Table 1.
Criteria Used to Select Health-Related Indicators by 2 Institute Of Medicine Committees and Criteria Proposed to Select Global Health Indicators
| Criteriaa for Selecting an Indicator | Leading Health Indicators (23) | State of the USA Indicators (24) | Global Health Indicators (25) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicator is well-defined. | X | ||
| Indicator is worthwhile or important. | X | X | |
| Indicator is valid and reliable. | X | X | X |
| Indicator can be understood by people who need to act. | X | X | |
| Indicator galvanizes action. | X | X | |
| Action can improve the indicator. | X | ||
| Measuring the indicator over time reflects effect of action. | X | ||
| Measuring the indicator is feasible. | X | ||
| Data for the indicator are available for various geographic levels (local, national) and population subgroups. | X | X | X |
| Indicator is sensitive to changes in other societal domains (socioeconomic or environmental conditions or public policies). | X |
a
The criteria for selecting indicators were compiled from the 3 reports cited. An "X" indicates that a report proposed using this criterion for selecting indicators.