Assessing the Revision of the States Parties Self-Assessment Annual Reporting Tool: Developing a Solution for an Historical Analysis of Compliance

The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Monitoring and Evaluation Framework is designed to assist States Parties in assessing progress toward compliance and sustainable capacities under the IHR. The States Parties Self-Assessment Annual Report (SPAR) is the only mandatory tool in the 4-component framework. The current SPAR is the third version of the tool since its inception in 2010. The revisions, while reflecting evolving requirements for health security capacity under the IHR, hinder the ability to compare capacity scores between versions and prevent analysis of historical data. In this article, we describe a methodology that aligns capacities across the 3 versions of the tool by creating umbrella terms for common themes that can be adapted or applied to any future SPAR changes, providing a sustainable framework for ongoing assessment and analysis. Our methodology enables States Parties, policymakers, and other stakeholders to view and assess country capacity across the history of self-assessment. Mapping by common themes allows for a historical understanding of national, regional, and global efforts to strengthen health security capacity.