Assessment of Family Planning and Immunization Service Integration in Malawi

NCT ID: NCT03404284

Last Updated: 2018-01-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 43 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2016-06-30
• Study Completion Date: 2017-09-30

Brief Summary

This is a mixed methods process evaluation of a programmatic intervention to integrate family planning and immunization services at health facilities and through outreach services in Dowa and Ntchisi districts of Malawi. The study involved qualitative methods (in depth interviews and focus group discussions with service providers, mothers and fathers of infants <1 year, and supervisors and program managers) as well as secondary analysis of service statistics for family planning and immunization services and of supervision reports.

Conditions

Contraception; Contraceptive Usage; Contraception Behavior; Infant, Newborn, Diseases

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: OTHER
• Study Time Perspective: OTHER

Study Groups

Intervention facilities

Includes 43 health facilities and their associated outreach sites

Family planning and infant immunization service integration

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The approach involved integration of services through health surveillance assistant (HSA) outreach as well as through the health facility platform. The HSAs provided door to door FP services in their designated communities as well as provided integrated FP and Immunisation services at village clinics and outreach sessions. At outreach sessions, mothers were offered both routine infant immunization and family planning services (pills, condoms, injectables plus referrals for other methods). At health facilities, mothers who sought routine infant immunization services were offered same-day family planning services and those who seek family planning services are also screened for infant immunization schedule completion / need for infant immunization services. HSAs and health facility providers were trained on FP-immunization service integration and were monitored through regular supportive supervision visits.

Interventions

Family planning and infant immunization service integration

The approach involved integration of services through health surveillance assistant (HSA) outreach as well as through the health facility platform. The HSAs provided door to door FP services in their designated communities as well as provided integrated FP and Immunisation services at village clinics and outreach sessions. At outreach sessions, mothers were offered both routine infant immunization and family planning services (pills, condoms, injectables plus referrals for other methods). At health facilities, mothers who sought routine infant immunization services were offered same-day family planning services and those who seek family planning services are also screened for infant immunization schedule completion / need for infant immunization services. HSAs and health facility providers were trained on FP-immunization service integration and were monitored through regular supportive supervision visits.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• All health facilities and associated outreach sites in Ntchisi and Dowa districts implementing the integrated approach with support from the USAID-funded Maternal and Child Survival Program

Exclusion Criteria

• All health facilities and associated outreach sites not implementing the integrated approach with support from the USAID-funded Maternal and Child Survival Program

• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

John Snow, Inc.

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Jhpiego

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Other Identifiers

IRB00007595

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id