Data to Action: A Mixed-Methods Study of Data Use Teams, Improved Availability of Contraceptives in Guinea, Indonesia, Kenya, and Myanmar.

Information Mobilized for Performance Analysis and Continuous Transformation (IMPACT) Teams routinely bring together data, people, processes, and technology, under the leadership of governments, to institute a change in culture that leads to sustained improvements in supply chain processes and outcomes. This mixed methods study examined whether IMPACT Teams were effective in improving reproductive health supply chain outcomes in Guinea, Indonesia, Kenya, and Myanmar and identified enablers and barriers to IMPACT Team success and sustainability in Indonesia and Kenya.The study design employed a pre-post intervention comparison panel design with a nonrandomized matched comparison group to examine the IMPACT Teams' effect on 2 supply chain outcomes: stocked according to plan and stock-outs.

Using Human-Centered Design to Adapt Supply Chains and Digital Solutions for Community Health Volunteers in Nomadic Communities of Northern Kenya.

Background: Unreliable and nonexistent supply chain procedures and processes are one of the primary barriers to achieving functional community health units in nomadic communities in the arid/semiarid counties of Kenya.

Methods: We used a human-centered design (HCD) approach to engage communities and community health volunteers (CHVs) in redesigning a proven data-centric supply chain approach that included a digital solution, called cStock, for this challenging context. We conducted the HCD process in 4 phases: (1) understanding intent, (2) research and insights, (3) ideation and prototyping, and (4) supply chain design and requirements building.

Using Data to Keep Vaccines Cold in Kenya: Remote Temperature Monitoring with Data Review Teams for Vaccine Management.

Background: Global vaccination coverage rates have remained around 85% for the past several years. Increasing immunization coverage rates requires an effective cold chain to maintain vaccine potency. Remote temperature monitoring (RTM) technology for vaccine refrigerators has shown promise for improving the ability of supply systems to maintain optimal temperature conditions to ensure potent vaccines reach the end users.

Are Procured Quantities of Implants Adequate and Appropriate? Modeling Procurement, Inventory, and Consumption of Contraceptive Implants During Rapid Uptake.

Donors and others are concerned that implants procured under the Family Planning 2020 Initiative exceed the number sought by clients, resulting in accumulating stocks. To explore this issue, we examined 3 questions across 9 countries: (1) How accurate were procurement quantities given requirements for filling supply chains for the rapidly growing implant programs? (2) Is there a standard factor that can be applied to consumption data to predict procurement volumes required? (3) How accurately do demographic estimates mirror dispensed-to-client data? We created a model incorporating public-sector supply chain system parameters to calculate system "imputed" inventory and the system "filled-to-max" inventory. Comparing results determined the adequacy of the procurement quantities.

Quality improvement practices to institutionalize supply chain best practices for iCCM: Evidence from Rwanda and Malawi.

Background: Supply chain bottlenecks that prevent community health workers (CHWs) from accessing essential medicines significantly increase under-5 child mortality, particularly in poor and rural areas.

Objective: Using implementation research, interventions aimed at improving supply chain practices and access to medicines were tested in Malawi and Rwanda. These interventions included simple demand-based resupply procedures, using mobile technology and traditional methods for communication, and multilevel, performance-driven quality improvement (QI) teams.

Strengthening community health supply chain performance through an integrated approach: Using mHealth technology and multilevel teams in Malawi.

Background: In 2010, 7.6 million children under five died globally - largely due to preventable diseases. Majority of these deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa.

Making products available among community health workers: Evidence for improving community health supply chains from Ethiopia, Malawi, and Rwanda.

Background: A UNICEF review of the challenges to scaling up integrated community case management (iCCM) found that drug shortages were a common bottleneck. In many settings, little thought has gone into the design of supply chains to the community level and limited evidence exists for how to address these unique challenges. SC4CCM's purpose was to conduct intervention research to identify proven, simple, affordable solutions that address the unique supply chain challenges faced by CHWs and to demonstrate that supply chain constraints at the community level can be overcome.

Factors affecting availability of essential medicines among community health workers in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Rwanda: solving the last mile puzzle.

To understand how supply chain factors affect product availability at the community level, the Improving Supply Chains for Community Case Management of Pneumonia and Other Common Diseases of Childhood Project developed a theory of change (TOC) framework for gathering, organizing, and interpreting evidence about supply constraints to community case management (CCM). Baseline assessments in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Rwanda conducted in 2010 provided information on the strengths and weaknesses of existing CCM supply chains for five main products: antibiotics for pneumonia, oral rehydration solution, ready to use therapeutic food, zinc, and artemether/lumefantrine. The assessments tested the strength and validity of causal pathways identified in the TOC that were believed to influence availability of CCM products among community health workers (CHWs) for treating common childhood illnesses.