Table 4 Perception of contextual influence on evidence use for the Integrated Maternal Newborn and Child Health (IMNCH) strategy

Limited resources – finance, human, infrastructure

Choice of evidence of low-cost interventions

Use of evidence that was promoted by funders of the strategy development and aspects of its implementation

Poor coverage of maternal and child health (MCH) services, health system constraints and operational challenges

Marginal budgeting for bottleneck approach was used to systematically identify health system constraints to MCH and operational strategies for overcoming them

Existing child health policy without a comprehensive plan of action for implementation

Underpins the need for a strategy document

Preference for evidence that would support the policy and its implementation

Need to align country’s activities to global movement

Underpins the decision to develop the strategy

High (sustained) maternal and child mortality rates

Underpin need for strategy change

High impact interventions

Slow progress towards attaining Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5

Underpins the choice of evidence of high-impact interventions

Limited time to produce strategy with Limited actor engagement and information/evidence gathering

Preference for and use of already existing and easily accessible evidence