1. Using available information
Usually there is a large amount of data that has already been collected by others, although it may not necessarily have been analysed or published. Locating these sources and retrieving the information is a good starting point in any data collection effort.
For example, analysis of the information routinely collected by health facilities can be very useful for identifying problems in certain interventions or in flows of drug supply, or for identifying increases in the incidence of certain diseases.
Analysis of health information system data, census data, unpublished reports and publications in archives and libraries or in offices at the various levels of health and health-related services, may be a study in itself. Usually, however, it forms part of a study in which other data collection techniques are also used.
The use of key informants is another important technique to gain access to available information. Key informants could be knowledgeable community leaders or health staff at various levels and one or two informative members of the target group (e.g., adolescents on their sexual behaviour). They can be involved in various stages of the research, from the statement of the problem to analysis of the data and development of recommendations. Other sources of available data are newspapers and published case histories, e.g., patients suffering from serious diseases, or their relatives, telling their experiences and how they cope.*
Note:
In order to retrieve the data from available sources, the researcher will have to design an instrument such as a checklist or compilation sheet. In designing such instruments, it is important to inspect the layout of the source documents from which the data is to be extracted. For health information system (HIS) data, for example, the data compilation sheet should be designed in such a way that the items of data can be transferred in the order in which the items appear in the source document. This will save time and reduce error.
The advantage of using existing data is that collection is inexpensive. However, it is sometimes difficult to gain access to the records or reports required, and the data may not always be complete and precise enough, or too disorganised.
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