to 3 was used to provide a score for each quantitative indicator as follows: < 60% (from the above calculation) scored 1 (weak performance); 60–79% scored 2 (moderate performance); ≥80% scored 3 (good performance)