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Understanding Community Health Volunteer Incentive Preferences In Kenya, Frontline Health Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health Oct 2021

Understanding Community Health Volunteer Incentive Preferences In Kenya, Frontline Health Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health

Reproductive Health

In Kenya, community health services are implemented through community health units. Community health volunteers (CHVs) who serve these units are chosen by the community and trained by community health extension workers. This brief summarizes qualitative and quantitative findings from the Frontline Health project’s discrete choice experiment study in Kenya, which aimed to understand incentive preferences of CHVs with the aim of improving motivation, performance, and retention of CHVs.


Identifying Factors That Support Community Health Worker Motivation, Job Satisfaction, And Retention In Haiti, Frontline Health Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health Oct 2021

Identifying Factors That Support Community Health Worker Motivation, Job Satisfaction, And Retention In Haiti, Frontline Health Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health

Reproductive Health

Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in Haiti’s health system, by connecting communities—particularly rural and hard-to-reach populations—to healthcare services. The Frontline Health project conducted a study to better understand the types of incentive structures that can best support the CHWs in Haiti and this brief summarizes those findings.


Frontline Health Achievements In Harmonizing Measurement And Generating Evidence On Community Health System Performance, Frontline Health Project Oct 2021

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 Aug 2021

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 …


Women's Perceptions On The Effects Of Covid-19 On Access And Use Of Private Sector Family Planning Services In Nigeria: The Integrate Project, The Integrate Project Aug 2021

Women's Perceptions On The Effects Of Covid-19 On Access And Use Of Private Sector Family Planning Services In Nigeria: The Integrate Project, 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 in many places, the COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to health services in Nigeria. By limiting person-to-person contact, especially during …


Health And Ideations Of Married Female Adolescents, Breakthrough Research Jul 2021

Health And Ideations Of Married Female Adolescents, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This brief provides rigorous evidence-based insights to implementers and researchers of social and behavior change (SBC) programs that seek to improve knowledge, attitudes, norms, and behaviors of married female adolescents. The brief focuses on married adolescents’ uptake of services and health knowledge in Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states in northwestern Nigeria using a subset of data from a household survey of married women ages 15–49 years. It is one of a series of briefs that present findings from a Breakthrough RESEARCH study that uniquely captures data on a wide range of psychosocial drivers of behavioral outcomes in the areas of …


Using Social Listening To Inform Integrated Social And Behavior Change Programs In Burkina Faso, Nrupa Jani, Leanne Dougherty, Martha Silva Jul 2021

Using Social Listening To Inform Integrated Social And Behavior Change Programs In Burkina Faso, Nrupa Jani, Leanne Dougherty, Martha Silva

Reproductive Health

No abstract provided.


Preferred Incentives For Improving Community Health Worker Satisfaction And Retention In Bangladesh, Frontline Health Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health Jul 2021

Preferred Incentives For Improving Community Health Worker Satisfaction And Retention In Bangladesh, Frontline Health Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health

Reproductive Health

Community health workers (CHWs) are critical actors within community health systems, providing a range of reproductive, maternal, child, and primary health information, counseling, and services. To better understand factors that influence CHWs’ work motivation and satisfaction in Bangladesh, the Frontline Health project, implemented with collaborators from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and supported by the government of Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Health Services and the Directorate General of Family Planning, conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) study. This brief presents key qualitative findings from the DCE study in Bangladesh and implications for program and policy stakeholders.


Management Of Intimate Partner Violence In Health Care Settings: A Training Manual For Health Care Providers, Division Of Reproductive And Maternal Health Jun 2021

Management Of Intimate Partner Violence In Health Care Settings: A Training Manual For Health Care Providers, Division Of Reproductive And Maternal Health

Reproductive Health

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is any behavior by an intimate partner that causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm. In healthcare settings where providers are well trained, caring, and sensitive, most survivors respond positively to being asked about their exposure to violence. Healthcare providers are in a unique position to identify survivors and offer appropriate management and referrals. The World Health organization developed clinical guidelines to provide evidence-based guidance to healthcare providers on the identification and appropriate response to IPV and sexual violence. Based on this guidance, the Ministry of Health developed a comprehensive training manual to empower healthcare providers with …


Effectiveness Of Interventions Designed To Prevent Or Respond To Female Genital Mutilation: Evidence Brief, Dennis Matanda, Melanie Croce-Galis, Jill Gay, Karen Hardee Jun 2021

Effectiveness Of Interventions Designed To Prevent Or Respond To Female Genital Mutilation: Evidence Brief, Dennis Matanda, Melanie Croce-Galis, Jill Gay, Karen Hardee

Reproductive Health

Despite intensified efforts to conduct research globally that informs strategies to address female genital mutilation (FGM), there has been limited rigorous high-quality evidence on interventions that are effective in ending the practice. As we begin the final decade of acceleration toward zero new cases of FGM by 2030, increasing the rigor, relevance, and utility of research for programming, policy development, and resource allocation is critical. This brief highlights key findings from an evidence review that synthesized and assessed the quality and strength of existing evidence on FGM interventions from 2008 to 2020. A number of studies have collated evidence on …


Effectiveness Of Interventions Designed To Prevent Or Respond To Female Genital Mutilation: A Review Of Evidence, Dennis Matanda, Melanie Croce-Galis, Jill Gay, Karen Hardee Jun 2021

Effectiveness Of Interventions Designed To Prevent Or Respond To Female Genital Mutilation: A Review Of Evidence, Dennis Matanda, Melanie Croce-Galis, Jill Gay, Karen Hardee

Reproductive Health

Girls are one-third less likely to be subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) today than 30 years ago. However, rapid population growth in some of the world’s poorest countries, where FGM persists, threatens to roll back progress. In 2020 alone, an estimated 4.1 million girls were at risk of being subjected to FGM. Without concerted and accelerated actions to end the practice, an estimated 68 million additional girls will have been subjected to FGM by 2030. Despite intensified global research efforts to inform strategies to address FGM, there has been little synergy between evidence generation and the implementation of programs …


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 Jun 2021

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 …


Inclusion Of Family Planning Within The National Health Insurance Benefits Package In Ghana: A Health Facility Assessment, Population Council, Ministry Of Health, Ghana Health Service, National Health Insurance Authority, Marie Stopes International Ghana Jun 2021

Inclusion Of Family Planning Within The National Health Insurance Benefits Package In Ghana: A Health Facility Assessment, Population Council, Ministry Of Health, Ghana Health Service, National Health Insurance Authority, Marie Stopes International Ghana

Reproductive Health

In Ghana, National Health Insurance Act 852 of 2012 ensures that health-care benefits include family planning (FP) services, however people continue to pay for FP services because the policy is yet to be implemented in practice. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, the National Health Insurance Authority in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, Marie Stopes International-Ghana and the Population Council implemented a pilot project to remove FP service out-of-pocket costs. All modern clinical FP methods were added to national health insurance and expensed by health facilities through the national health insurance claims process. The intervention significantly increased …


Chipatala Cha Pa Foni, Malawi's 'Health Center By Phone,' Improving Information Given About Pregnancy-Related Symptoms, Breakthrough Research, Villagereach May 2021

Chipatala Cha Pa Foni, Malawi's 'Health Center By Phone,' Improving Information Given About Pregnancy-Related Symptoms, Breakthrough Research, Villagereach

Reproductive Health

The Health Center by Phone, or "Chipatala cha pa Foni" (CCPF), was developed by Malawi’s Ministry of Health and VillageReach as a community-based hotline in the Balaka district of Malawi. CCPF was identified as an existing national health strategy with potential for providing Malawi’s women and their families important postpartum hemorrhage information. Because CCPF archives de-identified audio recordings of all calls, 28 telephone transcripts were qualitatively examined to assess whether women experiencing pregnancy-related complications such as postpartum bleeding call CCPF, and how hotline workers respond to them.


Diet Diversity Among Pregnant Women And Young Children—Insights For Improving Malaria, Family Planning, And Maternal And Child Health Outcomes In Northwestern Nigeria Through Social And Behavior Change Programming, Breakthrough Research May 2021

Diet Diversity Among Pregnant Women And Young Children—Insights For Improving Malaria, Family Planning, And Maternal And Child Health Outcomes In Northwestern Nigeria Through Social And Behavior Change Programming, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This research brief provides rigorous, evidence-based insights to policy-makers, implementers, and researchers of social and behavior change (SBC) programs on maternal and child nutrition during the 1,000-day period between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday. It is one of a series of briefs presenting findings from a Breakthrough RESEARCH study that uniquely captures data on a wide range of psychosocial drivers of behavioral outcomes in family planning, malaria, and maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition (MNCH+N) in the three northwestern states of Nigeria.


Exploring Community Health Worker Roles, Support, And Experiences In The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In Kenya, Frontline Health Project Apr 2021

Exploring Community Health Worker Roles, Support, And Experiences In The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In Kenya, Frontline Health Project

Reproductive Health

This brief presents quantitative results from a mixed-methods study conducted by Population Council Kenya which explores the experiences and roles of community health workers (CHWs) during COVID-19. The results indicate that CHWs are carrying out their routine work at higher levels, with increased responsibilities due to COVID-19.


Considerations And Guidance For Using Routine And Program Monitoring Data For Social And Behavior Change Evaluation, Breakthrough Research Feb 2021

Considerations And Guidance For Using Routine And Program Monitoring Data For Social And Behavior Change Evaluation, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This brief is intended for global, regional, and national social and behavior change program implementers, evaluators, and monitoring and evaluation teams who want to document their program impacts through routinely collected data. Use of routine and program monitoring data for evaluation presents many opportunities for evaluating program impacts on priority health outcomes, with advantages that include their greater frequency, broader geographic range, longer duration, and lower cost of acquisition. Routine and program monitoring data may not be under direct control of evaluators and thus may not always be appropriate for evaluation. Careful consideration of the appropriateness of routine data for …


Advancements In Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Overview Of Portfolio Development And Research Studies In Malawi, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development Feb 2021

Advancements In Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Overview Of Portfolio Development And Research Studies In Malawi, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

Advancements in Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (APPHC) is a catalytic investment by USAID to accelerate reductions in maternal deaths in Madagascar and Malawi. This brief outlines the portfolio of research activities in Malawi.


Advancing Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Partnership Approach And Portfolio Overview, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development Feb 2021

Advancing Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Partnership Approach And Portfolio Overview, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

USAID has reinforced its longstanding efforts to accelerate reductions in maternal deaths with a catalytic investment in Malawi and Madagascar, Advancing Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (APPHC). This brief presents APPHC investment partnership, its approach, and expected results. The APPHC Partnership’s agenda and portfolio intensify the two major health system bilateral projects funded by USAID: Organized Network of Services for Everyone (ONSE) in Malawi and Accessible Continuum of Care and Essential Services Sustained (ACCESS) in Madagascar. These large implementation investments, with existing collaborations with ministries of Health and other key figures, offer optimal opportunities for embedding APPHC activities. The APPHC Partnership seeks …


Costing Social And Behavior Change Programming: The Role Of The Denominator, Breakthrough Research Feb 2021

Costing Social And Behavior Change Programming: The Role Of The Denominator, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This is the first in a series of brief reports intended to complement Breakthrough RESEARCH's Costing Guidelines and support a social and behavior change community of practice by discussing important issues and practices for social and behavior change costing. Breakthrough RESEARCH is gathering, analyzing, and sharing evidence on the costs and impact of social and behavior change interventions to support social and behavior change investments, which are crucial for improving health and advancing development. A review of costing literature identified 147 studies on social and behavior change costs, methodological shortcomings, and knowledge gaps that can be addressed in new costing …


Advancements In Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Overview Of Portfolio Development And Research Studies In Madagascar, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development Feb 2021

Advancements In Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Overview Of Portfolio Development And Research Studies In Madagascar, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

Advancements in Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (APPHC) is a catalytic investment by USAID in Malawi and Madagascar to accelerate reductions in maternal deaths. This program brief presents APPHC’s portfolio of research activities in Madagascar.


Assessing The Performance Of Community Health Workers In Haiti: Key Findings From A Mixed-Methods Study, Frontline Health Project, Zanmi Lasante Jan 2021

Assessing The Performance Of Community Health Workers In Haiti: Key Findings From A Mixed-Methods Study, Frontline Health Project, Zanmi Lasante

Reproductive Health

This brief summarizes key qualitative and quantitative findings from the Frontline Health project's referral study in Haiti. Findings reveal that CHWs in Haiti are highly trusted and valued members of their communities and provide crucial links to referral services; however, more training and support around referrals is needed.


Findings From The Merci Mon Héros Social Listening Endline Report, Breakthrough Research Jan 2021

Findings From The Merci Mon Héros Social Listening Endline Report, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

No abstract provided.


Preferred Incentives For Improving Ugandan Community Health Worker Job Satisfaction And Retention, Frontline Health Project Jan 2021

Preferred Incentives For Improving Ugandan Community Health Worker Job Satisfaction And Retention, Frontline Health Project

Reproductive Health

This research brief summarizes key quantitative and qualitative results from the Frontline Health project's discrete choice experiment in Uganda. This study was implemented in two phases, and revealed that community health workers in Uganda are motivated by a mix of financial and non-financial incentives to perform.


Reproductive Health Care In The Time Of Covid-19: Perspectives Of Poor Women And Service Providers From Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi, Irfan Masood Dec 2020

Reproductive Health Care In The Time Of Covid-19: Perspectives Of Poor Women And Service Providers From Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Iram Kamran, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi, Irfan Masood

Reproductive Health

This study was conducted by the Population Council in Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab, with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to uncover urgently needed evidence about the challenges and needs of poor women and health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 200 poor women—beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), one of the largest social protection programs in the world—and 60 public and private sector health care providers participated in this investigation of BISP beneficiaries’ knowledge of COVID-19, the effects of the pandemic on their lives, mental health and wellbeing, and their access …


Scales To Measure Motivation Among Community Health Workers, And Trust And Empowerment Among Their Clients: A Guide, Frontline Health Project Nov 2020

Scales To Measure Motivation Among Community Health Workers, And Trust And Empowerment Among Their Clients: A Guide, Frontline Health Project

Reproductive Health

This How-To Guide presents five multi-item scales to measure motivation among community health workers (CHWs), as well as clients' trust in CHWs, and empowerment within community health systems. The scales presented are intended for use in community health programs and in combination with other indicators in the CHW Performance Measurement Framework (published by the Frontline Health project in 2019) for routine data monitoring to improve quality and accountability in community health.


Evaluating The Inclusion Of Family Planning Within The National Health Insurance Benefits Package In Ghana, Kamil Fuseini, Augustine Ankomah Nov 2020

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 …


Frontline Health: Harmonizing Metrics, Advancing Evidence, Accelerating Policy—Project Overview Brief, Frontline Health Project Oct 2020

Frontline Health: Harmonizing Metrics, Advancing Evidence, Accelerating Policy—Project Overview Brief, Frontline Health Project

Reproductive Health

Despite decades of technological and medical progress globally, half the world’s population still lacks access to essential health care due to insufficient numbers and types of health workers, especially in remote settings. There is growing recognition that well-supported community health workers (CHWs) are essential for effective delivery of primary health care (PHC). Despite broad consensus on the importance of CHWs, few countries have successfully integrated them as part of PHC at scale, and many lack official statistics on the performance of CHW programs. USAID, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation developed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on …


Best Bets: Vouchers For Rights-Based, Voluntary Family Planning—International Evidence On Financing Of Family Planning, Benjamin Bellows, Moazzam Ali, Ali M. Mir Oct 2020

Best Bets: Vouchers For Rights-Based, Voluntary Family Planning—International Evidence On Financing Of Family Planning, Benjamin Bellows, Moazzam Ali, Ali M. Mir

Reproductive Health

To meet the FP2020 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), significant investments are required by countries and donors in priority areas, including sustainable financing, reaching all adolescents, expanding availability of services to the poorest and hard-to-reach populations, and improving the quality and increasing the range of methods available. Studies show that vouchers can substantially contribute to SDG goals by expanding contraceptive access and choice among underserved populations. Vouchers can be an effective financing tool to enhance equity, increase access, and improve the quality of FP services available to underserved populations within Pakistan.


Facing Covid-19: Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, And Challenges Of Healthcare Providers, Population Council Oct 2020

Facing Covid-19: Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, And Challenges Of Healthcare Providers, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This research brief describes findings from the Population Council study Reproductive Healthcare in the Time of COVID-19: Perspectives of Poor Women and Service Providers from Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). During this study, 60 health care providers that represented 60 unique health facilities in Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan district were interviewed by telephone, to evaluate how much they know about COVID-19 symptoms, prevention, and treatment, as well as their individual attitudes, practices, and challenges during the ongoing pandemic. To assess how the situation evolved during the critical first three months of …