Challenges in Shaping Health Programmes with Data

Macfarlane, Lecky, Adegoke and Chuku follow the development and assessment of evidence-based interventions—from research through to implementation—against the backdrop of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including Universal Health Coverage. They distinguish between the evidence that policymakers need to select interventions and the information that managers need to shape and evaluate implemented programmes. They review methods by which researchers and international institutions gather evidence to identify and promote interventions for consideration by policymakers. The authors also examine how programme managers monitor and evaluate implementation of the interventions they have adopted and how they assess long-term impact of interventions taken to scale. They conclude by presenting an internationally agreed framework that governments can use to monitor overall health sector performance and progress towards the SDGs.