Service-based data is collected when members of the affected population access support services (medical, psychosocial, security or legal services, etc.) The analysis of service-based data can be retrospective by conducting secondary data reviews or perspective, by which researchers work with service providers to collect data on patients who will access services on specific indicators. For example, researchers may work with a reproductive health service provider within a camp setting to screen women for VAWG.
The advantages of service-based data are that they are easy to collect, the data collection process is confidential, the survivor only needs to tell her story once and data can be collected over a long period of time. The disadvantages of service-based data are that the prevalence of different forms of violence cannot be estimated, only the characteristics of the person who chooses to report to services can be captured, and data collection may be an additional burden to service provision staff which can affect the quality of data collected.