Mapping capacity in the health sector: a conceptual framework

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Health Systems Strengthening
• Developing Economies

Background:

• Capacity improvement is central to health system development in low-income countries.
• Effective health outcomes depend on financial investment and local capacity for resource utilization.
• International donors and ministries of health increasingly use capacity building to boost health sector performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current knowledge and experiences in monitoring and evaluating capacity building interventions in developing countries' health sectors.
• To establish a clear definition of capacity building.
• To develop a conceptual framework for mapping health system capacity and measuring the impact of interventions.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing knowledge and experiences.
• Analysis of ongoing monitoring and evaluation efforts for capacity building.
• Development of a conceptual framework for capacity mapping and impact assessment.

Main Results:

• Lack of consensus on definitions and evaluation methods for capacity building.
• Proposed definition of capacity building.
• Developed a conceptual framework for capacity mapping as a precursor to intervention design and evaluation.

Conclusions:

• Capacity mapping is essential for designing effective capacity building interventions.
• The proposed framework aids in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of capacity building.
• Explicitly mapping capacity clarifies assumptions linking capacity to health system performance, enabling better testing and improvement.