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Drouard SHP, Brenner S, Antwisi D, Toure NK, Madhavan S, Fink G, Shapira G. Effects of Performance-Based Financing on Availability, Quality, and Use of Family Planning Services in the Democratic Republic of Congo: An Impact Evaluation. Stud Fam Plann 2024; 55:127-149. [PMID: 38627906 DOI: 10.1111/sifp.12264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Access to high-quality family planning services remains limited in many low- and middle-income countries, resulting in a high burden of unintended pregnancies and adverse health outcomes. We used data from a large randomized controlled trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo to test whether performance-based financing (PBF) can increase the availability, quality, and use of family planning services. Starting at the end of 2016, 30 health zones were randomly assigned to a PBF program, in which health facilities received financing conditional on the quantity and quality of offered services. Twenty-eight health zones were assigned to a control group in which health facilities received unconditional financing of a similar magnitude. Follow-up data collection took place in 2021-2022 and included 346 health facility assessments, 476 direct clinical observations of family planning consultations, and 9,585 household surveys. Findings from multivariable regression models show that the PBF program had strong positive impacts on the availability and quality of family planning services. Specifically, the program increased the likelihood that health facilities offered any family planning services by 20 percentage points and increased the likelihood that health facilities had contraceptive pills, injectables, and implants available by 23, 24, and 20 percentage points, respectively. The program also improved the process quality of family planning consultations by 0.59 standard deviations. Despite these improvements, and in addition to reductions in service fees, the program had a modest impact on contraceptive use, increasing the modern method use among sexually active women of reproductive age by 4 percentage points (equivalent to a 37 percent increase), with no significant impact on adolescent contraceptive use. These results suggest that although PBF can be an effective approach for improving the supply of family planning services, complementary demand-side interventions are likely needed in a setting with very low baseline utilization.
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Tagoola A, Hildenwall H. Paediatric Emergency Care in Low-Income Countries-Can Guidelines be Generalized? Glob Pediatr Health 2024; 11:2333794X241251787. [PMID: 38737871 PMCID: PMC11088294 DOI: 10.1177/2333794x241251787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Helena Hildenwall
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm Sweden
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Shapira G, Clarke-Deelder E, Booto BM, Samaha H, Fritsche GB, Muvudi M, Baabo D, Antwisi D, Ramanana D, Benami S, Fink G. Impacts of performance-based financing on health system performance: evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo. BMC Med 2023; 21:381. [PMID: 37794389 PMCID: PMC10552286 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-03062-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health systems' weakness remains one of the primary obstacles towards achieving universal access to quality healthcare in low-income settings. Performance-based financing (PBF) programs have been increasingly used to increase access to quality care in LMICs. However, evidence on the impacts of these programs remains fragmented and inconclusive. We analyze the health system impacts of the PBF program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one of the largest such programs introduced in LMICs to date. METHODS We used a health systems perspective to analyze the benefits of PBF relative to unconditional financing of health facilities. Fifty-eight health zones in six provinces were randomly assigned to either a control group (28 zones) in which facilities received unconditional transfers or to a PBF program (30 zones) that started at the end of 2016. Follow-up data collection took place in 2021-2022 and included health facility assessments, health worker interviews, direct observations of consultations and deliveries, patient exit interviews, and household surveys. Using multivariate regression models, we estimated the impact of the program on 55 outcomes in seven health system domains: structural quality, technical process quality, non-technical process quality, service fees, facility management, providers' satisfaction, and service coverage. We used random-effects meta-analysis to generate pooled average estimates within each domain. RESULTS The PBF program improved the structural quality of health facilities by 4 percentage points (ppts) (95% CI 0.01-0.08), technical process quality by 5 ppts (0.03-0.07), and non-technical process by 2 ppts (0-0.04). PBF also increased coverage of priority health services by 3 ppts (0.02-0.04). Improvements were also observed for facility management (9 ppts, 0.04-0.15), service fee policies, and users' satisfaction with service affordability (14 ppts, 0.07-0.20). Service fees and health workers' satisfaction were not affected by the program. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that well-designed PBF programs can lead to improvements in most health systems domains relative to comparable unconditional financing. However, the large persisting gaps suggest that additional changes, such as allocating more resources to the health system and reforming the human resources for health management, will be necessary in DRC to achieve the ambitious global universal health coverage and mortality goals. TRIAL REGISTRATION American Economics Association Trial registry AEARCTR-0002880.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emma Clarke-Deelder
- The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | - Dominique Baabo
- Ministry of Public Health, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Delphin Antwisi
- Ministry of Public Health, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Didier Ramanana
- Ministry of Public Health, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | | | - Günther Fink
- The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Allorant A, Fullman N, Leslie HH, Sarr M, Gueye D, Eliakimu E, Wakefield J, Dieleman JL, Pigott D, Puttkammer N, Reiner RC. A small area model to assess temporal trends and sub-national disparities in healthcare quality. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4555. [PMID: 37507373 PMCID: PMC10382513 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40234-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Monitoring subnational healthcare quality is important for identifying and addressing geographic inequities. Yet, health facility surveys are rarely powered to support the generation of estimates at more local levels. With this study, we propose an analytical approach for estimating both temporal and subnational patterns of healthcare quality indicators from health facility survey data. This method uses random effects to account for differences between survey instruments; space-time processes to leverage correlations in space and time; and covariates to incorporate auxiliary information. We applied this method for three countries in which at least four health facility surveys had been conducted since 1999 - Kenya, Senegal, and Tanzania - and estimated measures of sick-child care quality per WHO Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) guidelines at programmatic subnational level, between 1999 and 2020. Model performance metrics indicated good out-of-sample predictive validity, illustrating the potential utility of geospatial statistical models for health facility data. This method offers a way to jointly estimate indicators of healthcare quality over space and time, which could then provide insights to decision-makers and health service program managers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien Allorant
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Nancy Fullman
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Hannah H Leslie
- Division of Prevention Science, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Moussa Sarr
- Institut de Recherche en Santé de Surveillance Epidémiologique et de Formation, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Daouda Gueye
- Institut de Recherche en Santé de Surveillance Epidémiologique et de Formation, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Eliudi Eliakimu
- Health Quality Assurance Unit, Ministry of Health, Dodoma, Tanzania
| | - Jon Wakefield
- Department of Statistics and Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Joseph L Dieleman
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David Pigott
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nancy Puttkammer
- International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH), Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Robert C Reiner
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Fink G, Fritsche G, Samaha H, Sese C, Shapira G. Financially incentivized knowledge assessments to improve provider compliance with treatment guidelines: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Trials 2022; 23:227. [PMID: 35313932 PMCID: PMC8935753 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-022-06129-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Despite increasing access to health care, under-5 mortality remains high in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Interventions to improve quality of care have mostly focused on additional training for medical staff, but generally shown little impact. We will assess the impact of financially incentivized quarterly provider knowledge assessment on compliance with Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) protocols in Congo, DRC. Methods Out of a total of 1738 facilities currently receiving results-based financing under an ongoing health financing program, 110 facilities were chosen for this study. All health care workers providing outpatient services to children under age 5 in these facilities will be included in the study. Facilities were randomized with equal probability to control and treatment. Treatment facilities will receive quarterly medical staff knowledge assessments using interactive vignettes. Performance on these vignettes will be rewarded through financial bonus payments to facilities. A baseline survey of health worker knowledge was conducted in 2018. An endline assessment is scheduled to start in the second half of 2021. The primary outcome of interest is health worker compliance with Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines. Compliance will be verified through direct observation of medical staff-patient interactions. Discussion This is to our knowledge the first trial assessing whether linking health financing to health care worker performance on knowledge assessments can increase compliance with under-5 case management protocols. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04634019. Registered on November 18, 2020.
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Acharya Y, James N, Thapa R, Naz S, Shrestha R, Tamang S. Content of antenatal care and perception about services provided by primary hospitals in Nepal: a convergent mixed methods study. Int J Qual Health Care 2021; 33:6175215. [PMID: 33730154 DOI: 10.1093/intqhc/mzab049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nepal has made significant strides in maternal and neonatal mortality over the last three decades. However, poor quality of care can threaten the gains, as maternal and newborn services are particularly sensitive to quality of care. Our study aimed to understand current gaps in the process and the outcome dimensions of the quality of antenatal care (ANC), particularly at the sub-national level. We assessed these dimensions of the quality of ANC in 17 primary, public hospitals across Nepal. We also assessed the variation in the ANC process across the patients' socio-economic gradient. METHODS We used a convergent mixed methods approach, whereby we triangulated qualitative and quantitative data. In the quantitative component, we observed interactions between providers (17 hospitals from all 7 provinces) and 198 women seeking ANC and recorded the tasks the providers performed, using the Service Provision Assessments protocol available from the Demographic and Health Survey program. The main outcome variable was the number of tasks performed by the provider during an ANC consultation. The tasks ranged from identifying potential signs of danger to providing counseling. We analyzed the resulting data descriptively and assessed the relationship between the number of tasks performed and users' characteristics. In the qualitative component, we synthesized users' and providers' narratives on perceptions of the overall quality of care obtained through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. RESULTS Out of the 59 tasks recommended by the World Health Organization, providers performed only 22 tasks (37.3%) on average. The number of tasks performed varied significantly across provinces, with users in province 3 receiving significantly higher quality care than those in other provinces. Educated women were treated better than those with no education. Users and providers agreed that the overall quality of care was inadequate, although providers mentioned that the current quality was the best they could provide given the constraints they faced. CONCLUSION The quality of ANC in Nepal's primary hospitals is poor and inequitable across education and geographic gradients. While current efforts, such as the provision of 24/7 birthing centers, can mitigate gaps in service availability, additional equipment, infrastructure and human resources will be needed to improve quality. Providers also need additional training focused on treating patients from different backgrounds equally. Our study also points to the need for additional research, both to document the quality of care more objectively and to establish key determinants of quality to inform policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yubraj Acharya
- Department of Health Policy and Administration, The Pennsylvania State University, 601L Ford Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Nigel James
- Department of Health Policy and Administration, The Pennsylvania State University, 601L Ford Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Rita Thapa
- Nick Simons Institute, Box 8975, EPC 1813, Lalitpur, Nepal
| | - Saman Naz
- Department of Health Policy and Administration, The Pennsylvania State University, 601L Ford Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | | | - Suresh Tamang
- Nick Simons Institute, Box 8975, EPC 1813, Lalitpur, Nepal
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Robinson E, Lee L, Roberts LF, Poelhekke A, Charles X, Ouabo A, Vyncke J, Ariti C, Gbanzi MCA, Ouakouma MT, Gray N, Daly M, White K, Templeman S, Hejdenberg M, Hersevoort M, Pena SJ, Kuehne A. Mortality beyond emergency threshold in a silent crisis- results from a population-based mortality survey in Ouaka prefecture, Central African Republic, 2020. Confl Health 2021; 15:50. [PMID: 34193238 PMCID: PMC8243074 DOI: 10.1186/s13031-021-00385-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Central African Republic (CAR) suffers a protracted conflict and has the second lowest human development index in the world. Available mortality estimates vary and differ in methodology. We undertook a retrospective mortality study in the Ouaka prefecture to obtain reliable mortality data. METHODS We conducted a population-based two-stage cluster survey from 9 March to 9 April, 2020 in Ouaka prefecture. We aimed to include 64 clusters of 12 households for a required sample size of 3636 persons. We assigned clusters to communes proportional to population size and then used systematic random sampling to identify cluster starting points from a dataset of buildings in each commune. In addition to the mortality survey questions, we included an open question on challenges faced by the household. RESULTS We completed 50 clusters with 591 participating households including 4000 household members on the interview day. The median household size was 7 (interquartile range (IQR): 4-9). The median age was 12 (IQR: 5-27). The birth rate was 59.0/1000 population (95% confidence interval (95%-CI): 51.7-67.4). The crude and under-five mortality rates (CMR & U5MR) were 1.33 (95%-CI: 1.09-1.61) and 1.87 (95%-CI: 1.37-2.54) deaths/10,000 persons/day, respectively. The most common specified causes of death were malaria/fever (16.0%; 95%-CI: 11.0-22.7), violence (13.2%; 95%-CI: 6.3-25.5), diarrhoea/vomiting (10.6%; 95%-CI: 6.2-17.5), and respiratory infections (8.4%; 95%-CI: 4.6-14.8). The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) was 2525/100,000 live births (95%-CI: 825-5794). Challenges reported by households included health problems and access to healthcare, high number of deaths, lack of potable water, insufficient means of subsistence, food insecurity and violence. CONCLUSIONS The CMR, U5MR and MMR exceed previous estimates, and the CMR exceeds the humanitarian emergency threshold. Violence is a major threat to life, and to physical and mental wellbeing. Other causes of death speak to poor living conditions and poor access to healthcare and preventive measures, corroborated by the challenges reported by households. Many areas of CAR face similar challenges to Ouaka. If these results were generalisable across CAR, the country would suffer one of the highest mortality rates in the world, a reminder that the longstanding "silent crisis" continues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Robinson
- Médecins sans Frontières, Bangui, Central African Republic
| | - Lawrence Lee
- Médecins sans Frontières, Bangui, Central African Republic
| | | | | | - Xavier Charles
- Médecins sans Frontières, Bangui, Central African Republic
- Médecins sans Frontières, London, UK
| | - Adelaide Ouabo
- Médecins sans Frontières, Bangui, Central African Republic
| | | | - Cono Ariti
- Centre for Trials research, Cardiff University Medical School, Cardiff, UK
| | - Mariette Claudia Adame Gbanzi
- Directorate of Family and Population Health, Ministry of Health and of the Population, Bangui, Central African Republic
| | - Martial Tanguy Ouakouma
- Central African Institute for Statistics and Social and Economic Studies, Bangui, Central African Republic
| | - Nell Gray
- Médecins sans Frontières, London, UK
| | - Maura Daly
- Médecins sans Frontières, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kate White
- Médecins sans Frontières, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sam Templeman
- Médecins sans Frontières, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Anna Kuehne
- Médecins sans Frontières, London, UK
- Médecins sans Frontières, Berlin, Germany
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