title: Using evidence to drive action: a "revolution in accountability" to implement quality care for better maternal and newborn health in Africa.
abstract: Introducing evidence-based accountability mechanisms at national and subnational levels into maternal newborn health programs can accelerate reductions in maternal and newborn mortality. Clearly packaged evidence has the potential to catalyze change, if it is communicated not only to the public but also to key policymakers. Evidence for Action (E4A) is a DFID-funded program that contributes to global efforts toward improving accountability in maternal and neonatal health. It uses evidence to drive action and accountability to improve maternal and newborn survival in six African countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. This paper introduces the E4A program, the rationale that underpins the program design, and presents initial findings on how information and data currently feed into accountability and implementation across the six E4A countries.
authors.affiliation: Evidence for Action - Options Consultancy Services, London, UK.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hulton
authors.affiliation: University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. Electronic address: z.matthews@soton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Zoe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Adriane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martin-Hilber
authors.affiliation: Evidence for Action - Options Consultancy Services, London, UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Adanu
authors.affiliation: Evidence for Action - Options Consultancy Services, London, UK.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferla
authors.affiliation: Evidence for Action - Options Consultancy Services, London, UK.
authors.forename: Atnafu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Getachew
authors.affiliation: Evidence for Action - Options Consultancy Services, London, UK.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Makwenda
authors.affiliation: Evidence for Action - Options Consultancy Services, London, UK.
authors.forename: Babatunde
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Segun
authors.affiliation: Evidence for Action - Options Consultancy Services, London, UK.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yilla
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D011247:Pregnancy; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D012941:Social Responsibility
keywords: Accountability; Advocacy; Commission on Information and Accountability; Evidence for Action (E4A); Maternal health; Neonatal health; Quality of Care; Sub-Saharan Africa