Yam Daabo interventions’ effects on postpartum family planning use in Burkina Faso at 24 months after childbirth

Introduction After testing the interventions for improving the prevalence of contraceptive use, very few studies have measured the long-term effects thereafter the end of the implementation. This study aimed to measure Yam Daabo interventions’ effects on contraceptive use in Burkina Faso at twelve months after completion of the intervention. Methods Yam Daabo was a two-group, multi-intervention, single-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial. Interventions comprised refresher training for the provider, a counseling tool, supportive supervision, availability of contraceptive services 7 days a week, client appointment cards, and invitation letters for partners. We used generalized linear mixed-effects models (log Poisson) to compare the modern contraceptive prevalence at 12 months post-intervention in the two groups. We collected data between September and November 2018. We conducted an intention-to-treat analysis and adjusted the prevalence ratios on cluster effects and unbalanced baseline characteristics. Results Twelve months after the completion of the Yam Daabo trial, we interviewed 87.4% (485 out of 555 women with available data at 12 months, that is, 247/276 in the intervention group (89.5%) and 238/279 in the control group (85.3%). No difference was observed in the use of hormonal contraceptive methods between the intervention and control groups (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.91–1.61], p = 0.191). By contrast, women in the intervention group were more likely to use long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) than those in the control group (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.35; 95% CI = [1.08–1.69], p = 0.008). Conclusion Twelve months after completion of the intervention, we found no significant difference in hormonal contraceptive use between women in the intervention and their control group counterparts. However, women in the intervention group were significantly more likely to use long-acting reversible contraceptives than those in the control group. Trial registration The trial registration number at the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry is PACTR201609001784334. The date of the first registration is 27/09/2016

Improving postpartum care delivery and uptake by implementing context-specific interventions in four countries in Africa: a realist evaluation of the Missed Opportunities in Maternal and Infant Health (MOMI) project.

Postpartum care (PPC) has remained relatively neglected in many interventions designed to improve maternal and neonatal health in sub-Saharan Africa. The Missed Opportunities in Maternal and Infant Health project developed and implemented a context-specific package of health system strengthening and demand generation in four African countries, aiming to improve access and quality of PPC. A realist evaluation was conducted to enable nuanced understanding of the influence of different contextual factors on both the implementation and impacts of the interventions. Mixed methods were used to collect data and test hypothesised context-mechanism-outcome configurations: 16 case studies (including interviews, observations, monitoring data on key healthcare processes and outcomes), monitoring data for all study health facilities and communities, document analysis and participatory evaluation workshops. After evaluation in individual countries, a cross-country analysis was conducted that led to the development of four middle-range theories. Community health workers (CHWs) were key assets in shifting demand for PPC by 'bridging' communities and facilities. Because they were chosen from the community they served, they gained trust from the community and an intrinsic sense of responsibility. Furthermore, if a critical mass of women seek postpartum healthcare as a result of the CHWs bridging function, a 'buzz' for change is created, leading eventually to the acceptability and perceived value of attending for PPC that outweighs the costs of attending the health facility. On the supply side, rigid vertical hierarchies and defined roles for health facility workers (HFWs) impede integration of maternal and infant health services. Additionally, HFWs fear being judged negatively which overrides the self-efficacy that could potentially be gained from PPC training. Instead the main driver of HFWs' motivation to provide comprehensive PPC is dependent on accountability systems for delivering PPC created by other programmes. The realist evaluation offers insights into some of the contextual factors that can be pivotal in enabling the community-level and service-level interventions to be effective

Development of Monitoring and Evaluation Systems in Four National Programs Addressing Mother and Child Health in Cote d’Ivoire: Qualitative Analysis of the Emergence and Formulation Process

Esme Marie Laure Essis,1– 3 Wambi Maurice Evariste Yaméogo,4 Olivier Gbènamblo Sossa,5 Daouda Doukouré,1,2 Rachidatou Compaoré,4,6 Djoukou Olga Denise Kpebo,1,2,7 Marie Laurette Agbré-Yacé,1,2 Joseph Aka,1,7 Issiaka Tiembré,7,8 Blaise Sondo,4 Seni Kouanda4,6 1National Institute of Public Health, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire; 2Reproductive Health Research Unit of Cote d’Ivoire, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire; 3Doctoral School in Science, Health, and Technology, Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 4African Institute of Public Health, Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Saaba, Burkina Faso; 5Department of Economics and Management, Thomas Sankara University, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 6Research Institute of Health Sciences, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; 7Department of Public Health, Felix Houphouët Boigny University, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire; 8National Institute of Public Hygiene, Abidjan, Cote d’IvoireCorrespondence: Esme Marie Laure Essis, National Institute of Public Health, Abidjan, BP V 47, Cote d’Ivoire, Tel +225 07 07 88 72 13, Fax +225 20 22 44 02, Email [email protected]: Monitoring and evaluation were introduced into the management of national health programs to ensure that results were attained, and that donors’ funds were used transparently. This study aims to describe the process of the emergence and formulation of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems in national programs addressing maternal and child health in Cote d’Ivoire.Methods: We conducted a multilevel case study combining a qualitative investigation and a literature review. This study took place in the city of Abidjan, where in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-four (24) former officials who served at the central level of the health system and with six (06) employees from the technical and financial partners’ agencies. A total of 31 interviews were conducted from January 10 to April 20, 2020. Data analysis was conducted according to the Kingdon conceptual framework modified by Lemieux and adapted by Ridde.Results: The introduction of M&E in national health programs was due to the will of the technical and financial partners and the political and technical decision-makers at the central level of the national health system, who were concerned with accountability and convincing results in these programs. However, its formulation through a top-down approach was sketchy and lacked content to guide its implementation and future evaluation in the absence of national expertise in M&E.Conclusion: The emergence of M&E systems in national health programs was originally endogenous and exogenous but strongly recommended by donors. Its formulation in the context of limited national expertise was marked by the absence of standards and guidelines that could codify the development of robust M&E systems.Keywords: monitoring and evaluation, emergence, formulation, health program, Africa, Cote d’Ivoir