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Image: Reach and Philippines Heart Association teams visiting a primary health facility in Manila as part of the Rapid Situation Assessment process.

Reach has been collaborating with partners across Asia, Europe and the Pacific to conduct baseline exercises using an in-house resource called a Rapid Situation Assessment (RSA) Tool. For partners, this process has represented their inaugural assessment of rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) at national and sub-national levels.    

The RSA tool uses a progressive rating system to systematically evaluate RF/RHD responses across 25 key domains, encompassing all aspects of prevention and control. The assessment process begins with a desk-based review of published and unpublished literature, followed by a stakeholder mapping exercise. This groundwork sets the stage for in-depth key informant interviews and facility visits, which explore two distinct areas: (i) Overarching Health System Functions, and (ii) Clinical Service Delivery.  

By the end of the assessment, countries are equipped to collaboratively identify priority areas for action and develop tailored, context-specific plans that can be implemented and monitored over time.   

A key feature of the RSA tool is its adaptability to different country circumstances, including variations in resource capacity and time constraints. Depending on these factors, the RSA process can take anywhere from two to six months. The comprehensiveness of the exercise – such as the amount of data collected during interview and facility visits – can vary significantly from one country to another, often influenced by several factors including funding and available time.   

Following the RSA process, countries typically develop workplans that, in the short term, require minimal resourcing. For example, they might establish the first governance mechanisms for RF and RHD or strengthening reporting capabilities by advocating for improvements to the national electronic reporting system, ensuring a more accurate reflection of ARF and RHD nationally.  

Most recently the RSA tool was implemented in the Philippines, Vanuatu, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.  

In the Republics of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan the RSA process was part of a broader WHO project aimed at strengthening national health systems' capacity to accelerate the end of preventable maternal, newborn & child mortality. Within this context, the process focused in on understanding gaps and identifying opportunities to strengthen prevention and control efforts for women of reproductive age living with RHD, including pregnant women.

By offering the RSA tool, Reach continues to provide high-level, technical support to countries in their efforts to tackle RF and RHD. If you are interested in learning more about the Rapid Situation Assessment tool please reach out to us on info@stoprhd.org or liz.kennedy@stoprhd.org 

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