The Big Six Methodology: Harvesting the power of digital to help change lives
Summary:
As part of the Women's Health Project (WHP) in Central America, PSI Guatemala is harvesting the power of social media to reach young women by deploying a digital health communications strategy that leverages popular digital channels like Facebook, Messenger, and Whatsapp to help reduce maternal mortality in the region by increasing access to healthcare services such as contraception and post abortion care (PAC). The program's omnichannel digital strategy provides online information and interactive communications around Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Rights and Family Planning (FP) across multiple platforms, driving demand for one-on-one peer outreach workers who provide online behavior change interventions and referrals to healthcare service providers trained by the program. In 2019, the organization began to apply it's unique digital framework referred to as "the Big Six" to the program, which contemplates a multipronged approach to its online efforts that includes digital strategy, data driven decision-making, big picture communications, standardized process and human digital capital. Implementation of the Big Six resulted in an increase of 389% in online SBCC interventions.
Background/Objectives:
WHP is increasing women's access to life saving SRH products and services to help combat the staggeringly high rate of maternal mortality in Central America. In a society where contraception and post abortion care are still considered taboo, increasing affordable access to information, education and services that are free of judgment and discrimination is key to reducing the high rate of maternal mortality. Employing a comprehensive multichannel digital methodology to support and scale its efforts in increasing access to care has proven to be an effective, replicable strategy to increase social impact and bring healthcare closer to women.
Description of Intervention and/or Methods/Design:
The Big Six methodology is an approach contemplating key areas that support the success of overall online efforts: digital strategy, data-driven decision-making, big-picture communications, standardized process, and human/digital capital, incorporating each element into its digital program design. It's used by the program to structure its approach to digital and serves as the foundation for all online activity. Central to the framework was the development of a comprehensive consumer-centric online strategy through a participatory process with stakeholders, which guided execution of online activities in 2019. Activities included local capacity building through online workshops, social media management software, and social listening to aid in data-driven decision-making. It also employed an online communications campaign to help to drive demand for Cyber Promotors, online outreach workers specialized in behavior change interventions that include one-on-one information provision, SRH counseling, and referrals to FP and PAC services.
Results/Lessons Learned:
Implementation of the Big Six contributed to a 617% increase in reach and 389% increase in online behavior change interventions through outreach workers from 2018 to 2019 in Guatemala and El Salvador. The omnichannel digital communications campaign based on this methodology reached 2.4 million individuals, over 205k engagements and led to 56.8k private messages received from users. Real-time testing and monitoring of communications allowed the program to select top-performing content and personalize key messages based on women's needs, resulting in an ability to increase scale and impact by reducing campaign costs per result to as low as $0.30 per thousand individuals reached, and increasing overall effectivity. From January through September of 2019, the program's digital communications reached an average of 50, 290 individuals daily, directly impacting 14,091 women through online behavior change interventions, aimed at providing potentially lifesaving information and services such as contraception and post-abortion care.
Discussion/Implications for the Field:
Engaging with a digital framework such as the Big Six, which supports overall program output and design, can help to support SBCC efforts and increase access to life saving healthcare for vulnerable populations worldwide. In an ever-evolving environment with nearly limitless approaches and strategies, exploring and understanding this successful online methodology developed specifically to the healthcare sector can support the evolution of the field and help poise SBCC for the future. A consumer centric digital design developed around these six areas, combined with stakeholder participation, could be a key in designing similar methodologies for other programs and regions.
Abstract submitted by:
Andrea Novella - Population Services International (PSI) Latin America
Katherine Anfinson - Population Services International (PSI)
As part of the Women's Health Project (WHP) in Central America, PSI Guatemala is harvesting the power of social media to reach young women by deploying a digital health communications strategy that leverages popular digital channels like Facebook, Messenger, and Whatsapp to help reduce maternal mortality in the region by increasing access to healthcare services such as contraception and post abortion care (PAC). The program's omnichannel digital strategy provides online information and interactive communications around Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Rights and Family Planning (FP) across multiple platforms, driving demand for one-on-one peer outreach workers who provide online behavior change interventions and referrals to healthcare service providers trained by the program. In 2019, the organization began to apply it's unique digital framework referred to as "the Big Six" to the program, which contemplates a multipronged approach to its online efforts that includes digital strategy, data driven decision-making, big picture communications, standardized process and human digital capital. Implementation of the Big Six resulted in an increase of 389% in online SBCC interventions.
Background/Objectives:
WHP is increasing women's access to life saving SRH products and services to help combat the staggeringly high rate of maternal mortality in Central America. In a society where contraception and post abortion care are still considered taboo, increasing affordable access to information, education and services that are free of judgment and discrimination is key to reducing the high rate of maternal mortality. Employing a comprehensive multichannel digital methodology to support and scale its efforts in increasing access to care has proven to be an effective, replicable strategy to increase social impact and bring healthcare closer to women.
Description of Intervention and/or Methods/Design:
The Big Six methodology is an approach contemplating key areas that support the success of overall online efforts: digital strategy, data-driven decision-making, big-picture communications, standardized process, and human/digital capital, incorporating each element into its digital program design. It's used by the program to structure its approach to digital and serves as the foundation for all online activity. Central to the framework was the development of a comprehensive consumer-centric online strategy through a participatory process with stakeholders, which guided execution of online activities in 2019. Activities included local capacity building through online workshops, social media management software, and social listening to aid in data-driven decision-making. It also employed an online communications campaign to help to drive demand for Cyber Promotors, online outreach workers specialized in behavior change interventions that include one-on-one information provision, SRH counseling, and referrals to FP and PAC services.
Results/Lessons Learned:
Implementation of the Big Six contributed to a 617% increase in reach and 389% increase in online behavior change interventions through outreach workers from 2018 to 2019 in Guatemala and El Salvador. The omnichannel digital communications campaign based on this methodology reached 2.4 million individuals, over 205k engagements and led to 56.8k private messages received from users. Real-time testing and monitoring of communications allowed the program to select top-performing content and personalize key messages based on women's needs, resulting in an ability to increase scale and impact by reducing campaign costs per result to as low as $0.30 per thousand individuals reached, and increasing overall effectivity. From January through September of 2019, the program's digital communications reached an average of 50, 290 individuals daily, directly impacting 14,091 women through online behavior change interventions, aimed at providing potentially lifesaving information and services such as contraception and post-abortion care.
Discussion/Implications for the Field:
Engaging with a digital framework such as the Big Six, which supports overall program output and design, can help to support SBCC efforts and increase access to life saving healthcare for vulnerable populations worldwide. In an ever-evolving environment with nearly limitless approaches and strategies, exploring and understanding this successful online methodology developed specifically to the healthcare sector can support the evolution of the field and help poise SBCC for the future. A consumer centric digital design developed around these six areas, combined with stakeholder participation, could be a key in designing similar methodologies for other programs and regions.
Abstract submitted by:
Andrea Novella - Population Services International (PSI) Latin America
Katherine Anfinson - Population Services International (PSI)
Source
Approved abstract for the postponed 2020 SBCC Summit in Marrakech, Morocco. Provided by the International Steering Committee for the Summit. Image credit: PSI Guatemala