This is cool. There’s a big survey going on, to help inform the estimate of the global burden of disease – in layman’s terms, how much sickness and ill-health affect the world. The survey is in support of the Global Burden of Disease study, which aims to “measure the impact of different diseases, injuries, and risk factors on people’s health worldwide.”
The survey is going to help decide how different health conditions should be ranked for severity. For example, what has more health impact: severe pain, or blindness?
The process is being led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, in collaboration with Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Queensland, and the World Health Organization.
But it’s not just about that long list of big names. We can all be part of the survey. (Well, all of us with internet access, and since you’re reading this on a blog, I don’t think I am making any unwarranted assumptions). You can find the survey at http://gbdsurvey.org. It takes about 15 minutes. Go fill it out right now, and do your part to develop more accurate global health data.