TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluation of facilitative supervision visits in primary health care service delivery in Northern Ghana
AU - Aikins, Moses
AU - Laar, Amos
AU - Nonvignon, Justice
AU - Sackey, Samuel
AU - Ikeda, Takaharu
AU - Woode, George
AU - Nang-Beifubah, Alexis
AU - Nyonator, Frank
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Background: In Ghana's health delivery services, facilitative supervisory visit (FSV) as a system of management is new. This paper presents the standard evaluation results of FSV, which formed an integral part of the community-based health planning services (CHPS) initiative. Methods. The study was conducted in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The Project developed guidelines and tools for FSV for four different health system levels - regional, district, sub-district and community levels. Electronic data from all four levels representing quarterly results were compiled into their annual equivalents, and summarized graphically for comparison. Results: The data show that all the nine districts embraced the FSV concept even though they differed markedly with regard to the degree of adherence to some set benchmarks. Three DHMTs (Wa Municipal, Lawra and Jirapa) were graded as good while the remaining six DHMTs were adjudged as fair in relation to management of supplies, transport and equipment, information, meeting, and technical support. Conclusions: The data further suggest that there is much to gain both individually and institutionally from FSVs. Generally, FSVs are crucial to the delivery of primary health care services in especially rural areas.
AB - Background: In Ghana's health delivery services, facilitative supervisory visit (FSV) as a system of management is new. This paper presents the standard evaluation results of FSV, which formed an integral part of the community-based health planning services (CHPS) initiative. Methods. The study was conducted in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The Project developed guidelines and tools for FSV for four different health system levels - regional, district, sub-district and community levels. Electronic data from all four levels representing quarterly results were compiled into their annual equivalents, and summarized graphically for comparison. Results: The data show that all the nine districts embraced the FSV concept even though they differed markedly with regard to the degree of adherence to some set benchmarks. Three DHMTs (Wa Municipal, Lawra and Jirapa) were graded as good while the remaining six DHMTs were adjudged as fair in relation to management of supplies, transport and equipment, information, meeting, and technical support. Conclusions: The data further suggest that there is much to gain both individually and institutionally from FSVs. Generally, FSVs are crucial to the delivery of primary health care services in especially rural areas.
KW - Facilitative supervision visit
KW - Ghana
KW - Primary health care
KW - Service delivery
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84884476512&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/1472-6963-13-358
DO - 10.1186/1472-6963-13-358
M3 - Article
C2 - 24063365
AN - SCOPUS:84884476512
SN - 1472-6963
VL - 13
JO - BMC Health Services Research
JF - BMC Health Services Research
IS - 1
M1 - 358
ER -