Table 1

Characteristics of Service Provision Assessment (SPA) and Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) programmes

CharacteristicsSPASARA
Survey design and samplingCensus or sample of health facilities at national level; sampling for some surveys allows sub-national estimatesSame 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 authoritySame as SPA
Sample of health service providers selected from those present in the facility on the day of the assessmentn/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 visitn/a
Survey questionnairesFacility inventory for general and specific service availability and readinessSame as SPA
Health worker interviewn/a
Direct observation of caren/a
Patient (ANC, FP, sick child caregiver) exit interviewsn/a
Interviewer training* (weeks)~4~1–2
Field team compositionTeam leader, interviewers, driverSame as SPA
Technical assistanceCentralised support provided by DHS ProgramDecentralised support provided on request by partners including WHO HQ and regional offices, academic institutions, NGOs
Data accessFree 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.