• Summary
• Credits

1. Promoting Dialogue
2. Supporting the Client’s Role
• Box: Client-Centered Counseling
3. Improving Providers’ Performance
• Table: Activities to Improve CPI
• Box: Supervisors Can Improve CPI
4. Best Practices in Training
5. Evaluating the Quality of CPI
• Step 1. Engage Stakeholders
• Step 2. Describe Program Goals
• Step 3. Focus the Evaluation Design
• Step 4. Gather Credible Evidence
• Step 5. Justify Conclusions
• Step 6. Ensure Use and Share Lessons Learned


• Box: Evaluating Training Programs
6. Moving Beyond Family Planning
7. Bibliography

• INFO Project
• Order
• Online Reports
• Upcoming Reports
• POPLINE

This issue was prepared in collaboration with the Maximizing Access and Quality (MAQ) Initiative of the United States Agency for International Development's Office of Population and Reproductive Health. The MAQ Initiative supports research and evidence-based interventions to promote access and quality of reproductive health and family planning services.

Published by the Information & Knowledge for Optimal Health (INFO) Project, Center for Communication Programs, The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, USA.

To interpret findings, assess their program implications, and make practical recommendations, researchers need to consult with stakeholders (5, 112). To help stakeholders understand evaluation results, researchers should put the data into context—for example, by comparing results with past performance, national standards, or findings elsewhere. They also should propose alternative explanations for the findings and discuss the likelihood of each (27). In return, providers and managers can contribute their knowledge of the practical realities to the discussion, including an understanding of political priorities and resource constraints.

During an evaluation of client education on essential communication skills in Indonesia, for example, researchers sought feedback from clients, providers, client educators, and program managers (78). Managers pointed out that the instructional method tested—individual client coaching—was not feasible on a large scale, while clients and educators suggested that self-learning, group talks, and the mass media could teach clients the same skills. Researchers drafted recommendations accordingly.

To ensure that an evaluation has a real impact on service delivery, researchers should create a strategic plan to disseminate the findings and convince decision-makers to take appropriate action. Many factors affect whether decision-makers pay attention to evaluation results, including the packaging and dissemination of findings, decision-makers’ opinions about the relevance of research findings and the credibility and authority of the researchers, organizational norms, and the difficulty of the decision to be made (88, 113, 149).

Program managers and policy-makers are more likely to act on recommendations if they were involved in earlier stages of the evaluation process—for example, in formulating the research questions—and if they receive clear and cogent synopses and interpretations of the findings. A communication plan should identify distinct intended audiences—for example, Ministry of Health officials, district managers, supervisors, family planning providers, and community members—and then tailor messages and communication channels to each one (4, 5, 112).

Disclaimer: The information provided on this web site is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S. Government.