[The limits of health reporting in health planning]

Health reporting differs from traditional health statistics in (1) its claim to prospectively determine priorities and goals in the health sector, and (2) the expansion of the target group to include political decision makers and interested citizens. To date, neither has the prognostic element of health reporting been developed to satisfaction, nor has satisfactory access to the target population been gained. Forecasting requires suitable methods, an in-focus description of problems and targets, and performance control with regard to its aims. Effective access to a target population is a general problem not unique to health reporting. Forecasting and successful communication with target groups are crucial to the influence of health reporting on health planning. Both factors should be prominent goals in the future development of health reporting.