From Research to Action

Résumé du livre

Operations research represents a problem-solving tool to identify practical solutions to service delivery problems in family planning and reproductive health programs. Among the programmatic areas that operations research can address are clients' perceptions of the quality of care they receive, identification of strategies for reaching out to underserved groups, strategies for integration of reproductive health services in different settings, and ways to make programs more efficient by eliminating unnecessary procedures and making better use of staff. This manual describes the operations research process and presents brief summaries of findings of projects salient to the policy recommendations of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. At present, operations research is expanding its focus to include new areas such as the provision of emergency contraception and interventions to prevent female genital mutilation. To achieve its potential, operations research must develop ways to disseminate results, develop local research capacity, and increase collaboration with program managers and policy makers.