Aligned Metrics Initiative Terms Defined

The actions carried out by a program or partnership to produce intended results, such as sourcing, shipping, training, coordination, or technical support.

For the AMI priority availability indicator, donated product is counted as available supply when it has been received by the local partner. This is distinct from product that has only been offered, allocated, fulfilled, or shipped.

An available health service whose effective delivery depends in whole or in part on a donated medical product. The donated product is a significant input to the health service, and losing it would meaningfully diminish the volume or quality of care.

A specified allotment of a medical product provided to an NGO or local health partner free of charge. A donation is defined at the product/item level; a single shipment may bundle several donations (see Shipment).

A recipient organization’s confirmation that it will receive an offered allotment of medical products and is able to legally import, store, and use them.

The costs incurred to move a donation from donor to point of use, reported per a standard unit, like cost per unit weight or cost per treatment course, and disaggregated into upstream (donor → NGO) and downstream (NGO → facility) legs.

Note:

• A shipment may combine products from multiple donors — agree one denominator (units, weight, or volume) for splitting shared/mixed-shipment costs.
• Logistics costs are scale-dependent and not directly comparable across organizations (established lanes vs. a one-off shipment), so treat figures as within-program trends, not cross-org benchmarks.
• More than one cost sub-metric may be needed. Align cost categories with Relevant cost / Total cost.

The portion of a population’s unmet need that a specific donation program intends to fill. Assessed at the catchment-population level (the population a facility is responsible for), not only patients currently receiving care.

A recipient’s formal, itemized ask for specific products in specific quantities from a donor or supplier. The request may reflect absolute need, or be limited by the products made available by donors or NGO supplier.

A shipment (see Shipment) consisting of donated product. Counted as “shipped” at the point it leaves the warehouse / point of origination (see Ship date).

A single measured amount of a medicine intended for administration (one dose given to one patient at one time). For cross-organization comparison, express quantities using a standardized unit: WHO Defined Daily Dose (DDD) or a treatment course rather than “dose” alone.

A specific, definable subcategory of medicines: those recognized on an authoritative Essential Medicines List (EML) like the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines or a national/regional EML. A subset of priority products, referenced where precision about EML-listed medicines is required. Where used for counting, the referenced list should specify medicine, formulation, and dosage.

The completion of a donation request: the requested product is supplied and dispatched to the recipient. The fulfilment date is the date this occurs.

The broader or longer-term change to which a program or partnership may contribute. AMI uses contribution language and does not assume that donated products alone cause impact.

Resources used to carry out a program or partnership, such as products, funding, staff time, expertise, data, infrastructure, or relationships.

The partner organization operating in the country or community context where donated products are received, managed, distributed, or used to support care. Depending on the program, a local partner may be a health facility, health organization, implementing organization, public-sector entity, or other recipient partner.

A specific, individual donated medical item at the most granular level of the classification hierarchy (e.g., enalapril). The thing measured in Units. Medical donation products as a whole are referred to collectively as Priority products.

Hierarchy for reference: category → type → class → product → unit

(pharmaceutical → anti-hypertensive → ACE inhibitor → enalapril → pills/bottles).

The total quantity of health products (by type) a population requires for quality care, ideally derived from epidemiological data and disease burden. Where comprehensive population data are unavailable, estimates from local health partners (with data-quality caveats) may be used; prefer Ministry of Health data, national Technical Working Groups (TWGs), and program-level aggregation over individual-facility reporting.

A change that occurs because of, or is supported by, program activities and outputs. In AMI, outcomes may relate to product availability, continuity, service capacity, health, or quality.

A direct product, service, or reach measure produced by program activity, such as quantities delivered, people reached, partners supported, or health workers trained.

One of AMI's three shared outcome indicators, aligned to Increase Availability of Priority Products, Sustain Continuity of Care, and Expand Capacity to Deliver Care. These indicators receive full AMI reference cards.

The quantity and type of priority products identified through the partnership as relevant to the program during a defined reporting period. It should be grounded in local partner context and should not be defined by what donors happen to have available.

The general term for the medical donation products a program provides and tracks, spanning medicines, devices, consumables, and supplies. Used throughout the AMI metric cards as the standing term for donated products in scope (e.g., “Increase Availability of Priority Products”). Priority products are the collective set of Products (individual items), defined below.

A medical product donation program where the type and quantity of medical product to be donated is specified in advance and clear expectations on product use and reporting are made explicit at the outset.

The broadest grouping of products by nature or use. E.g., pharmaceuticals, medical devices, non-pharmaceutical consumables.

Hierarchy for reference: category → type → class → product → unit

(pharmaceutical → anti-hypertensive → ACE inhibitor → enalapril → pills/bottles).

A therapeutic or functional grouping within a product type. E.g. ACE inhibitors within anti-hypertensives, or proton-pump inhibitors within GI medicines.

Hierarchy for reference: category → type → class → product → unit

(pharmaceutical → anti-hypertensive → ACE inhibitor → enalapril → pills/bottles).

AMI uses the hierarchy: category → type → class → product → unit. Example: pharmaceutical → anti-hypertensive → ACE inhibitor → enalapril → pills/bottles. Measures generally use product type where a shared level is needed, with finer detail where useful and feasible.

A sub-grouping within a product category. E.g., anti-hypertensives (within pharmaceuticals) or bandages (within non-pharmaceutical consumables).

Hierarchy for reference: category → type → class → product → unit

(pharmaceutical → anti-hypertensive → ACE inhibitor → enalapril → pills/bottles).

The count of unique individuals who receive a health service.

A medical product donation program that sources donation types and quantities as they are available on a specified cycle (e.g. year-to-year). As such the specific quantities and types of donated products can vary (often significantly) from year to year.

The costs directly attributable to a specific donation activity that a program counts for a given metric (e.g., shipping and distribution), drawn from an agreed set of cost categories and excluding ineligible overhead.

The date a recipient’s donation request is received by the donor or NGO supplier.

A defined facility, site, clinic, mobile service location, or other point within the agreed reporting scope where the product-supported health service is available.

The period during which a product remains safe and effective, from manufacture (or as labeled) to expiry.

The date the donated product leaves the donor, supplier, or distribution point en route to the next recipient in the supply chain (not necessarily the final recipient).

A quantity of donated product dispatched together as a single consignment; may contain multiple donations and, in mixed shipments, products from more than one donor.

A period in which zero usable quantity of the defined priority product type is available at the reporting location. Programs should define the reporting period and product level consistently.

Any administrative or operational level below national, including: region, state, county, or district at which data are collected or reported. For any geography-based metric, the reporting level must be fixed in advance (e.g., district) so counts are comparable.

The provision or reporting of a therapeutically equivalent product, within the same product class, in place of a specifically requested product (e.g., when the requested item is unavailable). Relevant to product-class-level reporting and to interpreting match/fulfilment.

A condition in which a product arrives with enough remaining shelf life to be received, distributed, and used before expiry. “Sufficient” should be set by the destination country’s minimum-dating import requirement or, where none exists, by an agreed default. E.g., at least 12 months of remaining shelf life, or at least two-thirds of total shelf life, on receipt.

An outcome measure or outcome area that can deepen the AMI impact story beyond the priority indicator. Supporting outcomes are not standardized through full AMI metric cards in this release.

A complementary output or operational measure used to provide scale, context, or explanation alongside an AMI priority outcome. Supporting measures use lighter catalogue guidance rather than full priority metric cards.

The full value of all costs associated with a donation, direct and in-kind, expressed in a common currency using an agreed valuation method, and built from the same cost categories used for Relevant cost (specifying eligible vs. ineligible costs).

The standard count used to measure a quantity of product — e.g., individual items, pills, bottles, doses, kits, or packages. These can be defined per product so quantities are comparable. For medicines, prefer a standardized comparator (treatment course or WHO Defined Daily Dose) where cross-program comparison is intended.

Hierarchy for reference: category → type → class → product → unit

(pharmaceutical → anti-hypertensive → ACE inhibitor → enalapril → pills/bottles).

The portion of Need not met through routine procurement or local supply. I.e. Need minus what a health system regularly obtains on its own.