Performance Indicators of the Health System

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS OF THE HEALTH SYSTEM
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Performance Indicators of the Health System
Introduction
Health systems exist to actualize and enhance sustainable healthcare provision for people. The health system is comprised of people, institutions, and actions undertaken to promote and maintain health globally. The health system's performance is a vital tool in evaluating the actualization of universal health coverage agendas under sustainable development goals. Analysis of the health system provides a basis for designing strategies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health systems. Various frameworks and concepts exist to enhance the evaluation and assessment of health systems. The performance of the health systems is evaluated through multiple indicators. At a glance, health indicators show population health and the efficiency of healthcare systems. Among the indicators of the population, health performance is life expectancy, years of life lost, chronic disease morbidity, self-rated health, health expenditure, and avoidable mortality, among others. The paper examines Life expectancy as the indicator for measuring the performance of the health system.
Good Indicator of the Population Health of a Country
When it comes to population health, life expectancy is a significant metric to take into consideration. Life expectancy is a vital measure as compared to the other performance indicators. Premature deaths that may have been prevented or cured are referred to as avoidable mortality. Diabetes prevalence reveals the morbidity of a significant chronic disease; self-rated health provides a complete picture of one's overall physical and emotional well-being (Ranabhat et al., 2018 p.960). The best-known indicator of a population's health is its life expectancy at birth, which is frequently used to track the progress of a country's health. It estimates how long a newborn child would live if mortality rates remained constant from the moment of their birth to the end of their life. Variations in life expectancy may best be examined over long periods because the elements that influence it do not alter overnight.
To create life tables to calculate life expectancies, we need mortality rates that vary by age. Countries use different approaches to compute life expectancy, leading to minor discrepancies in life expectancy, like fractions of a year (Bezy, 2020). Rather than reliable death registration, several countries base their life expectancy statistics on census and survey estimations. Health advancements have increased life expectancy for women, yet gaps still exist between males and within countries. Women outlive males and are more likely to live to 65 on average, regardless of the country's economic situation (Bezy, 2020). The overall population health of a country dramatically relies on life expectancy statistics, which highlights the strength and sustainability of the health systems in the country.
How Life Expectancy is Measured
The most often used measure of life expectancy is life expectancy at birth (LEB), which is defined in two ways; cohort and period LEB. There is a significant distinction and explanation between the period and cohort life expectancy (Bezy, 2020). Cohort LEB is the average life expectancy of a birth cohort. Its computation is only possible for cohorts born several decades ago after the death of their members. The period LEB is the average life expectancy of a hypothetical cohort considered to be exposed to the death rates reported in a given year from the time they are born until they die. Life expectancy can be thought of as the age at which a person born in a specific year would expect to die if the average death age did not vary during their lifetime (Bezy, 2020).
The commonly used units of measurement for life expectancy are years of life. A person's life expectancy at birth is calculated using life tables that take differences in mortality rates based on gender and age (Ortiz-Ospina, 2017). The United Nations estimates of life expectancy at birth are mid-year estimates in line with the organization's quinquennial population predictions. Male and female life expectancy can be estimated separately or jointly. Underlying data can be used to compute life expectancy for subnational populations, as well. A person's life expectancy can be broken down into specific postnatal ages as well (Ochiai et al., 2021, p S236). For example, if a person turns 60, their life expectancy increases by one year because of current mortality rates for people 60 and older.
The term "life expectancy" refers to a hypothetical figure. It is based on the idea that people born in a specific year will face the same mortality rates for the rest of their lives (Bezy, 2020). For the population born in a given era, the estimate predicts the age-specific mortality (death) rates throughout their lives (Hao et al., 2020, pp 1-15). In terms of the measurement, gender, age, race, and geographic location have a significant impact. A population's completeness in the census and death records influences the accuracy of predicted life expectancy estimates. Countries' data sets vary widely in terms of thoroughness. Healthy life expectancy can also be used in the calculation of life expectancy.
Health System Aspect that can ...