Using Network-Mapping to Strengthen Knowledge Exchange Among Ethiopia's Family Planning and Reproductive Health Organizations

Purpose:

Ethiopia’s fertility rate is 4.8. One in 13 children dies in infancy, and the maternal mortality ratio is 673/100,000 live births. These poor indicators are due in part to inadequate knowledge management/knowledge exchange (KM/KE) systems, which prevent the flow of information on family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH). The Knowledge for Health Project conducted qualitative research to identify: 1) key FP/RH actors; 2) barriers/opportunities for information exchange; and 3) ways to leverage networks and resources to transfer up-to-date research into practice.

Data/methods:

Researchers conducted a participatory Network-Mapping exercise, along with interviews and focus group discussions, among 41 national, regional, and zonal/woreda health professionals. Participants were asked to identify FP/RH actors and discuss each actor’s relative influence and their role in facilitating or preventing the information exchange. They were also asked about health information needs and challenges. Analysis was conducted through Visualizer software, manual coding, and grouping of responses by theme.

Results:

Participants identified over 100 FP/RH actors, including a range of governmental and non-governmental organizations. Most actors exchange information through the Ministry of Health, and information is often slow to diffuse. Specific information needs differ by level: Generally, national level professionals need policy and strategy documents, while those at the regional and zonal/woreda levels need more contextualized information. Lack of functional networking and a central repository are among the greatest KM/KE challenges. Also, technological barriers to accessing health information exist throughout the country, especially at the zonal/woreda level.

Conclusions:

This study highlights the urgent need for accessible, appropriate, and up-to-date FP/RH information at all levels of the health system. To facilitate information flow, a national KM/KE system is needed, which should include resources tailored to the local language and context. Strengthening FP/RH networks can improve exchange of evidence and best practices, enhance service delivery, and improve health outcomes.