Recovery (Cure) Rate

Outcome

% of children discharged from [specify: severe / moderate] acute malnutrition treatment as recovered

Recovery rate is a core performance indicator for acute malnutrition treatment programmes. It measures the proportion of children discharged from a defined treatment programme or treatment category who met the applicable recovery criteria. Recovery rates for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) should normally be calculated and reported separately because they involve different treatment populations, programme approaches and recovery or discharge criteria. The indicator describes outcomes among discharged children; it does not measure treatment coverage or whether recovery is sustained after discharge.

First define the treatment population for which the recovery rate will be reported, such as children treated for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) or moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). Calculate SAM and MAM recovery rates separately unless the applicable reporting framework explicitly defines a combined measure.

Review the treatment programme’s patient records for the selected reporting period, identify all children with a final discharge outcome, and count how many were recorded in each discharge outcome category. The numerator is the number of children discharged as recovered according to the applicable national or programme protocol. The denominator is the total number of final discharges from the same treatment population during the same period.

To calculate the indicator's value, divide the number of children discharged as recovered by the total number of final discharges during the same reporting period. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

For programme-level reporting, children transferred between treatment components or sites to continue treatment for the same episode should not be counted as final discharges. When reporting the result, specify the treatment population, reporting period and recovery or discharge criteria used.

This data can be disaggregated by sex, age group and geographic area, and, if relevant and feasible, also by treatment site, disability status or other context-specific vulnerability characteristics.

1) No separate survey is required. Calculate the indicator from routine treatment registers or the programme information system. Ensure that recovery and discharge categories are applied consistently according to the applicable national or programme protocol.

    

2) Sphere 2018 sets a recovery target of >75% for both targeted supplementary feeding programmes addressing MAM and therapeutic care addressing SAM in humanitarian response. However, MAM and SAM are treated as separate programme outcomes and their recovery rates should not be pooled. Outside humanitarian response, also consider applicable national standards and programme context.

    

3) Recovery, death, default and non-recovery rates are complementary programme-performance indicators and should be interpreted together. Ensure that the same treatment population and discharge definitions are used when comparing these rates.

4) DG ECHO uses a SAM-specific version of this indicator as a Key Outcome Indicator: ‘Severe acute malnutrition recovery rate’. This is a specific application of the broader recovery-rate indicator described above. For DG ECHO reporting, include only the population covered by the applicable SAM indicator definition; children treated only for MAM should not be included in the same recovery rate. Follow the current DG ECHO indicator definition and reporting instructions.

Also consider using the following indicators:

• Coverage of Acute Malnutrition Treatment Services (shows whether SAM or MAM treatment reaches children who need it, which recovery rate does not measure)

• Death Rate (captures an important competing treatment outcome that should be interpreted alongside recovery)

• Default Rate (helps identify retention and access problems affecting treatment outcomes)

• Non-Recovery Rate (captures discharged cases that do not meet recovery criteria)

• Relapsed Children (provides complementary information on recurrence after recovery)