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DATA ANALYSIS FORM 16.4
Tabulation Sheet for Outside Home Care-Seeking with Scenarios (sample)

Unit 17. [Advanced] Direct Observation: Women Seeking Treatment in a Health Care Setting

Purpose

To record actual behavior of women and health providers in the context of seeking treatment for women's illnesses. These data are intended to act as confirmatory evidence for information collected in previous units, and should prove useful in devising improved health interventions for women.

Data Collection

1. Observations should be done in the work situations of at least two or three different health care providers. The selection of these providers comes from the exercises completed as part of Unit 7. Choose those practitioners who are mentioned most frequently as one's who treat women's illnesses. This may include both "western" health care providers and traditional health care providers. These initial observations should be largely unstructured which allows everything that is occurring to be recorded, without fear of overlooking something important. Each site should be observed at least three times, on different days of the week. The longer the period of data collection per observation the better. As a general rule, observations should be for no less than one to two hours.

2. Each observation should be recorded in a notebook or some type of semi-structured data sheet (e.g., Form 17.2). Depending upon the duration of the observation and complexity of the scene, from 10 to 30 pages of notes will be written for a single observation.

3. After the observation is complete, most of these data will be summarized on a recording form (Form 17.1). Some parts of the form need to be filled our while the observation is being conducted (e.g., the map, time observation began, etc.). While the presence of this form will in many ways shape the type of data collected, it is important to never just try and "fill out" the form.

4. The observations will include many different types of data. Record what people say as much as possible, as well as what they do. Gestures are often significant, as well as seating, posture, facial expressions, and tone of voice.

Data Analysis

Microcomputer Application

Direct observation notes can be managed and analyzed with DtSearch or ZylNDEX (Appendix C-3).

1. Code Form 17.2. This may be the same set of codes used to code the key informant interviews, or you may elect to develop a new coding system for observational data. It is likely you will use the same coding scheme as you used for Unit 11.

2. Tabulate Women's Health-Seeking Behaviors on Form 17.3. You may wish to begin developing a scheme for classifying women's health-seeking behavior (e.g., types of healers sought, time of day went to see healer, etc.)

Interpretation Suggestions

1. What is the physical layout of the clinic? Where are the patient and provider in relation to each other? Is there any privacy during the interview? During the examination?

2. What does the provider say and do (greeting, use of instruments, explanations)? Does the provider lead the patient to certain types of responses?

3. How much time did the woman spend seeking health care? How could this time be reduced and/or used more effectively?

4. If you were trying to schedule in health education activities for women In the community, where would be the best place?

5. Who communicates with the healer? For what types of problems?

DATA COLLECTION FORM 17.1
Direct Observation (sample)

Actors (healers, patients, etc.)

Draw a picture of the observation site. (Show individual's locations using their identification letter (above).

DATA COLLECTION FORM 17.2
Observation Event Matrix (sample)

DATA ANALYSIS FORM 17.3
Tabulation of Events in Health Treatment Setting

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