Katherine Tumlinson

The promise of affordable implants: is cost recovery possible in Kenya?

BACKGROUND Contraceptive implants are one of the most effective methods of family planning but remain underutilized due to their relatively high upfront cost. The increasing availability of a low-cost implant may reduce financial barriers and increase uptake of implants. The commodity cost of Sino-implant (II) is approximately 60% less than two other widely available implants, and a direct service delivery cost of approximately US

Accuracy of Standard Measures of Family Planning Service Quality: Findings from the Simulated Client Method

12 makes it one of the most cost-effective methods available. This study was conducted to assess whether implant clients in Kenya are paying as much or more than the direct service delivery cost of Sino-implant (II). STUDY DESIGN A study was conducted in 22 facilities throughout Kenya, including public (n=8), private for-profit (n=6) and private not-for-profit facilities (n=8). Interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 293 current and returning implant clients after at least 6 months of product use. RESULTS The median price for implant insertion paid by clients in the public, private for-profit and private not-for-profit sectors was US

Simulated clients reveal factors that may limit contraceptive use in Kisumu, Kenya

1.30, US

MEASURING THE USEFULNESS OF FAMILY PLANNING JOB AIDS FOLLOWING DISTRIBUTION AT TRAINING WORKSHOPS

13.30 and US

The effect of women's property rights on HIV: a search for quantitative evidence

20.00, respectively. CONCLUSION Patient fees in both private sectors allow for 100% recovery of the direct cost of providing Sino-implant (II). Currently in Kenya, all sectors can receive donated commodities free of charge; Sino-implant (II) has the potential to reduce reliance on donor-supplied implants and thereby improve contraceptive security.

Strategies for Optimal Implementation of Simulated Clients for Measuring Quality of Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

In the field of international family planning, quality of care as a reproductive right is widely endorsed, yet we lack validated data-collection instruments that can accurately assess quality in terms of its public health importance. This study, conducted within 19 public and private facilities in Kisumu, Kenya, used the simulated client method to test the validity of three standard data-collection instruments used in large-scale facility surveys: provider interviews, client interviews, and observation of client-provider interactions. Results found low specificity and low positive predictive values in each of the three instruments for a number of quality indicators, suggesting that the quality of care provided may be overestimated by traditional methods of measurement. Revised approaches to measuring family planning service quality may be needed to ensure accurate assessment of programs and to better inform quality-improvement interventions.

Pregnancy experiences of women in rural Romania: understanding ethnic and socioeconomic disparities

While the quality of family planning service delivery was often good, clients reported barriers including: excessively long waiting times, provider absences, informal fees, inappropriate pregnancy tests, misinformation, and provider disrespect. Improved monitoring and oversight of facility practices and examination of provider needs and motivations may increase quality of service. While the quality of family planning service delivery was often good, clients reported barriers including: excessively long waiting times, provider absences, informal fees, inappropriate pregnancy tests, misinformation, and provider disrespect. Improved monitoring and oversight of facility practices and examination of provider needs and motivations may increase quality of service. ABSTRACT A better understanding of the factors influencing use of family planning has the potential to increase contraceptive prevalence and improve the ability of women and their partners to freely choose the number and spacing of their children. Investigations into factors contributing to unmet need frequently rely on data collected using household surveys or interviews with family planning clients and providers. Our research utilizes qualitative information resulting from simulated client visits to investigate programmatic barriers to contraceptive use in a sample of 19 health care facilities in Kisumu East District, a city in western Kenya. Simulated client reports indicate deficiencies in provider competence as well as tenuous relations between providers and clients. In addition, simulated client data reveal occasional absences of providers during normal facility hours of operation and requests of informal fees for services. Trainings that address specific gaps in provider medical knowledge and counseling skills as well as client-provider relations may reduce such programmatic barriers to contraceptive use. In addition, improved supervision and oversight at facilities may increase physical and financial access to services. Future research investigating provider motivations may illuminate root causes of programmatic barriers.

Association between skilled maternal healthcare and postpartum contraceptive use in Ethiopia

A job aid is a tool, such as a flowchart or checklist, that makes it easier for staff to carry out tasks by providing quick access to needed information. Many public health organizations are engaged in the production of job aids intended to improve adherence to important medical guidelines and protocols, particularly in resource-constrained countries. However, some evidence suggests that actual use of job aids remains low. One strategy for improving utilization is the introduction of job aids in training workshops. This paper summarizes the results of two separate evaluations conducted in Uganda and the Dominican Republic (DR) which measured the usefulness of a series of four family planning checklists 7-24 months after distribution in training workshops. While more than half of the health care providers used the checklists at least once, utilization rates were sub-optimal. However, the vast majority of those providers who utilized the checklists found them to be very useful in their work.

Quality of Care and Contraceptive Use in Urban Kenya.

In recent years, efforts to reduce HIV transmission have begun to incorporate a structural interventions approach, whereby the social, political, and economic environment in which people live is considered an important determinant of individual behaviors. This approach to HIV prevention is reflected in the growing number of programs designed to address insecure or nonexistent property rights for women living in developing countries. Qualitative and anecdotal evidence suggests that property ownership may allow women to mitigate social, economic, and biological effects of HIV for themselves and others through increased food security and income generation. Even so, the relationship between womens property and inheritance rights (WPIR) and HIV transmission behaviors is not well understood. We explored sources of data that could be used to establish quantitative links between WPIR and HIV. Our search for quantitative evidence included (1) a review of peer-reviewed and “gray” literature reporting on quantitative associations between WPIR and HIV, (2) identification and assessment of existing data-sets for their utility in exploring this relationship, and (3) interviews with organizations addressing womens property rights in Kenya and Uganda about the data they collect. We found no quantitative studies linking insecure WPIR to HIV transmission behaviors. Data-sets with relevant variables were scarce, and those with both WPIR and HIV variables could only provide superficial evidence of associations. Organizations addressing WPIR in Kenya and Uganda did not collect data that could shed light on the connection between WPIR and HIV, but the two had data and community networks that could provide a good foundation for a future study that would include the collection of additional information. Collaboration between groups addressing WPIR and HIV transmission could provide the quantitative evidence needed to determine whether and how a WPIR structural intervention could decrease HIV transmission.

Provider barriers to family planning access in urban Kenya

When properly implemented, use of simulated clients (“mystery clients”) can provide insight into actual experiences of real clients and evaluate quality of care. Successful implementation calls for recruiting mystery clients who represent the facilitys clientele, have strong recall of recent events, and are comfortable being undercover data collectors. Developing training protocols and checklists to standardize mystery client behavior and responses is also key. When properly implemented, use of simulated clients (“mystery clients”) can provide insight into actual experiences of real clients and evaluate quality of care. Successful implementation calls for recruiting mystery clients who represent the facilitys clientele, have strong recall of recent events, and are comfortable being undercover data collectors. Developing training protocols and checklists to standardize mystery client behavior and responses is also key. ABSTRACT The use of simulated clients or “mystery clients” is a data collection approach in which a study team member presents at a health care facility or outlet pretending to be a real customer, patient, or client. Following the visit, the shopper records her observations. The use of mystery clients can overcome challenges of obtaining accurate measures of health care quality and improve the validity of quality assessments, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. However, mystery client studies should be carefully designed and monitored to avoid problems inherent to this data collection approach. In this article, we discuss our experiences with the mystery client methodology in studies conducted in public- and private-sector health facilities in Kenya and in private-sector facilities in Uganda. We identify both the benefits and the challenges in using this methodology to guide other researchers interested in using this technique. Recruitment of appropriate mystery clients who accurately represent the facilitys clientele, have strong recall of recent events, and are comfortable in their role as undercover data collectors are key to successful implementation of this methodology. Additionally, developing detailed training protocols can help ensure mystery clients behave identically and mimic real patrons accurately while short checklists can help ensure mystery client responses are standardized. Strict confidentiality and protocols to avoid unnecessary exams or procedures should also be stressed during training and monitored carefully throughout the study. Despite these challenges, researchers should consider mystery client designs to measure actual provider behavior and to supplement self-reported provider behavior. Data from mystery client studies can provide critical insight into the quality of service provision unavailable from other data collection methods. The unique information available from the mystery client approach far outweighs the cost.