The Community Health Systems Catalog Dataset: User Guide

Agency for International Development under Agreement No. AID-OAA-A-12-00047, beginning October 1, 2012. The authors' views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the United States Government. The Community Health Systems Catalog is a one-stop shop for information on community health and family planning policies and programs in 25 countries. Launched in March 2014, the catalog was updated in 2017 to feature 25 country profiles, a list of country policies and strategies, a set of infographics, a synthesis of cross-country trends, and a complete dataset. The catalog content is organized by the WHO's Health System Building Blocks framework and comprises information based on individual country policies and strategies. The dataset was collected through a 121-question survey in collaboration with the Strengthening Partnerships, Results, and Innovations in Nutrition Globally project and the Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP), each funded by USAID. The project collected data between January 2016 and June 2017 through country consultants, who gathered community health policies, strategies, curricula, and other national documents vetted by country authorities. APC staff verified the data and input final responses in an electronic survey using a combined Enketo/SurveyCTO platform. The project then transferred and formatted this information in Microsoft Excel to enhance usability. The CHS Catalog survey dataset is organized across five Excel spreadsheets to facilitate comparisons across countries, programs, and community health providers. The MAIN SHEET includes the main survey responses related to community health systems, organized by country. The PROGRAMS SHEET includes survey responses about community health programs, organized by country and specific program. The PROVIDERS SHEET includes survey responses about community health providers, organized by country and cadre. The INTERVENTIONS SHEET includes survey responses about which interventions community health providers are allowed to provide, according to policy, organized by country and cadre. The MEDICINES SHEET indicates which selected medicines, supplies, and commodities are included in each country's Essential Medicines List. The dataset can be used to collate information on a range of national community health models to inform country-level policy and program planning and design. The dataset provides detailed information to serve as a foundation for policy analyses and research. The dataset advances dialogue on the role and definition of a Community Health Worker (CHW) and provides information on the services that countries permit CHWs to provide. When using the CHS Catalog dataset, consider that the catalog data was collected from written policy guidance and may not capture the realities of policy implementation or service delivery on the ground. The catalog captures a snapshot in time, and policies developed after the dates on the individual CHS Catalog country profiles may not be captured. Policies are often vague, incomplete, and/or contradictory, which presents challenges in distilling and interpreting written guidance.