title: SWOT analysis of program design and implementation: a case study on the reduction of maternal mortality in Afghanistan.
abstract: This case study analyzes the design and implementation of the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) in Afghanistan by synthesizing the literature with a focus on maternal health services. The authors are a group of graduate students in the Brandeis University International Health Policy and Management Program and Sustainable International Development Program who used the experience in Afghanistan to analyze an example of successfully implementing policy; two of the authors are Afghan physicians with direct experience in implementing the BPHS. Data is drawn from a literature review, and a unique aspect of the case study is the application of the business-oriented SWOT analysis to the design and implementation of the program that successfully targeted lowering maternal mortality in Afghanistan. It provides a useful example of how SWOT analysis can be used to consider the reasons for, or likelihood of, successful or unsuccessful design and implementation of a policy or program. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Higher Education, University Medical School, Kandahar, Afghanistan.
authors.forename: Qudratullah
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.affiliation: Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Waltham, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Homayoon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Danesh
authors.affiliation: Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Waltham, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Vasil
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Makharashvili
authors.affiliation: Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Waltham, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mishkin
authors.affiliation: Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Waltham, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Lovemore
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mupfukura
authors.affiliation: Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Waltham, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Hillary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Teed
authors.affiliation: Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Waltham, MA, USA.|Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Maggie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huff-Rousselle
mesh_terms: D000346:Afghanistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D000068097:Maternal Health; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D011247:Pregnancy; D016730:Program Development
keywords: Afghanistan; SWOT analysis; basic package of health services; health sector reform; maternal mortality