Management of Health- and Disaster-Related Data

Prolonged health emergencies and disasters greatly affect health and well-being of individuals and communities. Past experiences on extreme emergencies and disasters have taught communities the value of preparedness. Information is key in responding to health crises especially in areas where health capacity is challenged. This chapter explains the necessity of identifying appropriate health and disaster data and proposes its transformation to information needed for decision-making. It presents different examples of systems and datasets that were used for the management of response during disasters and extreme emergencies. By introducing examples from Japan and Philippines, this chapter also points out that aside from medical data, nonmedical data, such as lifestyle and hygiene information, are necessary to protect the health of disaster victims.