Health Baseline within Different IAs - Presentation 3

Baseline Health Surveys: challenges and opportunities

Areas of concern or gaps are identified during the scoping phase which may lead to further qualitative and quantitative research.

Helps to develop monitoring indicators - individual, household and community levels

 

Developed a set of modules and a methodology for conducting primary health surveys involving questionnaires and clinical tests.

 

• Interview team - collects knowledge, attitude and practice information as well as some demographic and household info.
• Clinical field unit - reception and anthropometrics (height, weight, anaemia, BP, etc),
• Parasitological team - stool sampling, soil sampling
• Services and infrastructure - access and quality of care
• Essential services - test a glass of drinking water asked for from a household

 

challenges:

• Hugh cost, what finances you have determines what indicators or baseline data can collect e.g. One urine sample can cost $50; can use data from the EA
• Time - linked to cost, design of the surveys is critical, doing data entry into computer in the field can save time.
• Ethical clearance - can take weeks and months, consult national and local authorities
• Procuring materials to undertake the survey e.g. Team had to leave before material arrived.; only mobilise onece equipment is available and ready
• Logistics - transportation problems, weather
• Security - hostility in a community may require protected vehicles and not visiting some communities, sensitise and raise community awareness
• Team skills - need to train and ensure that everyone understands how to do their tasks and issues
• Cultural aspects - multicultural team, host country culture
• Community expectations - need to engage with communities before you do the survey
• Motivation and intra team challenges

 

Q&A

• Confidentiality is important and binding to us and the company
• Company does not get the actual questionnaire only the analysed and summarised and anonymised data.
• Analysis also goes to health agencies
• How do you capture seasonality given the survey happens only one point in time? We Recommed repeated surveys over time and different times of the year, also trying to give them indicators they can use for monitoring
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