Lauren Voltero and Alfredo L. Fort, MD, PHD. IntraHealth International, 1700 Airport Road, Suite 300, CB 8100, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8100, 919-966-5636, dnelson@intrahealth.org

Improving family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) services remains an essential goal for many international organizations. Yet it has been unclear which factors make the biggest difference in producing gains in provider performance that will improve quality and accessibility of services. Drawing on domestic practice and research in human performance technology, the PRIME II Project identified five critical performance factors that support optimal provider performance: clear job expectations, timely performance feedback, adequate environment and tools, internal motivation and/or external incentives, and knowledge and skills. To determine whether there is a correlation between individual performance and each of the five factors as perceived by providers--and which of these factors, if any, are more significantly associated with producing maximum performance gains--PRIME conducted a study with FP/RH providers in Armenia, Bangladesh, Bolivia and Nigeria. Similar cadres of providers offering the same range of services--prenatal care, postpartum care, family planning and sexually transmitted infections--were selected for random sampling. Analyses of data from provider observations and a performance factors questionnaire indicate that correlation exists between performance factors and provider performance, and that some factors are more important than others. The significance of the factors varies, depending on the country and cultural context and service setting. Findings from this study can assist managers in practical ways to make decisions on prioritizing interventions in the face of time and resource constraints.

Learning Objectives:

• • Describe five key factors that support provider performance
• • Summarize findings of a study assessing the correlation of provider performance with the five factors
• • Discuss how findings can be used in prioritizing interventions to improve provider performance in low-resource settings

Keywords: Primary Care, Training

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.