Lessons from the Partnership for HIV-Free Survival: Quantitative and qualitative results from an outcome evaluation in Uganda
Join MEASURE Evaluation on September 26 at 8:30am EDT for a one-hour webinar discussing what works in the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (eMTCT) of HIV in Uganda. The compelling legacy of the Partnership for HIV-Free Survival (PHFS), a six-country effort funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aimed to improve nutrition and eMTCT outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. PHFS examined whether a combination of straightforward activities using quality improvement (QI) methods could be introduced, implemented, and embraced by frontline staff to improve prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) service delivery and outcomes.
This evaluation gathered patient-level quantitative data from PHFS demonstration and scale-up health facilities, and from non-PHFS comparison facilities. The evaluation assessed individual outcomes, specifically exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), 12-month retention in care, 18-month mother-to-child HIV transmission, and 18-month HIV test data completeness. The evaluation measured the association of these individual outcomes of PHFS in demonstration and scale-up PHFS facilities, as well as the sustainability of PHFS after the program ended. Additionally, the evaluation gathered qualitative data from PHFS health facility staff and quality improvement coaches, to explore facilitators and challenges to PHFS implementation in the following areas:
- Service delivery
- Quality improvement
- Stakeholder engagement (oversight and implementation).
Please join us to learn more about the evaluation and results.
Speakers
Emily Bobrow, PhD, MPH, is a senior technical specialist for evaluation and learning at MEASURE Evaluation. Dr. Bobrow has almost 20 years of technical and programmatic experience in international public health, has designed and implemented numerous public health programs and implementation research studies, and has provided evidence to support practical interventions. She is the leader of the nutrition assessment, counseling and support (NACS) and PMTCT portfolios, and the learning agenda at MEASURE Evaluation. She also was the lead of the team that conducted the PHFS evaluation.
Valerie Flax, PhD, MPH, is a nutrition interventionist and evaluator in RTI International’s Food, Nutrition, and Obesity Policy Research Program. She has 20 years of experience implementing public health programs and conducting research in low- and middle-income countries. Her research uses a mix of ethnographic, observation, and epidemiologic methods and focuses on evaluation of large-scale nutrition programs, design and testing of innovative community-based interventions to improve infant and young child feeding practices, and implementation research related to maternal and child nutrition programs.
