NTD Data Use Resources

Step-by-Step Guidance and Practical Templates for NTD Data Use and Decision-Making

Resource overview

This resource package provides step-by-step guidance and practical, ready-to-use templates to help national NTD programmes address common challenges in how data are organized, reviewed, and used for planning and decision-making. The materials are designed to support routine programme processes, from data system development to microplanning and monitoring of implementation.

Resource development

These resources were developed by Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) through its technical collaboration with national NTD programmes in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Sudan between 2021 and 2025.

The content draws directly from real-world programme implementation experience. Approaches that proved effective in specific country contexts were refined, standardized, and complemented with practical “how-to-use” guidance to enable adaptation and uptake across other endemic settings.

CHAI developed these resources in close collaboration with national NTD programmes and implementing partners, with financial support from the Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).

What’s included

Each resource package contains a combination of guidance documents, editable templates, and facilitation materials to support programmes in:

Building and strengthening NTD data systems and repositories
Developing fit-for-purpose dashboards for programme monitoring
Conducting structured and effective data review meetings
Integrating microplanning processes ahead of mass drug administration (MDA)
Developing data-driven annual and multi-year work plans
Digitizing MDA implementation using standard XLSForms
Developing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plans to assess the performance of MDA digitization
Designing M&E frameworks to support NTD Master Plans

Intended users

These resources are intended for:

National NTD programme managers and M&E teams
Data managers and digital health focal points
Implementing partners supporting NTD programme delivery

Disclaimer

This resource has been developed by NTD partners and does not constitute normative guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO). Its inclusion on the ESPEN Portal does not imply endorsement by WHO but reflects its potential usefulness for programme implementation and learning.

List of NTD Data Resources

Resource	Description
Data-driven Workplans	This resource provides practical guidance and templates to help NTD programmes consolidate epidemiological, population, funding, and performance data at implementation unit level. It supports evidence-based prioritization, coordination across stakeholders, and routine tracking of progress towards elimination goals.
Creating ODK or XLSForms for Digitized MDA	This resource provides step-by-step practical guidance for NTD programmes to design, deploy, and manage digitized MDA data collection using XLSForms and ODK-compatible platforms. It covers the full campaign lifecycle—from planning and platform selection to testing, deployment, real-time monitoring, and post-campaign integration—supporting timely, high-quality data use for operational decision-making.
Creating NTD Data Systems and Repositories	This resource provides practical, step-by-step guidance to help NTD programmes design, implement, and institutionalize integrated data systems and repositories that support routine reporting, analysis, and decision-making. It emphasizes governance, interoperability with national systems (e.g. HMIS and LMIS), and phased implementation to reduce data fragmentation and improve sustainable data use.
Data Review Meetings	This resource provides practical guidance, templates, and facilitation tools to help NTD programmes institutionalize routine data review meetings that translate data into actionable decisions. It supports programmes in structuring data reviews across the programme cycle—during MDAs, work planning, and strategic reviews—by clarifying objectives, roles, data preparation, and action tracking.
Developing Dashboards	This resource provides practical guidance and lessons learned to help NTD programmes design dashboards that support routine data review and decision-making, rather than passive reporting. It focuses on selecting meaningful indicators, designing user-appropriate visualizations across health system levels, and embedding dashboards into regular programme review processes to strengthen data use.
Master Plan M&E Frameworks	This resource provides step-by-step guidance, indicator banks, and practical templates to support national NTD programmes in developing coherent monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks aligned with their NTD Master Plans and global targets. It helps programmes define prioritized indicators, clarify data sources and responsibilities, and establish systematic processes for reviewing progress and informing strategic decision-making.
Integrated Microplanning	This resource provides practical guidance and tools to support an integrated, bottom-up microplanning process that combines local data, epidemiological evidence, and operational inputs across diseases. It helps NTD programmes improve planning accuracy, coordination, and resource allocation ahead of MDAs through standardized workflows, stakeholder engagement, and iterative validation.
M&E for MDA Digitization	This resource provides practical guidance to help NTD programmes design and implement monitoring and evaluation plans that assess whether MDA digitization improves data quality, timeliness, use, and programmatic outcomes. It supports programmes in defining evaluation questions, selecting SMART indicators, establishing appropriate comparators, and translating findings into actionable decisions for scale-up or course correction.