Compendium of indicators for monitoring and evaluating national tuberculosis programs.

TB control has been one of the leading fields to routinely collect information that measures the most critical output and outcome indicators used for national and global reporting. TB programs in the vast majority of countries are currently using these indicators for M&E for TB control at the national and local levels. Still there is some variability in the definitions of core indicators and guidance is needed on additional indicators that are critical for M&E of the rapid scale-up of TB programs. The overall objective of this compendium is to encourage and facilitate internal and external M&E of TB control programs to improve quality and effectiveness. This compendium provides a comprehensive and standardized listing of the most widely used indicators relevant to developing countries and it strives to achieve uniformity in defining indicators to allow comparisons over time and between different programs. The compendium draws on numerous important previously established guidelines from WHO and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (UNION) on the selection and use of indicators. Although WHO and the UNION have been using a range of process indicators for a long time a few process-level indicators presented in this compendium have been adapted from related fields. (excerpt)