When we lead with consumer priorities, we can develop and scale health solutions that are relevant to consumers’ lives.
But too often, we build health systems first and interest after, all without consumer voices included.
By designing primary care systems with her needs at the fore, we can center on the client experience right from the very start. When we go further by understanding what motivates and limits her journey to care, we can together, identify, innovate and build demand for health products and services that work for her—aligned with her needs, preferences and reality.
From April 21-24, join us at the Global Health Science and Practice Technical Exchange (GHTechX) to explore how consumer insights can reshape market development. Register for the conference for free here. See where PSI will be below.
Thursday, April 22
Implementing and Adapting the High Impact Practices in Family Planning (HIPs) during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Overview: In this session, the Research for Scalable Solutions (R4S) project will highlight applications of the High Impact Practices in Family Planning (HIPs) toward COVID-19 response efforts and the maintenance of family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) care during the pandemic. The HIPs are a set of evidence-based family planning practices which reflect global expert consensus on what works in FP/RH health programming. Global family planning experts from East and Southern Africa Kenya, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe will share their experiences implementing and adapting Digital Health, Mobile Outreach, and Community Health Worker HIPs in response to COVID-19 challenges.
Time: 8:00 — 8:30am EDT
PSI Presence: Joy Otsanya Ede, Design & Adaptations Lead, Society for Family Health Nigeria, A360 Amplify
Utkrisht Development Impact Bond: Improving Private Sector Maternal and Neonatal Care in India through Innovative Financing
Overview: The Utkrisht Development Impact Bond is a development impact bond designed to improve the quality of maternity care offered by private providers in Rajasthan, India. This collaboration between MSD for Mothers, UBS Optimus Foundation, USAID, Palladium, PSI, and HLFPPT is one of only a few active impact bonds for health in the world. In this session we will educate the audience about this innovative financing mechanism, as well as private sector quality improvement.
Time: 9:15 — 10:45am EDT
PSI Presence: Suma Pathy Director of Programs, PSI India
The Highs, the Lows, and the Squishy Middle of Contraceptive Product Introduction
Overview: In recent decades, innovative market-shaping initiatives have introduced and scaled up new contraceptive products designed to address consumer preferences, needs, and realities. During this session, experts from Madagascar, Kenya, Uganda, and the U.S. will lay out essential steps for the process of contraceptive product introductions, describe common challenges, and share tools and approaches based on experiences with the introductions of contraceptive implants, self-injectable contraceptives, and the hormonal IUD.
Time: 9:15 — 9:45am EDT
PSI Presence: Ashley Jackson, Deputy Director, Expanding Effective Contraceptive Options (EECO) Project, PSI
Dr. Jimmy Ramahavory, MPH Technical Advisor for Sexual and Reproductive Health, PSI
Arrive to Survive and Thrive: Strengthening Referral Linkages Between Health Facilities for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Care in Ghana and Uganda
Overview: Kampala Slum Maternal and Newborn health (MaNe) Project in Uganda and Acute Care and Emergency Referral Systems (ACERS) Consortium Project in Ghana, both implementation research projects funded by USAID, are implementing and studying interventions to: A) establish emergency call and ambulance dispatch centers to facilitate maternal and newborn child health (MNCH) referrals; and B) develop and test smartphone applications for initiating referral, tracking and deployment of ambulances, and feedback to referring facility; C) increase community demand for quality emergency obstetrics and newborn care. The projects have demonstrated improved coordination and accountability in referral of MNH emergencies, while mobile phone application for tracking and deploying ambulance system is feasible and acceptable to the health authorities and health providers.
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm EDT
PSI Presence: Dr. Yvonne Kidza Mugerwa Project Director, MaNe, PSI
Friday, April 23
Locally Driven Country Research and Learning Agendas for Family Planning: Lessons Learned and Trends across Countries
Overview: The R4S project supported the development of research and learning agendas (RLAs) for family planning in Cote d’Ivoire, Nepal, Niger, Malawi, Mozambique, and Uganda via a multi-phase process that involved the review and analysis of data, consultation with local experts, and convening stakeholders to define concrete questions to guide family planning research and ultimately programming. In this session, participants will gain an understanding of the key steps in the RLA development, how the process was adapted for virtual rollout in a pandemic context, challenges that arose and how they were addressed, and how the final product will be used to inform family planning and reproductive health programs. Finally, an analysis will summarize the resulting research and learning agenda RLAs, highlight trends and divergences, and connect these to the country contexts and global evidence gaps.
Time: 7:15 — 8:45am EDT
PSI Presence: Philip Chikolowere Mkandawire, MBA, Head of Marketing and Research, PSI Malawi
Marcos Chissano, Director of Evidence, PSI Mozambique