First Component
· (2.5 - 3.0 hours) 2 No VA
's
Activity One: Visit to Local Health Facility
Plan for teams to arrive in health facilities about 30-45 minutes after the
beginning of the clinic session. This allows time for staff to clear the initial backlog
of cases and minimizes interference by the visiting team.
Procedures for carrying out the field visit are well-described in the Activity One.
Team members should be briefed about the importance of treating staff and patients
courteously and respectfully. There should be no negative comments or critical judgments.
It is best of one member of each group asks questions to avoid overwhelming the staff with
multiple questions.
Encourage groups to take their time with the visit, and carefully examine possible data
sources. They should be especially aware of how they will be able to organize observation
of clinical encounters, timing of dispensing encounters, and exit interviews with patients
during the next field visit.
After touring the health facility, each team should visit a local pharmacy or drug
shop. They should identify possible sources of quantitative data about drug use, such as
retained prescriptions or sales records. They should also be aware of the general
environment in the pharmacy, including position of different products, presence of drug
advertisements, and how staff interact with customers.
Second Component
· (30-45 minutes) 2 No VA 's
Preparation of Team Reports
The most enjoyable place for debriefing after the field visit is a restaurant or
guesthouse near to the facilities visited. The informal atmosphere also provides an
opportunity for participants to become better acquainted. If possible, try to plan for
lunch in such a setting, to be followed by preparation of team reports and debriefing at
the same site.
Each team will need time to organize the information they have collected at the
facilities they visited on the worksheets included in Activity One. Be sure they are
prepared to describe the details about where they found various types of data, what data
elements are present, and how it could be used to investigate drug use.
Third Component
· (60-90 minutes) 2 No VA 's
Group Debriefing
Allow time for each team to describe what they found. Try to organize the
debriefing in such a way that teams, which visited each type of facility (hospitals,
health centers, district warehouse) report together. Draw out the similarities and
difference among various facilities, and ask participants how these facilities differ from
ones in their own countries.
During reporting, be sure that teams describe details about the setting they visited,
and how the indicators data collection and clinical observations will be organized during
the next field visit.
