Characteristics of Service Provision Assessment (SPA) and Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) programmes
| Characteristics | SPA | SARA |
| Survey design and sampling | Census or sample of health facilities at national level; sampling for some surveys allows sub-national estimates | Same as SPA |
| Facility sample drawn from a Master Facility List of all formal sector public and private facilities in the country, generally stratified by facility type and managing authority | Same as SPA | |
| Sample of health service providers selected from those present in the facility on the day of the assessment | n/a | |
| For observation of ANC, FP and sick children care, patients are systematically selected based on the number of clients present at service site on the day of the visit | n/a | |
| Survey questionnaires | Facility inventory for general and specific service availability and readiness | Same as SPA |
| Health worker interview | n/a | |
| Direct observation of care | n/a | |
| Patient (ANC, FP, sick child caregiver) exit interviews | n/a | |
| Interviewer training* (weeks) | ~4 | ~1–2 |
| Field team composition | Team leader, interviewers, driver | Same as SPA |
| Technical assistance | Centralised support provided by DHS Program | Decentralised support provided on request by partners including WHO HQ and regional offices, academic institutions, NGOs |
| Data access | Free public access at www.measuredhs.com | Metadata archive hosted by WHO with country contact information for microdata at http://apps.who.int/healthinfo/systems/datacatalog/index.php/catalog |
| Survey cost | $$–$$$ | $–$$ |
*Includes field practice.
ANC, antenatal care; DHS, Demographic and Health Survey; FP, family planning; NGO, non-governmental organisation; n/a, not applicable.