Monitoring, Evaluation, & Learning

We have extensive experience designing and measuring the effects of health programs and policies. We conduct implementation research to assess health service delivery models and integrate continuous learning into program strategy. We increasingly embed researchers and evaluators into program teams for seamless access to data and application of learning for adapting program interventions. Our technical advisors facilitate program and monitoring, evaluation, and learning strategy development through theory of change, human-centered design, and information system shaping, and integrate data visualization and data use interventions to drive evidence-based programming.

We conduct research to understand the factors that affect implementation strategy and barriers and facilitators that influence the pathways to change. We examine these determinants of change in real-world conditions to offer practical insights into how to implement a health intervention and achieve results. 

Our researchers always consider how audiences like health care providers, policymakers, and health service clients will use findings to ensure that our research and recommendations respond to their priorities and needs.

We use fit-for-purpose research and evaluation approaches to examine the intended and unintended outcomes of health interventions. We conduct outcome, impact, process, formative, and developmental evaluations, using a range of methods, including household and facility surveys, econometrics, participatory action research, complexity aware monitoring, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and more.  

Our experience in program and impact evaluation extends from immunization, maternal and newborn health, and HIV and other infectious diseases to supply chain and health system strengthening.

We collaborate with public and private sector health service implementers to integrate data-led programming and to develop skills for strategic data use in all levels of health system strengthening and health service delivery. Going beyond reporting, our data-use experts work with implementation teams and policymakers to test program theory and health interventions; apply iterative cycles of feedback from clients and providers; and integrate routine data to make critical adaptations that improve uptake, quality, and access. We build capacity and confidence to use data for decision-making and management, and supervisory systems that incentivize good data practice. Mentoring in data-led adaptive learning engenders continuous program improvement and innovation and scale-up of promising health products, services, and behaviors.

We make data useful and easier to understand by transforming it into creative, strategic displays and tools. Enticing and informative visualizations facilitate data analysis and use among health workers and policymakers. Our data visualization advisors design audience-specific dashboards, decision support tools, infographics, and job aids that put strategic information directly into the hands of decision-makers and service providers.

We have vast experience strengthening routine health information at all levels of the health system across technical areas including HIV, TB, and logistics and supply chains. We identify gaps in the design of health information systems; assess the level of interoperability between paper and digital systems; examine policies and structures related to health information governance; strengthen the quality of the data collected; and promote data use to monitor changes in health service, system performance, and outcomes. Our health information system assessments prioritize individual motivation, skills, and efficacy to understand the interface between people and information architecture and we identify ways to make both work better. 

We have supported the development and use of the data quality audit, routine data quality assessment, and Performance of Routine Information System Management tools. We have conducted assessments including Service Availability Mapping—a predecessor to the Service Availability Readiness Assessment (SARA); adaptations of the Service Provision Assessment and SARA; and multiple logistics readiness assessments including the logistics indicator and system assessment tools.

We apply specialized approaches such as human-centered design to research and engage with health service clients, providers, managers, and policymakers to frame problems from the user’s perspective. Design research employs techniques such as journey mapping and user personas to create empathy and a deeper understanding of user experience, generating insights to find public health solutions that are feasible and highly desirable to end-users.