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Self-Assessment and Peer Review: Improving Indonesian Service Providers' Communication with Clients

Training alone may not be sufficient to prompt complex and lasting changes in the performance of family planning providers. Affordable and effective reinforcement mechanisms are needed to ensure that providers apply new skills on the job. In December 1997 and January 1998, 201 providers working at 170 clinics in Indonesia attended a training course on client-centered counseling. They were divided into three subgroups for follow-up. One group (controls) received no reinforcement, one conducted weekly self-assessments and the third attended peer-review meetings in addition to conducting self-assessments. Data were collected before training, immediately afterward and after four months of reinforcement to measure changes in provider and client behavior.