The Use of Effective Coverage in the Evaluation of Maternal and Child Health Programs: A Technical Note for the IDB's Social Protection and Health Division

Effective coverage is a measure of health system performance that combines three aspects of health care service delivery into a single measure: need, use, and quality. In this technical note, the concept of effective coverage is explained, methodological issues are discussed and the implications for the evaluation of SPH's projects in maternal and child health are presented.