WHGI Publications & Resources

PMA, a decade of innovation in family planning data: Voices of the national survey directors

Authors: Amy Tsui, Julie Hernandez, Scott Radloff, Phil Anglewicz

Publication Year: 2026

Link to File: https://gatesinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/PMA-A-Decade-of-Innovation.pdf

Abstract

Introduction: With the loss of funding for standardized cross-national surveys, the family planning (FP) community is facing a future with dwindling resources and without a reliable data source for monitoring indicators.  This study assessed lessons learned by country survey directors regarding the implementation of the Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA) household and facility surveys. PMA surveys had rapid turnaround, used a smartphone platform, relied on resident enumerator networks and had annual cadence. Over more than ten years, PMA conducted a total of 85 survey rounds that reached nearly 1 million respondents in 11 countries.

Methods: The 19 eligible principal investigators (PIs) were mailed a brief questionnaire in July 2025 and 14 returned it.  In the same month, sixteen were interviewed virtually to follow up on their responses.  Two team members conducted the interviews, which were recorded and transcribed.  Together with written responses the data were analyzed for recurring themes independently and then compared to create the final list. Representative commentary is shared around the themes.

Results: As local voices, the PIs described how they adapted PMA’s design innovations and engaged stakeholders to strengthen data use and survey sustainability. They highlighted PMA’s contributions to program planning, improvements in FP services, and the development of trusted relationships with government partners. They also identified major challenges, including demands for broader geographic coverage, insufficient government resources, and uncertainty about future FP measurement.

Discussion: The PI reports demonstrate that locally owned, rapid high-quality surveys are possible in low-income settings.  The PIs occupied roles of change agents, transacting around survey findings to solicit official response and exact program actions.  The PI experiences built sustainable local capacity, created an appetite for useful annual FP data, and established a model that can inform the design of future health data systems.

Key Findings 

  • PMA country directors/principal investigators (PIs) described how they adapted design innovations and engaged stakeholders to strengthen data use and survey sustainability.
  • They highlighted PMA’s contributions to program planning, improvements in FP services and the development of trusted relationships with government partners.
  • They identified major challenges, including requests for broad geographic coverage, insufficient government resources, and uncertainty about future FP measurement.

Key Implications

  • PI reports demonstrated that locally owned, rapid high-quality surveys are possible in low-income settings.
  • PIs occupied roles of change agents, transacting around survey findings to solicit official response and exact program actions.
  • PI experiences built sustainable local capacity, created an appetite for useful annual FP data, and established a model that can inform future health data systems.

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