NCHS Releases Global Training Course on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems
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The International Statistics Program of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) announces the launch of a new global training course on civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems.
LCDR Erin Nichols of the International Statistics Program (ISP) says that she and her colleagues created the training course to provide background and important information on vital statistics data gathered from a national civil registration program. The curriculum combines internationally accepted principles and recommendations for national CRVS systems with a fully customizable framework that allows the course to easily incorporate country-specific civil registration policies, customs, and administrative processes. The customization aspect of the course allows it to be administered anywhere in the world.
ISP developed the training course on CRVS systems in cooperation with CDC’s Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) after FETP country offices expressed interest in having a curriculum that could be presented to FETP residents on CRVS. During development, Nichols and her colleagues broadened the scope of the program to serve as the basis for a training program that can be administered to country civil registrars, public health professionals, and policy makers.
The training course on CRVS systems comprises presentation materials covering eight CRVS topics including characteristics, functions, and uses of a civil registration and vital statistics system; Participant Notes that provide a thorough description of the topics, as well as worksheets and activity materials; and an Instructor Guide. Nichols says that the Instructor Guide and course notes have been designed with a high degree of detail, so in-field administrators who have strong epidemiology and public health backgrounds but little or no CRVS experience will be able to present the course materials confidently.
The full, customizable Training Course on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems is available free from NCHS.