We are pleased to invite you to this webinar on the Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT and HEAT Plus). Both editions of the toolkit, HEAT and HEAT Plus, have been entirely restructured and redesigned for improved performance and usability. They are available as Online and Desktop versions, in four languages and are accompanied by a range of supporting materials. Along with new versions of HEAT and HEAT Plus, we are also releasing a new HEAT Plus Data Repository – a repository of datasets of disaggregated data formatted for upload to HEAT Plus.
The software application is part of a larger collection of WHO tools and resources that were developed to support countries in monitoring health inequalities (all accessible via the WHO Health Equity Monitor).
The webinar will introduce the new tools, including a live demonstration.
Background
Monitoring health inequalities is essential to achieving health equity: it is essential to know who is being left behind in order to be able to tackle existing inequalities and ensure equitable access to quality health services for all.
To support countries in monitoring health inequalities, the WHO has developed a number of tools and resources, including the Health Equity Assessment Toolkit. The software application transforms raw disaggregated data into a variety of interactive data visualizations, making it easy to analyze and communicate data about health inequalities and inform evidence-based decision making. The toolkit is available in two editions:
HEAT (Built-in Database Edition), which comes built-in with the WHO Health Equity Monitor database (currently containing disaggregated data for over 30 reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health indicators for 118 low- and middle-income countries); and
HEAT Plus (Upload Database Edition), which allows users to upload and work with their own datasets.
While HEAT was developed specifically for assessing inequalities in health, HEAT Plus is designed to be fully flexible: equity assessments can be undertaken for any indicators and inequality dimensions, in any setting of interest (at global, national and subnational levels). Together, HEAT and HEAT Plus are useful tools for monitoring inequalities in health and beyond, including those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 13), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Both HEAT and HEAT Plus are available as Online and Desktop versions and in four languages (English, French, Portuguese and Spanish), accompanied by a range of supporting materials. All materials are publicly available via the WHO Health Equity Monitor.
About this webinar
With this webinar, we would like to share with you new versions of the Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT and HEAT Plus). Along with new versions of HEAT and HEAT Plus, we are also releasing a new HEAT Plus Data Repository – a repository of datasets of disaggregated data formatted for upload to HEAT Plus. The repository already includes a range of global, national and subnational datasets for different topics (including: GPW 13; Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH); Immunization) and will continue to grow.
Objectives
- Introduce the WHO’s work on health inequality monitoring;
- Demonstrate how to use the HEAT and HEAT Plus software applications;
- Showcase how HEAT and HEAT Plus are being used in regions and countries.
Agenda
| Time (60 minutes) | Programme | Speakers |
| 3 min | Introduction | Alyssa PALMQUIST |
| 5 min | Opening remarks | Samira ASMA (Assistant Director-General, Division of Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact) |
| 30 min | Presentation and demonstration of the Health Equity Assessment Tookit (HEAT and HEAT Plus) | Ahmad Reza HOSSEINPOOR Kathrine KIRKBY Anne SCHLOTHEUBER |
| 10 min | Experiences from regions and countries in using HEAT and HEAT Plus | Mark LANDRY (WHO South-East Asia Region) Oscar MUJICA (WHO Region of the Americas) |
| 2 min | Closing remarks | Somnath CHATTERJI (Director, Department of Data and Analytics) |