What the client needed
Hypoxaemia, dangerously low oxygen in the blood, is a major cause of maternal, newborn and child deaths. To improve oxygen delivery in Zambia, PATH and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation first needed to know what respiratory care equipment health facilities actually had, whether it worked and how it was managed.
Without that picture, decisions about equipment, maintenance and supply chains could not be properly targeted.
How M31 Research delivered
M31 Research, in partnership with PATH Zambia, designed and ran a cross-sectional survey of 91 health facilities, selected by stratified random sampling across facility levels, regions and managing authorities. Data was collected in SurveyCTO with real-time validation, after intensive training on ethics, tools and protocols.
Nine field teams of enumerators, supervisors, field managers and back-checkers started in Lusaka and moved province by province. They interviewed facility staff, physically verified and documented equipment, and mapped every facility with GPS. Spot checks, back checks and high-frequency checks kept data quality high, and the teams worked through bureaucratic and technical hurdles to complete every targeted facility.
What we delivered
- Stratified random sample of 91 health facilities
- Digital survey tools in SurveyCTO with real-time validation
- Physical verification of respiratory care equipment
- GPS mapping of every surveyed facility
- Spot checks, back checks and high-frequency checks
- Findings and recommendations for policy and operations
What changed for the client
PATH received high-quality data on the state of respiratory care across Zambia's health system. The survey showed wide differences in equipment availability, maintenance and staff capacity between facility levels and regions, laying the groundwork for targeted interventions that help facilities manage respiratory care and reduce deaths from hypoxaemia.
Key findings and outcomes
- Level 3 facilities had more equipment than Level 1 and 2 facilities
- Urban facilities were generally better equipped and resourced than rural ones
- Maintenance protocols and spare parts availability were inconsistent
