Evidence - SBC Impact
Compelling, credible, recent, direct impact data
Evidence - SBC Impact
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Use of a Social Accountability Tool - 20% Increase in Community Health Worker Visits to Pregnant Women

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Strategy researched

A social accountability tool to improve maternal and reproductive health outcomes by empowering community members, health service providers, and others to identify and overcome obstacles in resource-limited settings

Impact achieved

The Community Score Card (CSC) intervention increased community health worker (CHW) visits to women during pregnancy by 20% and during the postnatal period by 6%, compared to control. Results also showed a 16% increase on overall service satisfaction for the women who had healthcare providers who underwent CSC intervention, as well as 57% higher use of contraceptives. There was a significant 37% increase in the indicator relationship between the community and health providers in the groups who underwent the intervention, and a 22% increase in the indicator on availability and accessibility of reproductive and maternal health information in the groups who underwent the intervention.

Country of study

Malawi

Research methodology

Cluster RCT

Journal

PLOS ONE; 2017

Journal paper title and link

Effects of a social accountability approach, CARE's Community Score Card, on reproductive health-related outcomes in Malawi: A cluster-randomized controlled evaluation

Excerpt from Abstract

"By facilitating the relationship between community members, health service providers, and local government officials, the CSC contributed to important improvements in reproductive health-related outcomes. Further, the CSC builds mutual accountability, and ensures that solutions to problems are locally-relevant, locally-supported and feasible to implement."

Summary at this link

 

Why the focus on direct impact data?

A common challenge from policy makers, funders, community members, people directly experiencing development issues, and governments is: Demonstrate your Impact. Prove that what you are doing works. The high quality, highly credible data presented on the cards below is designed to help you answer that question for your social change, behaviour change, community engagement, communication and media for development, strategy formulation, policy engagement and funding initiatives. At this link filter the research data to your specific interests and priorities

Why a playing cards design?

There is a physical pack of cards with this data (to get a copy please request through the comment form for any card). The card approach allows for easy identification and selection of relevant direct impact data in any context. For example if talking with a donor and you need to identify proof of impact say "take a look at the 7 of Hearts". Quick access can be provided to high-quality data for many areas of your work – funding, planning, policy, advocacy, community dialogue, training, partner engagement, and more. A card deck is also engaging, easy to use and share, a conversation starter, and a resource - and they are fun and different. So we kept that design for the online images as it can serve similar purposes. 

What are the criteria for inclusion?

The impact data presented meets the following high standard for inclusion criteria:

  • Positive change or trend in a priority development issue;
  • Social change or behaviour change strategy or process;
  • Randomized Control Trial or Systematic Review methodology;
  • High quality peer review journal published;
  • Numeric impact data point
  • Published since 2010.