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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Frontline Health Achievements In Harmonizing Measurement And Generating Evidence On Community Health System Performance, Frontline Health Project
Frontline Health Achievements In Harmonizing Measurement And Generating Evidence On Community Health System Performance, Frontline Health Project
Reproductive Health
As the global health community demonstrates an increasing commitment to investing in community health workers (CHWs) to achieve universal health coverage in lower- and middle-income countries, the need to effectively measure community health system performance is paramount. Embedded in the Integrating Community Health partnership (2017–2021), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Population Council and Last Mile Health co-led the Frontline Health (FLH) project, a four-year research, policy, and advocacy initiative aimed at developing core metrics and CHW reform processes, advancing their adoption, and promoting institutionalization of robust community health policies. This brief describes the Population Council’s …
Integrate Project Results: Family Planning Knowledge And Quality Of Care Received From Community Pharmacists And Patent And Proprietary Medicine Vendors, The Integrate Project
Integrate Project Results: Family Planning Knowledge And Quality Of Care Received From Community Pharmacists And Patent And Proprietary Medicine Vendors, The Integrate Project
Reproductive Health
In Nigeria, Community Pharmacists (CPs) and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) are the first point of care for many common illnesses. Although CPs and PPMVs are not formally recognized as family planning (FP) service providers, 22% of modern contraceptive users report receiving their last method from a PPMV and 12% from a private pharmacy. PPMVs are popular for FP because of their widespread availability, consistent drug stocks, extended hours, personable interactions, and lack of separate fees for consultations. As the Federal Ministry of Health explores expanding its task sharing policy to include CPs and PPMVs, evidence is needed on …
Issues For Consideration In The Scale-Up Of The Inclusion Of Family Planning In The National Health Insurance Benefits Package In Ghana, Kamil Fuseini, Augustine Ankomah
Issues For Consideration In The Scale-Up Of The Inclusion Of Family Planning In The National Health Insurance Benefits Package In Ghana, Kamil Fuseini, Augustine Ankomah
Reproductive Health
Ghana is working toward achieving universal health coverage (UHC). This is driven, in part, by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 3—Good Health and Well-Being, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Achieving this feat will improve equity of access as people, especially the poor can access quality health services without financial hardships. Ensuring equitable access to family planning (FP) is essential to securing the well-being of women and supporting the health and development of communities. One pathway to ensuring equity is the inclusion of FP in affordable insurance. While the inclusion …
Evaluating The Inclusion Of Family Planning Within The National Health Insurance Benefits Package In Ghana, Kamil Fuseini, Augustine Ankomah
Evaluating The Inclusion Of Family Planning Within The National Health Insurance Benefits Package In Ghana, Kamil Fuseini, Augustine Ankomah
Reproductive Health
Contraceptive use in Ghana has remained low despite annual increases since 2012. Having a high unmet need for family planning (FP) suggests that there may be barriers to access and uptake. Over time, several policies, including Ghana’s Costed Implementation Plan from 2015–20, have suggested FP initiatives to improve contraceptive use yet they have not been entirely implemented. Further, although FP was included in the health insurance act passed in 2003, amended in 2008, and revised in 2012, which indicated that health-care benefits include FP, people continue to pay out of pocket for services at National Health Insurance Authority facilities because …
Modeling The Impact Of Inclusion Of Family Planning Services In Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme, Justin Archer, Gillian Eva, Augustine Ankomah, Saumya Ramarao, Kamil Fuseini, Anne Coolen, Stephen Duku, Benjamin Bellows
Modeling The Impact Of Inclusion Of Family Planning Services In Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme, Justin Archer, Gillian Eva, Augustine Ankomah, Saumya Ramarao, Kamil Fuseini, Anne Coolen, Stephen Duku, Benjamin Bellows
Reproductive Health
While access to and uptake of modern family planning (FP) in Ghana has steadily risen over the last decade, the modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (mCPR) among all women reached only 22% in 2019 with 30% of women still reporting unmet need. To increase FP uptake via mitigation of cost barriers among women with unmet need, the Government of Ghana is seeking to integrate claims-based FP services into the National Health Insurance Scheme benefits package. The impact of these activities has the potential to be significant with the proportion of women accessing modern FP shifting dramatically to public facilities over the …
Quality Of Care Received For Family Planning From Community Pharmacists And Patent And Proprietary Medicine Vendors In Lagos And Kaduna, Nigeria: The Integrate Project, Population Council
Quality Of Care Received For Family Planning From Community Pharmacists And Patent And Proprietary Medicine Vendors In Lagos And Kaduna, Nigeria: The Integrate Project, Population Council
Reproductive Health
The IntegratE Project is a four-year initiative (2017–21) implemented by the Population Council and partners that seeks to increase access to contraceptive methods by involving the private sector (community pharmacists [CPs] and patent and proprietary medicine vendors [PPMVs] in family planning (FP) service delivery in Lagos and Kaduna States, Nigeria. The project aims to establish a regulatory system with the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria to ensure that CPs and PPMVs provide quality FP services, comply with regulations, and report service statistics to the Health Information Management System. To achieve this, the project is implementing: a pilot three-tiered accreditation system for …
India: Quality Assurance Procedure Monitors And Improves Quality Of Services, Population Council
India: Quality Assurance Procedure Monitors And Improves Quality Of Services, Population Council
Reproductive Health
A quality assurance (QA) procedure was pilot-tested and subsequently scaled up throughout the state of Gujarat, India, after demonstrating that a 65-item checklist is an efficient tool for identifying and remedying gaps in service delivery. From 2004–06, FRONTIERS developed and tested a standardized QA procedure. The State Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) used the procedure to assess health-care services in rural clinics in two pilot districts each in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Based on positive results, the State MOHFW expanded the QA procedure in a phased manner throughout all 25 districts of Gujarat. The model is …
From Pilots To Regional Programs: Expanding Contraceptive Choice And Improving Quality Of Care In Zambia's Copperbelt, Jill Keesbury
From Pilots To Regional Programs: Expanding Contraceptive Choice And Improving Quality Of Care In Zambia's Copperbelt, Jill Keesbury
Reproductive Health
Between 2002 and 2005, the Pilots to Regional Programs (PRP) initiative was implemented in eight rural and periurban districts of Zambia’s Copperbelt region. Implemented by the Zambian Ministry of Health/Central Board of Health in collaboration with the Copperbelt Provincial Health Office and with technical assistance from the Population Council, the PRP initiative had two objectives: to expand contraceptive choice and increase the availability of high-quality reproductive health services, and to field-test a model for scaling up reproductive health interventions. The resulting project was structured around three activities: (1) expanding the method mix, (2) training healthcare workers, and (3) linking the …
Consolidating A Gender Perspective In The Procosi Network, Erica Palenque De La Quintana, Patricia Riveros Hamel, Ricardo Vernon
Consolidating A Gender Perspective In The Procosi Network, Erica Palenque De La Quintana, Patricia Riveros Hamel, Ricardo Vernon
Reproductive Health
The Integral Health Coordination Program (Programa de Coordinación en Salud Integral, or PROCOSI) in Bolivia developed a program to certify service delivery and management support NGOs as gender-sensitive. The certification system is based on an initial self-assessment by teams consisting of staff from service delivery (clinical) or management support (administrative) NGOs, followed by the development and implementation of activities to improve the gaps found until a minimum of 80 percent of the designated quality and gender standards are met. At the project’s end, 14 of the 15 participating NGOs had reached compliance with at least 80 percent of the proposed …
Using Systematic Screening To Increase Integration Of Reproductive Health Services Delivery In Senegal, Diouratie Sanogo, Ricardo Vernon, James R. Foreit, Awa M. Coll-Seck, Colonel Adama Adoye, Laty G. Ndoye, Cheikh Bamba Diop, Balla Mbacke Mboup, Omar Sarr
Using Systematic Screening To Increase Integration Of Reproductive Health Services Delivery In Senegal, Diouratie Sanogo, Ricardo Vernon, James R. Foreit, Awa M. Coll-Seck, Colonel Adama Adoye, Laty G. Ndoye, Cheikh Bamba Diop, Balla Mbacke Mboup, Omar Sarr
Reproductive Health
This study tested the systematic screening technique to increase the integration of reproductive health services in Senegal. The study took place in four urban health posts in the city of Dakar and three rural health posts in the district of Kebemer. A before and after design tested the hypothesis that the use of the systematic screening tool would result in more services received per client visit. In Dakar, services per visit increased significantly by 20 percent, while in Kebemer, services per visit also increased significantly by 35 percent. The study also examined several techniques to improve provider compliance with the …
Technical Assistance And Training For Procosi Operations Research Program, Bolivia, Fernando Gonzales Salguero, Ricardo Vernon
Technical Assistance And Training For Procosi Operations Research Program, Bolivia, Fernando Gonzales Salguero, Ricardo Vernon
Reproductive Health
In September 1999, PROCOSI, a Bolivian network of 24 nongovernmental organizations that provide health services, invited the Population Council Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program to provide technical assistance for designing and conducting operations research aimed at increasing the quality and impact of their reproductive health programs. In collaboration with PROCOSI, FRONTIERS conducted four training workshops on design of operations research projects, qualitative research methods, utilization and dissemination of research results, and preparing research reports. Technical assistance on other topics, such as developing research instruments, creating databases, and using EpiInfo for transcribing and analyzing data was provided on-site to each …
Evaluation Of Community Education Interventions In Sexual And Reproductive Health Services In Urban-Marginal Areas Of La Paz, Bolivia, Maria Dolores Castro Mantilla, Mariel Loayza Antezana
Evaluation Of Community Education Interventions In Sexual And Reproductive Health Services In Urban-Marginal Areas Of La Paz, Bolivia, Maria Dolores Castro Mantilla, Mariel Loayza Antezana
Reproductive Health
The purpose of this study was to strengthen community strategies to improve quality-of-care services first implemented as part of a Bolivian Ministry of Health and Prevention and World Health Organization (WHO) project in 1997–98. To reach groups that do not regularly attend health facilities and improve community demand for services, the Centro de Información y Desarrollo de la Mujer (Center for Information and Development of Women) implemented a community education intervention focusing on sexual and reproductive health and rights targeting adolescents, men, and women with older or no children. Results showed that the interventions improved access to and utilization of …
Impact Of Improved Client-Provider Interaction On Women's Achievement Of Fertility Goals In Egypt, Laila Nawar, Ibrahim Kharboush, Magdi A. Ibrahim, Hesham Makhlouf, Susan E. Adamchak
Impact Of Improved Client-Provider Interaction On Women's Achievement Of Fertility Goals In Egypt, Laila Nawar, Ibrahim Kharboush, Magdi A. Ibrahim, Hesham Makhlouf, Susan E. Adamchak
Reproductive Health
A two-phase operations research study was launched in Egypt in early 2000 with the goal of demonstrating how improving the quality of client–provider interaction (CPI) could be achieved in large healthcare systems, specifically in relation to family planning. The study was designed to explore how CPI improvements could enhance family planning knowledge, method continuation rates, client satisfaction, and achievement of fertility goals. Client outcome variables were expected to improve as a result of improving client–provider interaction. The study recommends continued development and testing of innovative, attractive, and well-designed IEC messages that influence woman's fertility preferences; continuous training of health providers; …
The Impact Of Quality Of Care On Contraceptive Use: Evidence From Longitudinal Data From Rural Bangladesh, Michael A. Koenig
The Impact Of Quality Of Care On Contraceptive Use: Evidence From Longitudinal Data From Rural Bangladesh, Michael A. Koenig
Reproductive Health
This project provides convincing empirical evidence on the impact of quality of care on contraceptive use and fertility behavior through analysis of a unique longitudinal data set from rural Bangladesh. The findings from this project add important new and methodologically rigorous evidence to the emerging literature on the implications of service quality on contraceptive behavior. The results reaffirm the importance of female fieldworker outreach—both in terms of quality and the number of visits—on contraceptive use dynamics in rural Bangladesh. In addition to these substantive findings, the study makes important methodological contributions in assessing the impact of programmatic variables—especially quality of …
An Assessment Of Selected Sub-Systems Of The Egyptian Norplant® Program, Fatma El-Zanaty, Laila Nawar, Ramadan Hamed
An Assessment Of Selected Sub-Systems Of The Egyptian Norplant® Program, Fatma El-Zanaty, Laila Nawar, Ramadan Hamed
Reproductive Health
The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population and FRONTIERS discussed the need for investigating service delivery aspects of the Egyptian NORPLANT® program. This study emerged from those consultations. The study provides a comprehensive assessment of the program: how services are administered and used through the ongoing Introduction Program as it approaches five years of operation. The report lists major findings with program implications and offers recommendations regarding quality of care; tracking and locating NORPLANT® users; program sustainability; and information, education, and communication strategies.
Peru: Providers' Compliance With Quality Of Care Norms, Federico R. Leon
Peru: Providers' Compliance With Quality Of Care Norms, Federico R. Leon
Reproductive Health
Peru's Ministry of Health (MOH) introduced changes in its family planning service delivery strategy and set quality-of-care goals purported to ensure informed choice of methods and respect for the users’ reproductive intentions and rights. This study was designed to assess the extent to which providers comply with the guidelines in their daily routine. The study found that among the strongest elements of care are interpersonal relationships and free choice of methods. However, shortcomings were observed in screening for contraindications and information given to the client. The report includes a number of recommendations, including offering providers IEC materials, training, and supervision …
Assessing The Quality Of Reproductive Health Services, Raeda Al Qutob, Salah Mawajdeh, Laila Nawar, Salama Saidi, Firas Raad
Assessing The Quality Of Reproductive Health Services, Raeda Al Qutob, Salah Mawajdeh, Laila Nawar, Salama Saidi, Firas Raad
Reproductive Health
This paper offers a broad definition of quality of care and presents a comprehensive conceptual framework for the assessment of quality of reproductive health services and methodological approaches for its measurement. It presents three studies that were conducted between 1990 and 1991 by members of the regional Reproductive Health Working Group from Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. The studies provide examples of applications of the framework and its measurement using multiple data sources. Selected findings are presented to illustrate comparative results between countries. Based on the lessons learned from the studies, examples of reproductive health interventions that may improve the quality …
Reproductive Health Operations Research, 1995–1998, James R. Foreit, Federico R. Leon, Ricardo Vernon, Timothy D.N. King, Deborah L. Billings, A.B Friedman, Janie Benson
Reproductive Health Operations Research, 1995–1998, James R. Foreit, Federico R. Leon, Ricardo Vernon, Timothy D.N. King, Deborah L. Billings, A.B Friedman, Janie Benson
Reproductive Health
This book presents in-depth reports on promising new interventions that have been developed and important programmatic changes that have been achieved by operations research in Latin America between 1995 and 1998. The INOPAL III project has made advances in five areas including access and quality of services, integration of family planning and other reproductive health services, financial sustainability, post-abortion care, and emergency contraception. Each of these topics are represented by at least three studies conducted in two or more countries. The operations research projects discussed under each topic are not replications of a single study. They use different research designs …
Technical Assistance To Enhance The Institutionalization Of Operations Research Within The Philippines Family Planning Program, Population Council
Technical Assistance To Enhance The Institutionalization Of Operations Research Within The Philippines Family Planning Program, Population Council
Reproductive Health
This technical assistance project supports the goal of the Asia Near East Operations Research and Technical Assistance (ANE OR/TA) project of helping strengthen family planning (FP)/reproductive health (RH) operations research (OR) capabilities in the Philippines. During the extension period of the ANE OR/TA project, four OR studies were implemented in the Philippines dealing with cross-cutting issues, including a study to assess the feasibility of integrating RTI management within FP/MCH programs; an intervention study dealing with improving quality of care via expanded FP counseling; an intervention to address high unmet need in Pangasinan Province; and an intervention study to increase male …
Using A Rapid Assessment Approach To Evaluate The Quality Of Care In An Integrated Program: The Experience Of The Family Health Division, Ministry Of Health, Botswana, Lucy Sejo Maribe, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Ian Askew, Kate Miller
Using A Rapid Assessment Approach To Evaluate The Quality Of Care In An Integrated Program: The Experience Of The Family Health Division, Ministry Of Health, Botswana, Lucy Sejo Maribe, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Ian Askew, Kate Miller
Reproductive Health
To strengthen existing efforts by the Government of Botswana in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, USAID provided financial and technical assistance through the Botswana Population Assistance (BOTSPA) project. BOTSPA’s goal was to improve the quality and availability of family planning (FP) and sexually transmitted infection (STI) services through designing, implementing, and monitoring activities that would lead to the eventual institutionalization and sustainability of high-quality FP and STI/HIV/AIDS services. The Ministry of Health requested assistance from the Africa OR/TA Project II to develop and test an approach for routinely measuring the quality of service delivery and assessing skills retention by staff …
An Assessment Of Clinic Based Family Planning Services In Kenya: Results From The 1995 Situation Analysis Study, Lewis Ndhlovu, Julie Solo, Robert A. Miller, Kate Miller, Achola Ominde
An Assessment Of Clinic Based Family Planning Services In Kenya: Results From The 1995 Situation Analysis Study, Lewis Ndhlovu, Julie Solo, Robert A. Miller, Kate Miller, Achola Ominde
Reproductive Health
This study’s objective was to assist the Kenya Ministry of Health (MOH), the National Council for Population and Development (NCPD), NGOs, and donor agencies in planning the expansion and improvement of family planning (FP) and other reproductive health (RH) services provided in Kenya. Data on the functioning of program subsystems and the quality of care provided were collected in May 1995 from 254 maternal and child health/family planning (MCH/FP) facilities throughout the country using a situation analysis approach. The study sample included a representative sample of facilities from the MOH and NGO sectors. It also included a census of all …
Quality Of Care In Family Planning Service Delivery In Kenya: Clients' And Providers' Perspectives, Lewis Ndhlovu
Quality Of Care In Family Planning Service Delivery In Kenya: Clients' And Providers' Perspectives, Lewis Ndhlovu
Reproductive Health
In recent years, the increasing number of organizations that have studied quality of care in international family planning (FP) programs demonstrates the importance the topic has acquired. To define quality of care in FP, the Bruce–Jain framework of six elements of care (choice of methods, information given to clients, technical competence, interpersonal relations, continuity and follow up, and appropriate constellation of services) have been used as the standard. However, what has been overlooked in this approach is the clients' perspectives of service quality. This study sought to narrow the gap in knowledge about the comparability and consistency in views between …
Planning Services In Iloilo City: A Diagnostic Study Of The Implementation Of The Department Of Health Training Courses For Family Planning Providers In Region Ii And Cordillera Administrative Region, Steven Rood, Marcelo Raquepo, Mary Ann Ladia
Planning Services In Iloilo City: A Diagnostic Study Of The Implementation Of The Department Of Health Training Courses For Family Planning Providers In Region Ii And Cordillera Administrative Region, Steven Rood, Marcelo Raquepo, Mary Ann Ladia
Reproductive Health
This research project is one of several being undertaken in the Philippines under the Family Planning Operations Research and Training (FPORT) Program of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Population Council. The general aim of FPORT is to train researchers to provide information to family planning (FP) practitioners that will be of value in the operation of FP programs. It was decided that researchers in northern Luzon would focus on FP trainings undertaken by the Department of Health. Several meetings among researchers and health personnel were held to shape research questions that would be of use to the DOH …
Provider Training And Long-Term Client Outcomes: The Csi Experience, Social Planning, Analysis & Administration Consultants (Spaac)
Provider Training And Long-Term Client Outcomes: The Csi Experience, Social Planning, Analysis & Administration Consultants (Spaac)
Reproductive Health
The present study examined the impact of the Clinical Services Improvement (CSI) Project's provider training program on clients' long-term satisfaction and method use. A sample of 154 clients who received a family planning (FP) method in one of 30 CSI clinics were followed up over a period of 19 months through a series of home interviews. The interviews monitored clients' use of the FP method received at the clinic as well as their satisfaction with that method and the services at CSI. Results of the present study show that provider training on counseling and interpersonal communication has a positive impact …