2014.ISDS.Abstracts.Final.pdf


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ISDS 2014 Conference Abstracts

Development of National Disability Surveillance System 
in Sri Lanka
Inoka E. Weerasinghe*1, 2 and Sumedha Jayatilake3

1Ministry of Health, Colombo, Sri Lanka; 2Center for Injury Research and policy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; 
3Faculty of Dentistry, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Objective
To review the national disability statistics and to develop a 

methodology for the establishment of a national disability surveillance 
system in Sri Lanka.

Introduction
A major drawback in disability prevention and rehabilitation in 

Sri Lanka is the lack of complete, accurate and timely data. National 
disability surveys conducted as a part of the decennial census lack 
complete and scientifically accurate information. Further, Sri Lanka 
has no established disability surveillance system. This review was 
conducted to explore the national disability data and to develop a 
methodology for the establishment of a disability surveillance system 
in Sri Lanka.

Methods
Medline and Google data bases were searched for published 

data from 1984 to 2014 using the key words; disability, national 
disability data, national surveys, national/international disability 
surveillance and Sri Lanka. Further, disability statistics were reviewed 
using publications available in Census Department, Central Bank, 
Postgraduate Institute of Medicine and other governmental and non-
governmental organizations and institutes of Sri Lanka. In addition, 
both local and international experts in the field of disability, health 
care surveillance and bio-informatics were interviewed.

Results
According to the initial survey on disability in Sri Lanka-2001 

conducted by the Census and Statistics Department, prevalence of 
disability was 1.6%1. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka in 1996/97 and 
2003/04 conducting Consumer Finance and Socioeconomic Surveys 
has reported that the prevalence of disability in Sri Lanka was 2.3%2. 
A survey by the United Nations revealed that the total disability 
prevalence in Sri Lanka was 2% in 19863. The highest disability 
prevalence for Sri Lanka was reported by the World Health Survey, 
2002-2004 which was 12.9%4.

All above surveys have categorized disability basically according 
to gross anatomical defects or functional disability and none of them 
had measured disability using an internationally comparable standard. 
Limited number of studies has been conducted on specific types of 
disabilities confined to local areas. However, only a few has used a 
standard disability measurement such as International classification of 
Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)5. Standard measurements in 
the national disability data collection helps to compare the data locally 
and internationally.

Therefore, following initial steps were identified as key points in 
the establishment of a national disability surveillance system in Sri 
Lanka. They are planning ICF based disability surveillance system, 
piloting the disability surveillance system, testing the possibility 
of coding and feasibility at selected test sites. Formulation of a 
commonly agreed ICF based information sheet to report functioning 
and disability data to an identified central body, setting up of a 
locally based ICF training for the primary health care workers and 

curative and rehabilitation care workers, information collection to be 
done by the primary health administrative areas (Medical Officer of 
Health areas) which collect the community field data and from the 
hospital and rehabilitation centers and to send the information to the 
central body, method of sending information either via post or e-mail, 
working out an analytical methodology to utilize the information 
produced and later on to develop a software to report and analyze 
the data.

Conclusions
Sri Lankan disability data differ from one data source to the other. 

Current disability data in Sri Lanka are non-comparable locally and 
internationally because they are not based on a scientific disability 
classification system. This highlights the great need of a national 
disability surveillance system using scientific methods such as ICF.

Keywords
Disability surveillance; Sri Lanka; Public Health

Acknowledgments

Authors would like to acknowledge all the experts supported.

References

1. Brief analysis of the characteristics of the disabled persons, Sri Lanka,
Department of Census and Statistics, 2009.

2. Consumer Finances and Socioeconomic survey report 2003/04 Part
1, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Colombo. Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 
2005.

3. United Nations Disability Statistics Database, United Nations, 2011,
New York.

4. World Health Survey, Geneva, World Health Organization, 2002-2004
5. International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health,

Geneva, World Health Organization, 2001.

*Inoka E. Weerasinghe
E-mail: eranganie@yahoo.com    

Online Journal of Public Health Informatics * ISSN 1947-2579 * http://ojphi.org * (1):e59, 201