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Establishing a baseline to measure change in political will and the use of data for decision-making in maternal and newborn health in six African countries

Establishing a baseline to measure change in political will and the use of data for decision-making in maternal and newborn health in six African countries
Establishing a baseline to measure change in political will and the use of data for decision-making in maternal and newborn health in six African countries
The Evidence for Action (E4A) program assumes that both resource allocation and quality of care can improve via a strategy that combines evidence and advocacy to stimulate accountability. The present paper explains the methods used to collect baseline monitoring data using two tools developed to inform program design in six focus countries. The first tool is designed to understand the extent to which decision-makers have access to the data they need, when they need it, and in meaningful formats, and then to use the data to prioritize, plan, and allocate resources. The second tool seeks the views of people working in the area of maternal and newborn health (MNH) about political will, including: quality of care, the political and financial priority accorded to MNH, and the extent to which MNH decision-makers are accountable to service users. Findings indicate significant potential to improve access to and use of data for decision-making, particularly at subnational levels. Respondents across all six program countries reported lack of access by ordinary citizens to information on the health and MNH budget, and data on MNH outcomes. In all six countries there was a perceived inequity in the distribution of resources and a perception that politicians do not fully understand the priorities of their constituents.
0020-7292
102-107
Nove, Andrea
90e094cf-1931-4d79-a8c1-ad04779e61e0
Hulton, Louise
49c0904d-7d70-41da-8e86-8ed41a501e99
Martin-Hilber, Adriane
9c351e1a-34c6-49aa-95a5-cc988501decf
Matthews, Zoe
ebaee878-8cb8-415f-8aa1-3af2c3856f55
Nove, Andrea
90e094cf-1931-4d79-a8c1-ad04779e61e0
Hulton, Louise
49c0904d-7d70-41da-8e86-8ed41a501e99
Martin-Hilber, Adriane
9c351e1a-34c6-49aa-95a5-cc988501decf
Matthews, Zoe
ebaee878-8cb8-415f-8aa1-3af2c3856f55

Nove, Andrea, Hulton, Louise, Martin-Hilber, Adriane and Matthews, Zoe (2014) Establishing a baseline to measure change in political will and the use of data for decision-making in maternal and newborn health in six African countries. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 127 (1), 102-107. (doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2014.07.003). (PMID:25087175)

Record type: Article

Abstract

The Evidence for Action (E4A) program assumes that both resource allocation and quality of care can improve via a strategy that combines evidence and advocacy to stimulate accountability. The present paper explains the methods used to collect baseline monitoring data using two tools developed to inform program design in six focus countries. The first tool is designed to understand the extent to which decision-makers have access to the data they need, when they need it, and in meaningful formats, and then to use the data to prioritize, plan, and allocate resources. The second tool seeks the views of people working in the area of maternal and newborn health (MNH) about political will, including: quality of care, the political and financial priority accorded to MNH, and the extent to which MNH decision-makers are accountable to service users. Findings indicate significant potential to improve access to and use of data for decision-making, particularly at subnational levels. Respondents across all six program countries reported lack of access by ordinary citizens to information on the health and MNH budget, and data on MNH outcomes. In all six countries there was a perceived inequity in the distribution of resources and a perception that politicians do not fully understand the priorities of their constituents.

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e-pub ahead of print date: 16 July 2014
Published date: October 2014
Organisations: Social Statistics & Demography

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 390953
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/390953
ISSN: 0020-7292
PURE UUID: 01b6a646-9c23-4723-99e3-a05c25c63345
ORCID for Zoe Matthews: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1533-6618

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Date deposited: 08 Apr 2016 13:52
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:48

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Contributors

Author: Andrea Nove
Author: Louise Hulton
Author: Adriane Martin-Hilber
Author: Zoe Matthews ORCID iD

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