The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #58105

Alfredo L. Fort, MD, PHD, Intrah/PRIME II, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, c/o David Nelson, Intrah, 1700 Airport Road, Suite 300, CB #8100, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8100, 919-962-6846, dnelson@intrah.org

What is performance? The classic definition from the field of Human Performance Technology combines behavior (what the performer does) with accomplishment (the result of the behavior). Among organizations working in family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) care, however, there has been no consensus on a standard definition of the term, even though the need to measure performance is widely recognized. Consequently, when organizations and projects describe or measure performance, particularly in the context of evaluating health workers or programs, the term may be used in ambiguous or even contradictory ways. A technical meeting convened by the PRIME II Project and MEASURE Evaluation in December 2001 brought together monitoring and evaluation specialists from ten organizations working in FP/RH training and service delivery to shape and advance the dialogue on performance measurement. The meeting focused specifically on the concept of performance in the context of individual providers of FP/RH services. Participants presented theoretical constructs and empirical applications of provider performance measurement and indicators and used examples from their projects to discuss results and lessons learned arising from these exercises. During this presentation, the strengths and weaknesses of several of these applications will be explored, and suggestions will be made to specify criteria for measurement according to the classic definition of performance, which PRIME II strives to follow. The challenges of measuring both behavior and accomplishment in the context of individual FP/RH providers will be emphasized, with the aim of inspiring further research on this important topic.

Learning Objectives:

• • Articulate the pros and cons of several definitions of performance that have been used by family planning and reproductive health care (FP/RH) organizations.
  • Assess the applicability of a classic definition of performance to the FP/RH field.
  • Identify challenges to measuring both behavior and accomplishment in the context of individual providers of FP/RH services.

Keywords: Performance Measurement, Reproductive Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.