Planning a transition: a template timetable

A template, not a schedule

WHO offers a template, not a schedule. Its appendix lays out activities and tools over two years.

Start with a national taskforce

The first activity is to form a national taskforce for implementation, including all relevant stakeholders, and to ensure support by the highest levels of government.

• The taskforce · Stakeholders · Form a national taskforce for implementation including all relevant stakeholders.
• Support · Highest level · Ensure support by the highest government levels.

Language, people, systems

Priority area one: the language version, with translation and manual coding tests. Area two: capacity building, with training for different profiles and coder certification. Area three: information technology, from a needs assessment to testing the online and offline versions.

• Step 1 · Language · Translation. Finalise translations; run manual coding and transcription tests.
• Step 2 · Capacity · Training. Evaluate coding capacity, develop training for different profiles, certify coders.
• Step 3 · IT · Infrastructure. Needs assessment, computers and internet, adjust national systems, test online and offline versions.

Quality, then advocacy

Area four: comparability and data quality. Monitor quality indicators, make transition tables available, and run impact studies on reimbursement, casemix, statistics and legal frameworks, plus bridge studies with double coding. Area five: advocacy and dissemination, through committees and inter-institutional centres.

• Step 1 · Quality · Comparability. Monitor data quality indicators, provide transition tables, run impact and bridge studies.
• Step 2 · Advocacy · Committees. Create and strengthen committees and inter-institutional centres, and disseminate.

Check yourself

Pause and think. How many priority areas does the template list? The answer: Five: language, capacity, IT, quality and advocacy. The five priority areas are language version, capacity building, information technology, comparability and data quality, and advocacy and dissemination.

• Two
• Five: language, capacity, IT, quality and advocacy
• Three
• Eight

Keep these in mind

A taskforce with top-level support comes first. There are five priority areas: language, capacity, IT, quality and advocacy. And adapt the template to your country.

• A taskforce with top-level support comes first
• Five priority areas: language, capacity, IT, quality, advocacy
• Adapt the template to your country