Monitoring & EvaluationMonitoring & Evaluation
The role of Lighthouse in developing, implementing, and assessing new program and policy interventions for local and national scale-up necessitates a consistent emphasis on high-quality monitoring and evaluation (M&E). We also increasingly play a large role in national efforts in Monitoring and Evaluation of AIDS programs in Treatment, Care and Support.
At Lighthouse, M&E efforts are a continuous process. Lighthouse Clinic, HTC and HBC services coordinators each compile key data on their departments' operations for formal monthly reports. These are presented in monthly management meetings, highlighting key issues and giving the rest of the management team the opportunity to comment on progress and discuss plans. Management meetings are also an opportunity to review the detailed Lighthouse workplan, which includes over 250 activities for the year 2010, detailing targets, responsibility, milestones, and deadlines. Because our efforts are patient focused, our monitoring and evaluation efforts include clients. Every year, each department runs an annual client survey to help us evaluate the quality of our services. Lastly, numerous, ongoing operational research studies also provide detailed data and information about our strengths and weaknesses. Current operations research efforts include: evaluation of operational protocols; task shifting; family planning uptake; and exploration of factors that contribute to pre-ART default.
Routine data collection at the Lighthouse combines standardized national tools (eg HTC registers, ART registers) paired with innovative in-house approaches. In partnership with Baobab Health and the CDC, Lighthouse implemented a touchscreen system in 2006 for ART patient management and real-time data collection to monitor patient outcomes. Our system operates throughout the clinic and in counseling rooms, combining healthcare delivery and data collection processes into one. This provides support to our service providers, enhancing decision making during patient visits. Simultaneously, the M&E team benefits from the same real-time information for program monitoring and evaluation. Enhanced by the EDS, our consistent M&E efforts enable our programs to measure success, address weaknesses, and contribute reliable information and evidence for dissemination.