The Evidence for Action (E4A) programme seeks to measure how political will can be measured, to what extent decision-makers have access to and use data, and how to measure change over time in these two key outcomes. Baseline monitoring data in six countries were gathered in 2012-2013 and data will be collected at mid-point (2014) and at end-point (2016), interviewing the same individuals wherever possible. One questionnaire assesses how far decision-makers have access to the right data at the right time and in a meaningful format, and how data are used to prioritise, plan and allocate resources. The second questionnaire seeks the views of service providers about political will, including quality of care, political and financial priority accorded to maternal and newborn health, and the extent to which decision-makers are accountable to service users. Baseline results show that the main problems lie with making good use of existing data, rather than with the generation of new data. The programme teams are therefore now working to advocate with those producing internal maternal and newborn health reports, to ensure that the data are accurate, well-packaged and easily understood by a wide range of users, and that the reports contain high quality analysis and strategic intelligence. Next steps will include ensuring that data reach key decision-makers within the maternal and newborn care system, so that they can be used routinely when decisions are made, and encouraging/facilitating the sharing of data with external stakeholders, including civil society.1
1. Nove A, Hulton L, Martin-Hilber A, et al. Establishing a baseline to measure change in political will and the use of data for decision-making in maternal and newborn health in six African countries. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 2014;127(1):102-7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2014.07.003.