The evaluation aimed to understand the mechanisms and processes of the DIPH strategy for inter-sectoral data sharing and data-informed decision-making, and to provide recommendations for scale-up in other districts of West Bengal. The independent evaluation team used a process evaluation approach employing multiple qualitative methods.

Key findings are highlighted in the full report and highlight how the introduction of the five-step DIPH strategy has facilitated the use of local level programme management and service data for targeted district-level decision-making across multiple health domains.

This prototype phase has successfully demonstrated the DIPH to be a structed menchanism for multi-sectoral data sharing and data-based decision making using local programme and service data at district level.

The IDEAS team wishes to acknowledge the partnerships in the implementation of the DIPH prototype phase provided by the Public Health Foundation of India, as well as all state level collaborators including the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal and the West Bengal University of Health Sciences. We would also like to acknowledge the Departments of Women and Child Development, Panchayat & Rural Development, non-government organisations and private health service providers who collaborated with this external evaluation, as well as the authors of the report.Both the full report and Executive Summary provide further conclusions and recommendations.

DIPH research is led by Dr Bilal Avan.