Expanding Contraceptive Choice to the Underserved through Mobile Outreach Service Delivery: A Handbook for Program Planners

This handbook, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and prepared with partner input, provides general guidance on how to design and implement mobile outreach family planning (FP) service. It was written to be adapted to each country’s context, whether the organisation utilising mobile technology is the Ministry of Health (MOH), a service-delivery non-governmental organisation (NGO), or a community-based organisation (CBO). According to the document, because too many women lack access to contraceptive choice, the delivery of mobile outreach services is a way to provide a full range of FP methods to underserved communities.

 

"For the purposes of this manual, mobile outreach service delivery is defined as FP services provided by a mobile team of trained providers, from a higher-level health facility to a lower-level facility, in an area with limited or no FP or health services. In some cases, services are actually provided in the mobile unit. Mobile outreach services can be provided at lower-level health facilities or locally available community facilities that are not used for clinical services, such as schools, health posts, or other community structures....

 

One of the important aspects of mobile outreach services is the emphasis on both supply and demand. As described by a service delivery expert, 'mobile services are successful because they go out and advertise; they don’t sit and wait for clients. There is built-in demand creation.' Program implementers emphasize the importance of coordination and scheduling in making mobile outreach services work; this is discussed in detail in the planning and implementation phases of the handbook....

 

This handbook focuses on mobile outreach, with an emphasis on long-acting and permanent methods of FP, and how to increase access to this broader range of methods. While this handbook does not focus on all the efforts of CHWs [community health workers], these efforts are a key part of mobile outreach in terms of creating demand, helping to understand community needs, generating interest, providing information to clients, and assisting with referral and follow-up."

 

The contents include the following:

 

WHY: The Importance of Mobile Outreach:

• A. Too many women lack access to contraceptive choice;
  
• B. What is mobile outreach service delivery;
  
• C. Mobile outreach makes a difference 

HOW: Making Services a Reality:

• A. Planning
  1. Needs Assessment: Do we need mobile outreach, and if so, where?
  2. Identification of Resources: What resources are available and what resources do we need to find?
  3. Cost Analysis: Is this approach feasible from a cost perspective?
  4. Building Partnership: Who are the key stakeholders and how can we best plan and work together?
  5. Development of Action Plan: What are the key steps to starting and implementing the program, and who will be responsible for each step?
• B. Implementation
  1. Main steps
  2. Main challenges and suggestions on how to address them
• C. Scale up.
  
• Conclusion
  
• Appendix 1: References
  
• Appendix 2: Tools -  Tool #1: Managing an Outreach Program (from Marie Stopes International - MSI); Tool #2: Partner Agreement (from MSI)