Assessment of Family Planning and Immunization Service Integration in Liberia

This is a mixed methods process evaluation of a programmatic intervention to integrate family planning and immunization services at health facilities in Lofa and Grand Bassa counties in Liberia. MCSP used a longitudinal, pair-matched design to monitor the effect of integrating immunization and FP services on utilization of FP and routine immunization services. In Lofa and Grand Bassa counties, 36 facilities were pair-matched to intervention and comparison sites based on predetermined criteria. After approximately 9 months of implementation, MCSP conducted a qualitative study employing key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) at intervention and comparison sites, and with district-, county-, and national-level MOH supervisors and managers.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Contraception; Contraception Behavior; Contraceptive Usage
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Family planning and immunization service integration

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 36

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

18 Intervention health facilities and 18 pair matched comparison health facilities in Grand Bassa and Lofa counties.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 intervention facilities in Lofa and Grand Bassa counties
• 18 pair matched comparison facilities in Lofa and Grand Bassa counties

Exclusion Criteria:

• Facilities not included in the intervention or selected for pair matching

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Other
• Time Perspectives: Other

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Intervention Facilities; Includes 18 health facilities	Behavioral: Family planning and immunization service integration; The approach involved integration of immunization and family planning services at health facilities. Vaccinators provided brief FP messages one-on-one to mothers and offered a referral for same-day, co-located FP services at the end of each routine immunization visit. For women coming directly for FP, if women had an infant with them, FP providers asked to see the child's health card, checked the return date for the next vaccination and reminded the mother of the date to return. For women without their child or the child health card with them, FP providers reinforced the importance of vaccination, and encouraged the mothers to bring their child for all their vaccines and complete the immunization schedule in a timely manner. A job aid, referral cards, and IEC materials were introduced to support the integration process.
Comparison facilities; Infludes 18 health facilities

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Number of modern family planning users	November 2016-July 2017
Number of Penta 1 doses administered	November 2016-July 2017
Number of Penta 3 doses administered	November 2016-July 2017

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Jhpiego
• Collaborators: United States Agency for International Development (USAID); John Snow, Inc.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 18, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 18, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): June 28, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 28, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 18, 2018
• Last Verified: June 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Infant, Newborn, Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB00007524

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No