Module summary

Let’s review what we covered in this module.

Data collection

Information on site conditions, equipment, medicines and commodities, and support for quality appear in many sections of the questionnaire. Much of this information will require observation of items or conditions.

Both facts support the need for consistency in the understanding and recording of these data.

Site conditions

Information on site conditions is almost invariably the same, except in the main storage area for pharmaceuticals:

• for cleanliness and safety it involves “YES” or “NO” responses based only on direct observation;
• for infection prevention and control (IPC) items, there are 3 response options on “AVAILABILITY” (“OBSERVED”, “REPORTED, NOT SEEN”, and “NOT AVAILABLE”). Data collection on IPC items also involves observation, but after asking questions to the respondent.

Equipment, medicines and commodities, support for quality

Information collected on equipment, medicines and commodities, and support for quality depends on the service site. However, the type of responses is invariably the same, regardless of the service area:

• for information on equipment, there are 3 response options on “AVAILABILITY” of items requiring observation, and 3 response options on “FUNCTIONALITY”;
• for information on medicines and commodities, there are 5 response options on “AVAILABILITY”, and the observation includes verification of expiry date;
• for information on support for quality, there are 3 response options on “AVAILABILITY” of documents requiring observation, and 2 response options on training of staff.