Participatory approaches involving community and healthcare providers in family planning/contraceptive information and service provision: a scoping review

The impact of community and provider-driven social accountability interventions on contraceptive use: findings from a cohort study of new users in Ghana and Tanzania

BACKGROUND

Although contraceptive use has increased over 15 years, discontinuation rates remain high. Contraceptive use is becoming more important when addressing unmet need for family planning. Social accountability, defined here as collective processes for holding duty bearers to account for their actions, is a rights-based participatory process that supports service provision and person-centred care, as well as, informed decision-making among community members regarding their health. A study implemented in Ghana and Tanzania was designed to understand and evaluate how social accountability and participatory processes influences quality of care and client satisfaction and whether this results in increased contraceptive uptake and use. We report here on the relationship between social accountability and the use of modern contraceptives, i.e., contraceptive method discontinuation, contraceptive method switching, and contraceptive discontinuation.

METHODS

As part of Community and Provider driven Social Accountability Intervention (CaPSAI) Project, a cohort of women aged 15 to 49 years who were new users of contraception and accessing family planning and contraceptives services at the study facilities across both intervention and control groups were followed-up over a 12-month period to measure changes contraceptive use.

RESULTS

In this cohort study over a one-year duration, we did not find a statistically significant difference in Ghana and Tanzania in overall method discontinuation, switching, and contraceptive discontinuation after exposure to a social accountability intervention. In Ghana but not in Tanzania, when stratified by the type of facility (district level vs. health centre), there were significantly less method and contraceptive discontinuation in the district level facility and significantly more method and contraceptive discontinuation in the health centres in the intervention group. In Ghana, the most important reasons reported for stopping a method were fear of side-effects, health concerns and wanting to become pregnant in the control group and fear of side-effects wanting a more effective method and infrequent sex in the intervention group. In Tanzania, the most important reasons reported for stopping a method were fear of side-effects, wanting a more effective method, and method not available in the control group compared to wanting a more effective method, fear of side-effects and health concerns in the intervention group.

CONCLUSIONS

We did not demonstrate a statistically significant impact of a six-month CaPSAI intervention on contraceptives use among new users in Tanzania and Ghana. However, since social accountability have important impacts beyond contraceptive use it is important consider results of the intermediate outcomes, cases of change, and process evaluation to fully understand the impact of this intervention.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The CaPSAI Project has been registered at Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12619000378123, 11/03/2019).

The "Family Health = Family Wealth" intervention: study protocol for a pilot quasi-experimental controlled trial of a multi-level, community-based family planning intervention for couples in rural Uganda

BACKGROUND

Uganda has one of the highest fertility rates globally, but only 30% of women report using an effective method of contraception. Community-based, multi-level interventions are needed to help couples in rural Uganda overcome barriers to contraceptive use.

METHODS

This study will pilot test the Family Health = Family Wealth intervention, a multi-level, community-based intervention employing transformative community dialogues, which use facilitated discussion to reshape community norms that influence family planning acceptance, to alter individual attitudes and the perception of community norms that discourage family planning. Community dialogues are delivered to groups of couples over 4 sessions (two gender-segregated and two gender-mixed). Sessions simultaneously address individual and interpersonal-level determinants of family planning and link couples to family planning services. At the health system level, a refresher training will be conducted with health workers in the intervention community's health center to address gaps in contraceptive knowledge and skills as identified from a needs assessment. The intervention will be evaluated through a pilot quasi-experimental trial paired with a mixed methods process evaluation. Participants include 70 couples (N=140) randomized by community to the Family Health = Family Wealth intervention (n=35 couples) or to an attention-matched water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) intervention (n=35 couples). Participants include sexually active, married couples who are age 18 (or an emancipated minor) to 40 for women and age 18 (or an emancipated minor) to 50 for men, not pregnant, at least one person in the couple reports wanting to avoid pregnancy for at least a year, and not currently using a method of contraception or using a low-efficacy or ineffective method of contraception. The primary aims of the study are to (1) assess the feasibility of the intervention trial procedures, (2) the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention content and structure, and (3) explore the intervention's preliminary effectiveness at increasing contraceptive use and affecting related outcomes among couples.

DISCUSSION

Filling the unmet need for family planning has important public health implications, including reductions in pregnancy-related health risks and deaths, and infant mortality. This pilot intervention trial will gather preliminary evidence on the acceptability, feasibility, and potential effect of a novel, multi-level, community-based intervention to increase contraceptive use among couples with an unmet need for family planning in rural Uganda. We aim to use the findings of this pilot study to refine the trial procedures and intervention content for a future, larger cluster randomized controlled trial to establish the intervention's efficacy.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04262882; registered on February 10, 2020.

Research and implementation interactions in a social accountability study: utilizing guidance for conducting process evaluations of complex interventions

BACKGROUND

In recent years, researchers and evaluators have made efforts to identify and use appropriate and innovative research designs that account for the complexity in studying social accountability. The relationship between the researchers and those implementing the activities and how this impacts the study have received little attention. In this paper, we reflect on how we managed the relationship between researchers and implementers using the United Kingdom Medical Research Council (MRC) guidance on process evaluation of a complex intervention.

MAIN BODY

The MRC guidance focuses on three areas of interaction between researchers and stakeholders involved in developing and delivering the intervention: (i) working with program developers and implementers; (ii) communication of emerging findings between researchers/evaluators and implementers; and (iii) overlapping roles of the intervention and research/evaluation. We summarize how the recommendations for each of the three areas were operationalized in the Community and Provider driven Social Accountability Intervention (CaPSAI) Project and provide reflections based on experience. We co-developed various tools, including standard operating procedures, contact lists, and manuals. Activities such as training sessions, regular calls, and meetings were also conducted to enable a good working relationship between the different partners.

CONCLUSIONS

Studying social accountability requires the collaboration of multiple partners that need to be planned to ensure a good working relationship while safeguarding both the research and intervention implementation. The MRC guidance is a useful tool for making interaction issues explicit and establishing procedures. Planning procedures for dealing with research and implementers' interactions could be more comprehensive and better adapted to social accountability interventions if both researchers and implementers are involved. There is a need for social accountability research to include clear statements explaining the nature and types of relationships between researchers and implementers involved in the intervention.

Health providers' perspectives on contraceptive use in rural Northwest Tanzania: A qualitative study

Objectives

In Tanzania, contraceptive use is limited, particularly in rural communities and even among women who would like to delay childbearing. This paper aims to present health providers' perspectives on populations seeking contraception and barriers that could be addressed to increase access to and uptake of contraception, given their interface with large portions of their communities.

Study Design

We conducted 18 in-depth interviews with providers stationed at health dispensaries in six rural villages in northwest Tanzania. Two investigators independently coded interviews using a stepwise process to achieve consensus on prevalent topics.

Results

Three topics emerged from our analysis: (1) nature of clients seeking contraception; (2) barriers to uptake of contraception; and (3) the role of secrecy in obtaining and using contraception. Health providers reported that married women with children were the most frequent users of contraception, alongside some single women, men, sex workers, and students. Barriers to contraception included lack of supplies and trained staff, misconceptions and fears, stigma, and unsupportive partners. Providers observed that contraception was often used secretly. They reported surreptitious visits and described clients' preferential use of discreet methods. Providers respected and supported clients' desires to keep visits confidential.

Conclusion

Our data suggest maintaining high stocks of discreet contraceptive methods and deploying more trained staff to dispensaries could increase availability and access to contraceptives. At the community level, more education campaigns are warranted to address barriers, especially those related to stigma.

Implications

Our work highlights the need for additional contraceptive methods that are easy to administer and discreet for women who must maintain secrecy. Future studies of the effectiveness of interventions and new contraceptives should obtain healthcare providers' perspectives, as they can provide important insights to service provision.

Impact of community and provider-driven social accountability interventions on contraceptive uptake in Ghana and Tanzania

Background

Social accountability, which is defined as a collective process for holding duty bearers and service providers to account for their actions, has shown positive outcomes in addressing the interrelated barriers to quality sexual and reproductive health services. The Community and Provider driven Social Accountability Intervention (CaPSAI) Project contributes to the evidence on the effects of social accountability processes in the context of a family planning and contraceptive programme.

Methods

A quasi-experimental study utilizing an interrupted time series design with a control group (ITS-CG) was conducted to determine the actual number of new users of contraception amongst women 15–49 years old in eight intervention and eight control facilities per country in Ghana and Tanzania. A standardized facility audit questionnaire was used to collect facility data and completed every year in both intervention and control groups in each country from 2018–2020.

Results

In Ghana, the two-segmented Poisson Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model demonstrated no statistically significant difference at post-intervention, between the intervention and control facilities, in the level of uptake of contraceptives (excess level) (p-value = 0.07) or in the rate of change (excess rate) in uptake (p-value = 0.07) after adjusting for baseline differences. Similarly, in Tanzania, there was no statistical difference between intervention and control facilities, in the level of uptake of contraceptives (excess level) (p-value = 0.20), with the rate of change in uptake (p-value = 0.05) after adjusting for the baseline differences. There was no statistical difference in the level of or rate of change in uptake in the two groups in a sensitivity analysis excluding new users recruited in outreach activities in Tanzania.

Conclusions

The CAPSAI project intervention did not result in a statistically significant increase in uptake of contraceptives as measured by the number of or increase in new users. In evaluating the impact of the intervention on the intermediate outcomes such as self-efficacy among service users, trust and countervailing power among social groups/networks, and responsiveness of service providers, cases of change and process evaluation should be considered.

Trial registration

The CaPSAI Project has been registered at the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12619000378123, 11/03/2019).

Implementation and Monitoring of the Family Planning Elevated Contraceptive Access Program, Utah, 2018‒2019

Family Planning Elevated (FPE) is a contraceptive access initiative in Utah. FPE designed and utilized a comprehensive monitoring system to identify and respond to challenges implementing our initiative as they arose. Here, we describe the components of our monitoring system, and highlight how FPE's monitoring system successfully identified that Utah's Medicaid expansion was not widely adopted by eligible individuals. We then describe how FPE adapted to this challenge. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(S5):S528-S531. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306935).

Accounting for complexity - Intervention design in the context of studying social accountability for reproductive health

Background: Social accountability interventions aim to propel change by raising community voices and holding duty bearers accountable for delivering on rights and entitlements. Evidence on the role of such interventions for improving community health outcomes is steadily emerging, including for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). However, these interventions are complex social processes with numerous actors, multiple components, and a highly influential local context. Unsurprisingly, determining the mechanisms of change and what outcomes may be transferable to other similar settings can be a challenge. We report our methodological considerations to account for complexity in a social accountability intervention exploring contraceptive uptake and use in Ghana and Tanzania. Main Body: The Community and Provider driven Social Accountability Intervention (CaPSAI) study explores the relationship between a health facility-focused social accountability intervention and contraceptive service provision in two countries. This 24-month mixed-method quasi-experimental study, using an interrupted time series with a parallel control group, is being undertaken in 16 sites across Ghana and Tanzania in collaboration with local research and implementation partners. The primary outcomes include changes in contraceptive uptake and use. We also measure outcomes related to current social accountability theories of change and undertake a process evaluation. We present three design components: aspects of co-design, 'conceptual' fidelity, and how we aim to track the intervention as 'intended vs. implemented' to explore how the intervention could be responsive to the embedded routines, local contextual realities, and the processual nature of the social accountability intervention. Conclusions: Through a discussion of these design components and their rationale, we conclude by suggesting approaches to intervention design that may go some way in responding to recent challenges in accounting for social accountability interventions, bearing relevance for evaluating health system interventions.

Accounting for complexity – Intervention design in the context of studying social accountability for reproductive health

Background: Social accountability interventions aim to propel change by raising community voices and holding duty bearers accountable for delivering on rights and entitlements. Evidence on the role of such interventions for improving community health outcomes is steadily emerging, including for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). However, these interventions are complex social processes with numerous actors, multiple components, and a highly influential local context. Unsurprisingly, determining the mechanisms of change and what outcomes may be transferable to other similar settings can be a challenge. We report our methodological considerations to account for complexity in a social accountability intervention exploring contraceptive uptake and use in Ghana and Tanzania.

Main Body: The Community and Provider driven Social Accountability Intervention (CaPSAI) study explores the relationship between a health facility-focused social accountability intervention and contraceptive service provision in two countries. This 24-month mixed-method quasi-experimental study, using an interrupted time series with a parallel control group, is being undertaken in 16 sites across Ghana and Tanzania in collaboration with local research and implementation partners. The primary outcomes include changes in contraceptive uptake and use. We also measure outcomes related to current social accountability theories of change and undertake a process evaluation.

We present three design components: aspects of co-design, ‘conceptual’ fidelity, and how we aim to track the intervention as ‘intended vs. implemented’ to explore how the intervention could be responsive to the embedded routines, local contextual realities, and the processual nature of the social accountability intervention.

Conclusions: Through a discussion of these design components and their rationale, we conclude by suggesting approaches to intervention design that may go some way in responding to recent challenges in accounting for social accountability interventions, bearing relevance for evaluating health system interventions.

Participation in primary health care through community-level health committees in Sub-Saharan Africa: a qualitative synthesis

Background

Health committees are key mechanisms for enabling participation of community members in decision-making on matters related to their health. This paper aims to establish an in-depth understanding of how community members participate in primary health care through health committees in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Methods

We searched peer-reviewed English articles published between 2010 and 2019 in MEDLINE, Popline and CINAHL databases. Articles were eligible if they involved health committees in SSA. Our search yielded 279 articles and 7 duplicates were removed. We further excluded 255 articles following a review of titles and abstracts by two authors. Seventeen abstracts were eligible for full text review. After reviewing the full-text, we further excluded two articles that did not explicitly describe the role of health committees in community participation. We therefore included 15 articles in this review. Two authors extracted data on how health committees contributed to community participation in SSA using a conceptual framework for assessing community participation in health. We derived our themes from five process indicators in this framework, namely, leadership, management and planning, resource mobilization from external sources, monitoring and evaluation and women involvement.

Findings

We found that health committees work well in voicing communities’ concerns about the quality of care provided by health facility staff, day-to-day management of health facilities and mobilizing financial and non-financial resources for health activities and projects. Health committees held health workers accountable by monitoring absenteeism, quality of services and expenditures in health facilities. Health committees lacked legitimacy because selection procedures were often not transparent and participatory. Committee members were left out in planning and budgeting processes by health workers, who perceived them as insufficiently educated and trained to take part in planning. Most health committees were male-dominated, thus limiting participation by women.

Conclusion

Health committees contribute to community participation through holding primary health workers accountable, voicing their communities’ concern and mobilizing resources for health activities and projects. Decision makers, health managers and advocates need to fundamentally rethink how health committees are selected, empowered and supported to implement their roles and responsibilities.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12730-y.

Interactive Visualization Applications in Population Health and Health Services Research: Systematic Scoping Review

Background

Simple visualizations in health research data, such as scatter plots, heat maps, and bar charts, typically present relationships between 2 variables. Interactive visualization methods allow for multiple related facets such as numerous risk factors to be studied simultaneously, leading to data insights through exploring trends and patterns from complex big health care data. The technique presents a powerful tool that can be used in combination with statistical analysis for knowledge discovery, hypothesis generation and testing, and decision support.

Objective

The primary objective of this scoping review is to describe and summarize the evidence of interactive visualization applications, methods, and tools being used in population health and health services research (HSR) and their subdomains in the last 15 years, from January 1, 2005, to March 30, 2019. Our secondary objective is to describe the use cases, metrics, frameworks used, settings, target audience, goals, and co-design of applications.

Methods

We adapted standard scoping review guidelines with a peer-reviewed search strategy: 2 independent researchers at each stage of screening and abstraction, with a third independent researcher to arbitrate conflicts and validate findings. A comprehensive abstraction platform was built to capture the data from diverse bodies of literature, primarily from the computer science and health care sectors. After screening 11,310 articles, we present findings from 56 applications from interrelated areas of population health and HSR, as well as their subdomains such as epidemiologic surveillance, health resource planning, access, and use and costs among diverse clinical and demographic populations.

Results

In this companion review to our earlier systematic synthesis of the literature on visual analytics applications, we present findings in 6 major themes of interactive visualization applications developed for 8 major problem categories. We found a wide application of interactive visualization methods, the major ones being epidemiologic surveillance for infectious disease, resource planning, health service monitoring and quality, and studying medication use patterns. The data sources included mostly secondary administrative and electronic medical record data. In addition, at least two-thirds of the applications involved participatory co-design approaches while introducing a distinct category, embedded research, within co-design initiatives. These applications were in response to an identified need for data-driven insights into knowledge generation and decision support. We further discuss the opportunities stemming from the use of interactive visualization methods in studying global health; inequities, including social determinants of health; and other related areas. We also allude to the challenges in the uptake of these methods.

Conclusions

Visualization in health has strong historical roots, with an upward trend in the use of these methods in population health and HSR. Such applications are being fast used by academic and health care agencies for knowledge discovery, hypotheses generation, and decision support.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

RR2-10.2196/14019

Community and health provider perspectives on the quality of family planning and contraceptive services in Kabwe District, Zambia

Quality family planning and contraceptive (FP/C) services result in positive outcomes such as client satisfaction and sustained use of contraceptives. While most assessments of quality in FP/C services are based on measurable reproductive health outcomes, there is limited consideration of the perspectives and experiences of health providers and community members. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap, by exploring health providers’ and community perspectives on the elements of quality FP/C services in Kabwe district, Zambia. Fourteen focus group discussions and 10 in-depth interviews were conducted in October–December 2016, involving community members, key community stakeholders such as religious and political leaders, health committee members and frontline and managerial healthcare providers. Data were analysed using a thematic approach. According to study participants, quality FP/C services would include provision by skilled personnel with positive attitudes towards clients, availability of preferred methods and affordable products. Additional factors included appropriate infrastructure, especially counselling services spaces and adequate consultation time. Participants stressed the need for reduced waiting time and opportunity for self-expression. The efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery factors, such as information dissemination and community engagement, were also considered important elements of quality FP/C. This study underscores the value of considering both community and health provider perspectives in efforts to improve the quality of FP/C services, with the overall aim of increasing client satisfaction and sustained utilisation. However, service delivery processes must also be addressed in addition to providing for community participation, if quality is to be achieved in FP/C services.

Knowledge, beliefs and perceptions of religious leaders on modern contraceptive use in Burkina Faso: a qualitative study

Introduction

in Burkina Faso, despite the strategies implemented to increase the use of contraceptives, the prevalence rate of modern contraceptives remains low. Religion is an important part of the socio-cultural fabric of many communities. Besides, religious leaders play an essential role in adopting and using contraceptive methods to support family health. The study objective was to explore the knowledge, beliefs and perceptions of religious leaders about modern contraceptives among women of childbearing age.

Methods

data were collected in September 2018 from twenty-one religious' leaders of the urban municipality of Dori. Study participants were selected based on reasoned sampling with maximum variation (sex, religion, age, residence and level of education). We conducted semi-structured individual interviews, non-participant observations and documentary review.

Results

religious leaders have a good knowledge of modern contraceptive methods, but they prefer traditional contraceptive methods and abstinence. They consider modern contraception as abortion and female sterilization and emphasize birth spacing. Furthermore, religious leaders lack training on contraception and have no real links and exchanges with sexual and reproductive health services. As a result, their assessment of the quality of these services is very mixed.

Conclusion

religious leaders play a crucial role in improving modern contraceptive methods in Burkina Faso. Close collaboration with family planning services should, at all times, be maintained. The implementation of training and educational activities for religious leaders could help raise modern contraceptive use in Burkina Faso.

Public and patient involvement (PPI) in health policy decisionmaking on the health system-level: protocol for a systematic scoping review

INTRODUCTION

Public and patient involvement (PPI) in healthcare decisions at the health system-level (macro-level) has become increasingly important during recent years. Existing evidence indicates that PPI increase patient centredness and the democracy of healthcare decisions as well as patients' trust and acceptance of these decisions. However, different methods for PPI exist, and an overview of the outcomes and influential contextual factors has not yet been conducted. Therefore, this scoping review aims to provide an overview of the different methods used for PPI in health system decisionmaking and the reported outcomes and contextual factors for these methods.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The structure of this protocol is guided by the advanced scoping studies framework of Arksey and O' Malley, developed by Levac, Colquhoun and O'Brien, and the PRISMA-ScR Statement. We will systematically search electronic databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, CINAHL, PDQ-Evidence, Web of Science and PsycINFO) for peer-reviewed literature and screen the reference lists of included studies. Additionally, we will search for relevant grey literature and consult experts from the field to identify further information. Studies focusing on PPI in the context of health policy decision-making at the macro-level will be eligible for full-text screening. Studies focusing on decisions at the individual treatment-level (micro-level) and the organisational-level (mesolevel) as well as those dealing with PPI in health research will be excluded. A qualitative analysis will dissect how the included studies define PPI and its desirable outcomes, the achieved outcomes and reported contextual factors.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

We will present the results at relevant conferences and in an open-access journal. Additionally, we will share them with the experts involved in the research process and consider ways in which to transfer the findings into practice. As only secondary and previously published information will be used, ethical approval is not necessary.

The impacts of collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations and factors shaping how they work: a systematic review of reviews

BACKGROUND

Policymakers in many countries promote collaboration between health care organizations and other sectors as a route to improving population health. Local collaborations have been developed for decades. Yet little is known about the impact of cross-sector collaboration on health and health equity.

METHODS

We carried out a systematic review of reviews to synthesize evidence on the health impacts of collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations, and to understand the factors affecting how these partnerships functioned. We searched four databases and included 36 studies (reviews) in our review. We extracted data from these studies and used Nvivo 12 to help categorize the data. We assessed risk of bias in the studies using standardized tools. We used a narrative approach to synthesizing and reporting the data.

RESULTS

The 36 studies we reviewed included evidence on varying forms of collaboration in diverse contexts. Some studies included data on collaborations with broad population health goals, such as preventing disease and reducing health inequalities. Others focused on collaborations with a narrower focus, such as better integration between health care and social services. Overall, there is little convincing evidence to suggest that collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations improves health outcomes. Evidence of impact on health services is mixed. And evidence of impact on resource use and spending are limited and mixed. Despite this, many studies report on factors associated with better or worse collaboration. We grouped these into five domains: motivation and purpose, relationships and cultures, resources and capabilities, governance and leadership, and external factors. But data linking factors in these domains to collaboration outcomes is sparse.

CONCLUSIONS

In theory, collaboration between local health care and non-health care organizations might contribute to better population health. But we know little about which kinds of collaborations work, for whom, and in what contexts. The benefits of collaboration may be hard to deliver, hard to measure, and overestimated by policymakers. Ultimately, local collaborations should be understood within their macro-level political and economic context, and as one component within a wider system of factors and interventions interacting to shape population health.

Bugs in the Bed: Addressing the Contradictions of Embedded Science with Agile Implementation Research

Implementation research often fails to have its intended impact on what programs actually do. Embedding research within target organizational systems represents an effective response to this problem. However, contradictions associated with the approach often prevent its application. We present case studies of the application of embedded implementation research in Bangladesh, Ghana, and Tanzania where initiatives to strengthen community-based health systems were conducted using the embedded science model. In 2 of the cases, implementation research standards that are typically embraced without question were abandoned to ensure pursuit of embedded science. In the third example, statistical rigor was sustained, but this feature of the design was inconsistent with embedded science. In general, rigorous statistical designs employ units of observation that are inconsistent with organizational units that managers can control. Structural contradictions impede host institution ownership of research processes and utilization of results. Moreover, principles of scientific protocol leadership are inconsistent with managerial leadership. These and other embedded implementation science attributes are reviewed together with contradictions that challenged their pursuit in each case. Based on strategies that were effectively applied to offsetting challenges, a process of merging research with management is proposed that is derived from computer science. Known as "agile science," this paradigm combines scientific rigor with management decision making. This agile embedded research approach is designed to sustain scientific rigor while optimizing the integration of learning into managerial decision making.

Rationale and design of a complex intervention measuring the impact and processes of social accountability applied to contraceptive programming: CaPSAI Project

Background: There are numerous barriers leading to a high unmet need for family planning and contraceptives (FP/C).  These include limited knowledge and information, poor access to quality services, structural inefficiencies in service provision and inadequately trained and supervised health professionals. Recently, social accountability programs have shown promising results in addressing barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services. As a highly complex participatory process with multiple and interrelated components, steps and actors, studying social accountability poses methodological challenges. The Community and Provider driven Social Accountability Intervention (CaPSAI) Project study protocol was developed to measure the impact of a social accountability intervention on contraceptive uptake and use and to understand the mechanisms and contextual factors that influence and generate these effects (with emphasis on health services actors and community members). Methods: CaPSAI Project is implementing a social accountability intervention where service users and providers assess the quality of local FP/C services and jointly identify ways to improve the delivery and quality of such services. In the project, a quasi-experimental study utilizing an interrupted time series design with a control group is conducted in eight intervention and eight control facilities in each study country, which are Ghana and Tanzania. A cross-sectional survey of service users and health care providers is used to measure social accountability outcomes, and a cohort of women who are new users of FP/C is followed up after the completion of the intervention to measure contraceptive use and continuation. The process evaluation utilizes a range of methods and data sources to enable a fuller description of how the findings were produced. Conclusion: This complex study design could provide researchers and implementers with the means to better measure and understand the mechanisms and contextual factors that influence social accountability processes in reproductive health, adding important findings to the evidence base.

Rationale and design of a complex intervention measuring the impact and processes of social accountability applied to contraceptive programming: CaPSAI Project

Background: There are numerous barriers leading to a high unmet need for family planning and contraceptives (FP/C).  These include limited knowledge and information, poor access to quality services, structural inefficiencies in service provision and inadequately trained and supervised health professionals. Recently, social accountability programs have shown promising results in addressing barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services. As a highly complex participatory process with multiple and interrelated components, steps and actors, studying social accountability poses methodological challenges. The Community and Provider driven Social Accountability Intervention (CaPSAI) Project study protocol was developed to measure the impact of a social accountability intervention on contraceptive uptake and use and to understand the mechanisms and contextual factors that influence and generate these effects (with emphasis on health services actors and community members).

Methods: CaPSAI Project is implementing a social accountability intervention where service users and providers assess the quality of local FP/C services and jointly identify ways to improve the delivery and quality of such services. In the project, a quasi-experimental study utilizing an interrupted time series design with a control group is conducted in eight intervention and eight control facilities in each study country, which are Ghana and Tanzania. A cross-sectional survey of service users and health care providers is used to measure social accountability outcomes, and a cohort of women who are new users of FP/C is followed up after the completion of the intervention to measure contraceptive use and continuation. The process evaluation utilizes a range of methods and data sources to enable a fuller description of how the findings were produced.

Conclusion: This complex study design could provide researchers and implementers with the means to better measure and understand the mechanisms and contextual factors that influence social accountability processes in reproductive health, adding important findings to the evidence base.

Social accountability for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health: A review of reviews

Globally, increasing efforts have been made to hold duty-bearers to account for their commitments to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) over the past two decades, including via social accountability approaches: citizen-led, collective processes for holding duty-bearers to account. There have been many individual studies and several reviews of social accountability approaches but the implications of their findings to inform future accountability efforts are not clear. We addressed this gap by conducting a review of reviews in order to summarise the current evidence on social accountability for RMNCAH, identify factors contributing to intermediary outcomes and health impacts, and identify future research and implementation priorities. The review was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO CRD42019134340). We searched eight databases and systematic review repositories and sought expert recommendations for published and unpublished reviews, with no date or language restrictions. Six reviews were analysed using narrative synthesis: four on accountability or social accountability approaches for RMNCAH, and two specifically examining perinatal mortality audits, from which we extracted information relating to community involvement in audits. Our findings confirmed that there is extensive and growing evidence for social accountability approaches, particularly community monitoring interventions. Few documented social accountability approaches to RMNCAH achieve transformational change by going beyond information-gathering and awareness-raising, and attention to marginalised and vulnerable groups, including adolescents, has not been well documented. Drawing generalisable conclusions about results was difficult, due to inconsistent nomenclature and gaps in reporting, particularly regarding objectives, contexts, and health impacts. Promising approaches for successful social accountability initiatives include careful tailoring to the social and political context, strategic planning, and multi-sectoral/multi-stakeholder approaches. Future primary research could advance the evidence by describing interventions and their results in detail and in their contexts, focusing on factors and processes affecting acceptability, adoption, and effectiveness.

Community stakeholders' perspectives regarding acceptability of a life skills building intervention to empower women in Pakistan

Violence against women (VAW) is a major determinant in the assessment of a women's mental health. Many interventions have addressed strategies to reduce VAW, however, little information is available regarding effectiveness in the local context, particularly the role of men in women's empowerment. In Pakistan, a qualitative approach was undertaken in all four of its provinces to describe the community residents', both men and women, perceptions regarding the acceptability of a proposed life skills building (LSB) intervention involving men's engagement with regards to women's empowerment and VAW. Eighteen focus group discussions were conducted with men and women from locales within each province of Pakistan, averaging 6-10 participants per group. Fourteen key informant interviews were conducted with community stakeholders. The analysis identified three major themes: family life and male engagement, LSB training as an empowerment tool, and operationalization of the proposed LSB intervention. The proposed LSB intervention was well accepted by the participants with a strong urge to engage men in receiving the LSB training sessions. Men's engagement has been identified as an important element to facilitate women's empowerment. Participants suggested that these sessions should be held for two and a half hours per week within the community public spaces. In addition, these sessions should be based on an interactive approach. The focus of these sessions should include ideas surrounding positive relationships and economic skills building. Moreover, men's engagement will help to reduce VAW and improve the mental health of women in a patriarchal country like Pakistan.

Facilitating community participation in family planning and contraceptive services provision and uptake: community and health provider perspectives

BACKGROUND

Although community participation has been identified as being important for improved and sustained health outcomes, designing and successfully implementing it in large scale public health programmes, including family planning and contraceptive (FP/C) service provision, remains challenging. Zambian participants in a multi-country project (the UPTAKE project) took part in the development of an intervention involving community and healthcare provider participation in FP/C services provision and uptake. This study reports key thematic areas identified by the study participants as critical to facilitating community participation in this intervention.

METHODS

This was an exploratory qualitative research study, conducted in Kabwe District, Central Province, in 2017. Twelve focus group discussions were conducted with community members (n = 114), two with healthcare providers (n = 19), and ten in-depth interviews with key community and health sector stakeholders. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS

Four thematic categories were identified by the participants as critical to facilitating community participation in FP/C services. Firstly, accountability in the recruitment of community participants and incorporation of community feedback in FP/C. programming. Secondly, engagement of existing community resources and structures in FP/C services provision. Thirdly, building trust in FP/C methods/services through credible community-based distributors and promotion of appropriate FP/C methods/services. Fourthly, promoting strategies that address structural failures, such as the feminisation of FP/C services and the lack FP/C services that are responsive to adolescent needs.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding and considering community members' and healthcare providers' views regarding contextualized and locally relevant participatory approaches, facilitators and challenges to participation, could improve the design, implementation and success of participatory public health programmes, including FP/C.

Feasibility testing of a community dialogue approach for promoting the uptake of family planning and contraceptive services in Zambia

BACKGROUND

Community dialogues have been used in participatory approaches in various health prevention and awareness programs, including family planning interventions, to increase understanding and alignment of particular issues from different peoples' perspectives. The main objective of this paper is to document the feasibility of a community dialogue approach, which aimed to promote dialogue between healthcare providers and community members. The feasibility testing was part of formative-phase research needed to design an intervention, with the ultimate goal of increasing the uptake of family planning and contraception. The community dialogue intervention generated discussions on key approaches to improve family planning and contraception provision and uptake.

METHODS

Key stages of the community dialogue were undertaken, with representation from healthcare providers and community members. Participants included frontline and managerial health care providers, community health workers, family planning and contraception users, the youth, other stakeholders from the education sector, and civil society. How the dialogue was implemented (operational feasibility) as well as the cultural feasibility of the community dialogue content was evaluated through participant observations during the dialogue, using a standardised feasibility testing tick-list, and through focus group discussions with the stakeholders who participated in the community dialogue.

RESULTS

Overall, 21 of the 30 invited participants attended the meeting- 70% attendance. The approach facilitated discussions on how quality care could be achieved in family planning and contraception provision, guided by the ground rules that were agreed upon by the different stakeholders. A need for more time for the discussion was noted. Participants also noted the need for more balanced representation from adolescents as well as other family planning stakeholders, such as community members, especially in comparison to healthcare providers. Some participants were not comfortable with the language used. Young people felt older participants used complicated terminologies while community members felt the health care providers outnumbered them, in terms of representation.

CONCLUSION

Generally, the community dialogue was well received by the community members and the healthcare providers, as was observed from the sentiments expressed by both categories. Some key considerations for refining the approach included soliciting maximum participation from otherwise marginalized groups like the youth would provide stronger representation.

Impact of internal female migration on unmet need for modern contraception in Zambia

Background

Unmet need for contraception, the proportion of women who want to limit or delay childbirth but use no form of contraception, is the core indicator to evaluate the effectiveness of family planning programs. Understanding how migration influences unmet need is important to identify to whom and how to target sexual and reproductive health programs. We assessed how migration status in rural and urban settings is associated with having an unmet need for family planning.

Methods

Data on sexually active, fecund, reproductive-aged (15–49 years) women from the 2013–14 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey were analysed through univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.

Results

Unmet need for modern contraceptive methods was significantly higher among rural to rural migrant women (OR 1.30, 95%CI 1.00–1.70 p < 0.05) and rural non-migrant women (OR 1.41, 95%CI 1.06–1.85 p < 0.01) compared to urban non-migrant women after controlling for age, marital status, parity, religion, education and wealth.

Conclusion

Women residing in, and migrating between, rural areas were significantly more likely to have an unmet need for contraception. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding migration and migrant streams to strengthen family planning programs. In Zambia, a focus on rural-rural migrants, rural non-migrants and the poorest could improve the health of the entire population.

"As we have gathered with a common problem, so we seek a solution": exploring the dynamics of a community dialogue process to encourage community participation in family planning/contraceptive programmes

Background

Community dialogues have been widely used as a method for community engagement and participation to cover a broad range of areas. However, there has been limited documentation and evaluation of the process, particularly as a method towards achieving family planning and contraception (FP/C) programme goals. As part of the development of an intervention package aimed at increasing community and health care provider (HCP) participation in the provision of FP/C, feasibility testing of the intervention approach (a community dialogue between communities and health facilities) was carried out. Our findings offer a systematic description and evaluation of the community dialogue process, with key recommendations towards future implementation.

Methods

The dialogue was evaluated in three ways: 1) through participant observation during the community dialogue, 2) via a standardised feasibility testing tick-list for all observers of the dialogue, and 3) through three focus group discussions (FGDs) consisting of different groups of stakeholders who participated in the community dialogue. In total, 28 community members, HCPs, and key stakeholders attended the community dialogue (22 females, 6 males). Twenty-seven of the community dialogue participants participated in one of 3 FGDs held after the dialogue. Six evaluators assessed feasibility of the dialogue process.

Results

There was good attendance, representation and participation amongst community and provider sectors based on the participant observations using the standardized feasibility check-list. The community dialogue process received positive feedback in the FGDs and was demonstrated to be feasible and acceptable. Key factors contributing to the success of the community dialogue included a skilled facilitator, good representation of participants, establishing ground rules, good timekeeping, and using a Theory of Change to facilitate goal identification and dialogue. Issues to consider are the underlying power differentials related to age, profession and gender which caused initial feelings of anxiety amongst some participants.

Conclusions

Our formative findings offer a systematic description and evaluation of a community dialogue process with key recommendations that may be considered when constituting similar community dialogues in the future.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-019-4490-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Mitigating Gender and Maternal and Child Health Injustices through Faith Community-Led Initiatives

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Congregational Health Empowerment and Social Safety Advocates (CHESS-Advocates) initiative, a project aimed at mitigating maternal and child health (MCH) and gender injustices in religiously pluralistic societies, was implemented in two Northern Nigerian states of Benue and Kaduna between September 2018 and July 2019. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness, sustainability and factors of success in the CHESS-Advocates model as a faith community approach to mitigating gender and MCH injustices in Northern Nigeria.

METHODS

Data were from desk review of monthly project reports which were documented monthly all through the 10-month project life, and qualitative assessment conducted in July 2019 at the end of project. The assessments involved focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and in-depth interviews conducted in four randomly selected communities in each of the project states. The variables of interest were sustainability, effectiveness of initiative, and the factors that contributed to the success of the program.

RESULTS

The CHESS-Advocate model was effective in the mobilization of community response that improved uptake and acceptance of antenatal care (ANC), immunization, and uptake of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing services. The model was cost-effective and able to instigate change in harmful practices, particularly in highly religious communities. The model showed promise of sustainability and identified some factors that led to its success in the different communities.

CONCLUSION AND GLOBAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS

The CHESS advocates model showed promises of efficacy in engaging faith communities as important actors in promoting MCH practices and mitigating gender injustices particularly in rural and underserved communities. Like other faith based models, the CHESS-Advocates model provided opportunities in faith congregations for building sustainable development in health and social justice. The model helped to improve MCH seeking behavior, influenced change in harmful gender norms and in community response against gender based violence in rural communities.

"Our voices matter": a before-after assessment of the effect of a community-participatory intervention to promote uptake of maternal and child health services in Kwale, Kenya

Background

Community-participatory approaches are important for effective maternal and child health interventions. A community-participatory intervention (the Dialogue Model) was implemented in Kwale County, Kenya to enhance uptake of select maternal and child health services among women of reproductive age.

Methods

Community volunteers were trained to facilitate Dialogue Model sessions in community units associated with intervention health facilities in Matuga, Kwale. Selection of intervention facilities was purposive based on those that had an active community unit in existence. For each facility, uptake of family planning, antenatal care and facility-based delivery as reported in the District Health Information System (DHIS)-2 was compared pre- (October 2012 – September 2013) versus post- (January – December 2016) intervention implementation using a paired sample t-test.

Results

Between October 2013 and December 2015, a total of 570 Dialogue Model sessions were held in 12 community units associated with 10 intervention facilities. The median [interquartile range (IQR)] number of sessions per month per facility was 2 (1–3). Overall, these facilities reported 15, 2 and 74% increase in uptake of family planning, antenatal care and facility-based deliveries, respectively. This was statistically significant for family planning pre- (Mean (M) = 1014; Standard deviation (SD) = 381) versus post- (M = 1163; SD = 400); t (18) = − 0.603, P = 0.04) as well as facility-based deliveries pre- (M = 185; SD = 216) versus post- (M = 323; SD = 384); t (18) = − 0.698, P = 0.03).

Conclusions

A structured, community-participatory intervention enhanced uptake of family planning services and facility-based deliveries in a rural Kenyan setting. This approach is useful in addressing demand-side factors by providing communities with a stake in influencing their health outcomes.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-018-3739-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The use of participatory visual methods with community health workers: A systematic scoping review of the literature

With the need to design and evaluate Community Health Worker (CHW) programmes from a more human-centred perspective, researchers and programme managers are exploring the role of participatory visual methodologies (PVMs). This review identifies, maps, and assesses the quality of current literature that describes the use of PVMs with CHWs. It includes material from the grey literature and 10 major databases between 1978-2018. A Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Qualitative checklist was used to assess the overall quality of the included studies. 12 original studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies were located in North America (n = 9) or sub-Saharan Africa (n = 3), with photovoice (n = 6) and digital storytelling (n = 5) being the most commonly used forms of PVMs. The overall quality of the evidence described in these articles was high, but it was notable that seven studies did not fully report the ethical considerations of their work. The studies revealed that PVMs can help assist CHWs' reflective practice and understanding of complex health issues, as well as identifying key issues in the community to potentially leverage social action.

Pattern and determinants of contraceptive usage among women of reproductive age from the Digo community residing in Kwale, Kenya: results from a cross-sectional household survey

Background

Contraceptive usage has been associated with improved maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes. Despite significant resources being allocated to programs, there has been sub-optimal uptake of contraception, especially in the developing world. It is important therefore, to granulate factors that determine uptake and utilization of contraceptive services so as to inform effective programming.

Methods

Between March and December 2015, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among women of reproductive age (WRA) from the Digo community residing in Kwale County, Kenya. The study aimed to describe the pattern and determinants of contraceptive usage in this population. Respondents were selected using stratified, systematic sampling and completed a household sexual and reproductive health (SRH) questionnaire.

Results

We interviewed 745 respondents from 15 villages in 2 out of 4 sub-counties of Kwale. Their median (interquartile range, IQR) age was 29 (23–37) years. 568 (76%) reported being currently in a marital union. Among these, 308 (54%) were using a contraceptive method. The total unmet need, unmet need for spacing and for limiting was 16%, 8% and 8%, respectively. Determinants of contraceptive usage were education [adjusted Odds Ratio, aOR = 2.1, 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.4–3.4, P = 0.001]; having children [aOR = 5.0, 95% CI: 1.7–15.0, P = 0.004]; having attended antenatal care (ANC) at last delivery [aOR = 4.0, 95% CI: 1.1–14.8, P = 0.04] as well as intention to stop or delay future birth [aOR = 6.7, 95% CI: 3.3–13.8, P < 0.0001].

Conclusions

We found high levels of contraceptive usage among WRA from the Digo community residing in Kwale. To further improve uptake and utilization of contraception in this setting, programs should address demand-side factors including ensuring female educational attainment as well as promotion of ANC and skilled birth attendance.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12905-017-0497-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Impacts on Global Health from Nursing Research

Infectious disease continues to adversely affect populations in low- and middle-income countries. Investments in solutions often focus on technology, yet health-care workers remain in short supply. Nurses are the largest cadre of health-care workers and are largely responsible for patient care around the world. In fact, it is estimated that nurses care for nine out of every 10 patients seen. Importantly, sound nursing science contributes to solutions that directly impact patient care, especially those that pertain to infectious disease. Here we share several examples of nursing science that are improving care delivery in three global health areas: human immunodeficiency virus testing and prevention strategies in Malawi, family planning in Kenya, and response to Ebola virus disease.