Population Council | Reproductive Health

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Family Planning and Reproductive Health Programs

Impact Studies

With efforts underway in many countries to improve the quality of family planning services, the Population Council launched the Impact Studies project to document the effect that improved care has on women's reproductive behavior. These studies demonstrate the feasibility of improving the quality of care offered by family planning services and assess the effects of these improvements.

Research, which has been conducted in Pakistan, the Philippines, Senegal, and Zambia, focuses on:

General improvement in quality of services;
Training of family planning service providers in information exchange;
Addition of contraceptives to the existing range of methods; and
Training of outreach workers.

Some clinics/communities receive an intervention; a matching set of sites act as controls. Quality of services and of care received by clients is periodically assessed. Clients are being followed for over two years to measure the impact of quality of care on their ability to achieve their own reproductive intentions in a healthful manner.

Research results will be used to show policymakers and program managers which changes in standards of care are feasible. The information will also assist government and donor agencies in allocating resources for the development of high-quality services. In addition, Impact Studies will contribute to the development of methodologies for the measurement of impact.