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Improving coverage measurement

Because of challenges in measurement, progress can often only be tracked through the use of proxy measures, which increase the risk of inappropriate decisions being made in maternal and newborn health. This issue affects stakeholders around the world, particularly women and children who might benefit from life-saving interventions.

Working with global and national partners, IDEAS aims to improve the measurement of priority indicators for maternal and newborn health by testing the coverage estimates derived from multiple sources – including household interviews, service user exit interviews, last event interviews with health facility staff and review of facility records – against gold standard coverage estimates obtained by the observation of births. Further, our research involves developing and testing methods for linking data sources so actionable effective coverage measures are generated.

Journal article
Maternal and newborn health improves in rural Nigeria, Ethiopia and India but inequities still exist

“Our findings have a both optimistic and pessimistic interpretation, in that families from all socioeconomic status groups benefited, but...

Ethiopia General India Nigeria Improving coverage measurement Tracking progress Evidence for policy and practice Intervention coverage Research findings
Journal article
Adding Content to Contacts: Measurement of High Quality Contacts for Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia, North East Nigeria, and Uttar Pradesh, India

Families in high mortality settings need regular contact with high quality health services. This paper presents a method for estimating the population level coverage of high quality contacts.

Ethiopia India Nigeria Improving coverage measurement Understanding quality improvement Evaluation methods Intervention coverage
Report
Changes in maternal and newborn health care in Uttar Pradesh, India

Interactions between families and frontline workers – their frequency, quality, and equity – and coverage of interventions for mothers and newborns in Uttar Pradesh, India

India Improving coverage measurement Tracking progress Implementation projects Intervention coverage Research findings
Report
Changes in maternal and newborn health care in Gombe State, Nigeria

Interactions between families and frontline workers – their frequency, quality, and equity – and coverage of interventions for mothers and newborns in Gombe State, Nigeria.

Nigeria Improving coverage measurement Tracking progress Understanding quality improvement Implementation projects Intervention coverage Research findings
Report
Changes in maternal and newborn health care in Ethiopia

The aim of this study was to estimate changes in maternal and newborn health care in areas of Ethiopia where implementation projects funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation were operating.

Ethiopia Improving coverage measurement Tracking progress Understanding quality improvement Intervention coverage Research findings

Published content

Journal article
Routine health management information system data in Ethiopia: consistency, trends and challenges

The paper, authored by analysts from the ORCA project, made use of a WHO data quality review toolkit and compared data from the Health Management...

Ethiopia Improving coverage measurement Local data use Research findings
Journal article
Using social media to improve routine data quality metrics

How is this all linked to social media? The study, published in BMJ Open, measured changes in data quality metrics before and after the...

Nigeria Improving coverage measurement Evidence for policy and practice Intervention coverage Local data use Research findings
Blog Post
Listening to Gombe Mothers

Feedback from patients about their experience of health care is a critically important step to improving quality of care.  But mechanisms for...

Nigeria Improving coverage measurement Understanding quality improvement Context Evidence for policy and practice Research findings
Journal article
Half-way there: positive steps in maternal and newborn care in Northeast Nigeria

This IDEAS-led study, authored by Josephine Exley et al and published in BMJ Open, offers unique insights into the quality of care provided to...

Nigeria Improving coverage measurement Evidence for policy and practice Intervention coverage Research findings
Research brief
Gombe MNH Partnership – Results leaflet in English

Nigeria Improving coverage measurement Tracking progress Understanding quality improvement Evidence for policy and practice Intervention coverage Research findings
Research brief
Gombe MNH Partnership – Results Leaflet in Hausa

Nigeria Improving coverage measurement Tracking progress Understanding quality improvement Evidence for policy and practice Intervention coverage Research findings
Blog Post
First results from the Gombe State Maternal and Newborn Health Partnership

Together with implementation partners the Society for Family Health, the SAQIP project of PACT Nigeria and Evidence for Action Mamaye, IDEAS has...

Nigeria Fostering innovation sustainability Improving coverage measurement Supporting local decision-making Tracking progress Understanding quality improvement Capacity strengthening Evaluation methods Evidence for policy and practice Implementation projects Intervention coverage Local data use Research findings Scale-up
Journal article
Measurement and accountability for maternal, newborn and child health: fit for 2030?

This commentary, published in BMJ Global Health and authored by participants of a 2020 meeting in Nairobi  sees the greatest opportunity now for...

General Improving coverage measurement Evidence for policy and practice Intervention coverage
Journal article
Effective coverage in MNCH: progress, future prospects and implications for quality health systems

This paper published in The Lancet Global Health and authored by members of the Effective Coverage Think Tank Group, lays out recommendations for...

General Improving coverage measurement Evaluation methods Evidence for policy and practice Research findings
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