Experiences from the field: maternal, reproductive and child health data collection in humanitarian and emergency situations

BACKGROUND: Humanitarian emergencies can disproportionately affect women of reproductive age, and children. Good data on reproductive maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) are vital to plan and deliver programmes to address RMNCH needs. There is currently a lack of information regarding the availability, use and applicability of data collection tools. METHODS: Key informant interviews (KII) were conducted with participants with experience of data collection in humanitarian settings, identified from relevant publications. Data were analysed using the thematic framework approach. RESULTS: All participants reported challenges, especially in the acute phase of an emergency and when there is insufficient security. Four common themes were identified: the importance of a mixed methods approach, language both with regard to development of data collection tools and data collection, the need to modify existing tools and build local capacity for data collection. Qualitative data collection was noted to be time consuming but considered to be important to understand the local context. Both those who have experienced trauma (including sexual violence) and data collectors require debriefing after documenting these experiences. CONCLUSIONS: There were numerous challenges associated with data collection assessing the health status of, and services available, to women and children in humanitarian settings, and researchers should be well prepared.