Habit 1: Give every column a clear heading
Use Patients Attended rather than an unclear heading such as Numbers.
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MODULE 2 · LESSON 2.1
Introduction to Excel for Health Data
Estimated time: 20 minutes
ON THE BOARD · Module 2 summary
Each row is one record. Each column is one fact.
- 1. Each row is one record. Each column is one fact.
- 2. Sort, filter, and look for missing values and possible duplicates.
- 3. Calculate a percentage without hiding a zero denominator.
- 4. A higher month does not tell you why. Keep the sheet faithful to the source report.
MODULE SUMMARY
Module 2 summary
Each row is one record. Each column is one fact.
Sort, filter, and look for missing values and possible duplicates.
Calculate a percentage without hiding a zero denominator.
A higher month does not tell you why. Keep the sheet faithful to the source report.
The board writes the point she is saying. It changes as the lesson moves on. Keep the sound on.
READ COMPLETE NOTES
2.1.1 What is Microsoft Excel?
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application that allows you to enter, organise, calculate, analyse and present data.
It is widely used for tasks such as:
- Preparing reports.
- Calculating totals and percentages.
- Organising patient attendance figures.
- Monitoring health programme indicators.
- Comparing facility performance.
- Preparing budgets and inventory records.
- Analysing survey results.
For example, a health information officer could use Excel to summarise the number of patients attending a hospital each month.
An NGO Monitoring and Evaluation officer could use it to calculate the percentage of facilities submitting reports on time.
A researcher could use it to organise survey responses before analysis.
Excel is not a replacement for a properly designed electronic health record or a secure health information system. It is a useful tool for working with datasets when appropriate access, privacy and security controls are in place.
2.1.2 Understanding an Excel workbook
When you open Excel and create a new file, you are working with a workbook.
A workbook can contain one or more worksheets.
Think of a workbook as a notebook and its worksheets as individual pages.
For example, a workbook for a health facility might contain:
- Sheet 1: Patient Attendance.
- Sheet 2: Immunisation Summary.
- Sheet 3: Monthly Indicators.
- Sheet 4: Charts.
Each sheet contains a grid made up of rows and columns.
Rows run horizontally. They are identified by numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on.
Columns run vertically. They are identified by letters: A, B, C, D and so on.
A cell is the box where a row and column meet. A1 means column A, row 1. B2 means column B, row 2. C5 means column C, row 5.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Facility | Month | Patients |
| 2 | Central Clinic | January | 120 |
| 3 | Riverside Clinic | January | 95 |
| 4 | Hilltop Clinic | January | 110 |
- Cell A1 contains Facility.
- Cell B1 contains Month.
- Cell C1 contains Patients.
- Cell C2 contains 120.
2.1.3 How to enter data
Suppose you want to record monthly patient attendance. Enter the following information into a blank worksheet.
| Facility | Month | Patients |
|---|---|---|
| Central Clinic | January | 120 |
| Riverside Clinic | January | 95 |
| Hilltop Clinic | January | 110 |
| Central Clinic | February | 135 |
| Riverside Clinic | February | 100 |
- Open Excel.
- Create a blank workbook.
- Enter the column headings in row 1.
- Enter each facility's information on a separate row.
- Save the workbook with a meaningful name, such as Health_Facility_Attendance.xlsx.
You now have a basic dataset.
If you are using a phone, you can practise with the Excel mobile application or another compatible spreadsheet application. Some features may look different from the desktop version.
If you do not have Excel available, you can still study the examples and practise the calculations on paper before transferring them into a spreadsheet later.
2.1.4 Understanding good spreadsheet habits
Habit 2: Keep one record per row
For a facility attendance dataset, each row might represent one facility for one reporting month.
Habit 3: Keep one type of information per column
Do not put a facility name, month and patient count together in one cell.
Habit 4: Use consistent formats
Dates should follow a consistent format, and facility names should be entered consistently.
Habit 5: Protect confidential information
Use fictional or properly anonymised data for practice. Never upload identifiable patient information into public tools or unapproved applications.
Habit 6: Keep an original copy
Before cleaning an important dataset, preserve the original file and work on a separate copy.
These habits make your analysis easier to check and reproduce.
2.1.5 Your first Excel exercise
| Facility | Month | Patients |
|---|---|---|
| Central Clinic | March | 140 |
| Riverside Clinic | March | 85 |
| Hilltop Clinic | March | 105 |
Lesson 2.1 knowledge check
Choose an answer for each question, then check. The suggested answers stay hidden until you do.
1. How many rows contain facility records, excluding the heading row?
2. Which cell contains the value 85 if the table starts in cell A1?
3. What is a workbook?
4. Why should you keep an original copy of a dataset before cleaning it?
Lesson 2.1 summary
- What Excel is used for.
- The difference between a workbook and a worksheet.
- How rows, columns and cells work.
- How to enter a simple dataset.
- Basic spreadsheet habits for health data management.