Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) as an option for localized evidence-based planning: Benefits and policy issues

Context: JSI/UPHOLD is funded by USAID and supports 34 districts in Uganda to improve the quality and utilization of health, education and HIV/AIDS services. UPHOLD promoted the use of LQAS surveys, because routine management information systems and the demographic health surveys provided limited annual planning information at district and lower levels.

Description: Since 2004, three annual LQAS surveys have been held and results disseminated in collaboration with national and district level staff. UNICEF and the Northern Uganda Malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Program (NUMAT) have partnered with UPHOLD to conduct the surveys. District teams have been trained in the use of this methodology something that will ensure its sustainability even beyond the life of UPHOLD. A national LQAS conference was held in 2006 to share experiences with stakeholders and promote the methodology.

Lessons Learned: The LQAS approach has empowered districts to utilize local information to evaluate intra-district performance and develop action-oriented, sub-county specific responses to under performance. Partnerships in the execution of LQAS have resulted in widening of the scope and coverage of the survey. The methodology has been found to be cost effective, simple to utilize and rapid to execute. Some stakeholders still have methodological concerns.

Recommendations: There is need for more dissemination of information on LQAS to address methodological concerns. LQAS should be institutionalized as a regular information source at local government level and strengthening partnerships with other potential users of survey results is one way of filling funding gaps for survey execution.