Assessment of community stakeholders’ and health educators and professionals needs for the continuous enhancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights within the CLEFS project in Mali: Protocol for a convergent mixed-methods study (Preprint)

Abstract

In Mali, a lack of qualified human resources (HR) in primary health care (PHC) and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is one of the greatest barriers to the population's access to standard health services. Frontline professional trainings require to be strengthened to respond to the needs of the population, particularly those of women and girls. Trainings must be conducted with an interdisciplinary and adapted approach as well as to promote gender equality (GE).

To identify the SRHR training needs among community, educational actors and primary health care providers.

Convergent mixed methods research was adopted, using two methods: (1) A quantitative method, through a cross-sectional analytical survey conducted at the community level with university community health centers (CSCom-U ) users and adolescents in CSCom-U health areas, as well as at the health education institution and community health centers (CSCom ) levels with teachers, students and interdisciplinary professional groups within the CSCom-U and district hospital maternity. Descriptive and inferential analyses will be conducted to process quantitative data. (2) A qualitative method, based on three sources of data (focus groups, individual semi-structured interviews, document analysis) and which involved the same targets as the quantitative component, with additional community actors such as Community Health Associations (ASACO) and Women's Service User Communities. A thematic analysis of the qualitative data using a mixed deductive and inductive method will be performed.

This study will provide a better understanding of adolescents and SRHR users services needs in terms of health services availability and quality and SRHR knowledge, issues related to student training quality, the level of adequacy between the training offered and the actual needs of the service recipients and the level of preparation and ability of teachers to provide quality teaching taking gender equality into account.

The recommendations drawn from this assessment will propose concrete actions to improve women and girls' health services provided by professionals, and to better adapt the future health professionals’ profiles to the needs of communities, and more particularly of women and girls.