Unlocking new frontiers in RMNCAH-N data with mobile phone surveys

Unlocking new frontiers in RMNCAH-N data with mobile phone surveys

Alexander McCall, Shane Khan, Rachel Neill, Melinda Munos, Ruben Conner, Leenisha Marks, Ashley Sheffel, Peter Hansen 

The global funding landscape for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH-N) is shifting and shrinking — and the urgency for cost-efficient, timely approaches to data generation has never been greater.

Against this backdrop, the insights from a gathering of more than 40 global experts last February have only grown more valuable. Convened by the Global Financing Facility’s (GFF) Frequent Assessments and System Tools for Resilience (FASTR) initiative — in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University and Results for Development (R4D) — the dialogue was part of an ongoing series focused on one of the most dynamic areas in health data: mobile phone surveys (MPS) for RMNCAH-N, and their potential to strengthen primary health care (PHC) systems.

What began as a forward-looking dialogue has since become an active implementation agenda — new tools being tested, new partnerships forming, and a sharper sense of where mobile phone surveys can add the most value: improving the lives and health outcomes of women, children and adolescents. ​

Why mobile phone surveys are needed

Mobile phone surveys ​have ​emerg​ed​ as an important complement to traditional household survey data collection methods. Unlike large, periodic in-person household surveys, phone-based approaches allow for rapid, high-frequency and cost-effective data collection to capture the pulse of a population in near real time. From assessing health service utilization and coverage to understanding patient experiences and detecting disruptions caused by conflict or climate events, these surveys have the potential to help fill critical data gaps and surface lived experiences that often go unmeasured.

Rapid cycle household & client surveys provide high-quality, timely outcome and contextual data to accelerate improvements in RMNCAH-N by making data available for decision-making.

What we learned

Several key lessons and opportunities have emerged that ​continue to ​shape ​ ​FASTR’s work:

1. Momentum is building, and so are the expectations

There is growing enthusiasm across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for faster, more adaptive tools to monitor key development indicators. Mobile phone-based data collection is a strategic necessity, especially with​ declining funding for large, periodic in-person surveys, such as​ ​​​​the Demographic and Health Surveys, which were a key data source for countries. However, with rising demand comes the need for clearer guidance and stronger methods to address data gaps for RMNCAH-N, and to understand the advantages and drawbacks of phone survey approaches.

2. The use cases are wide-ranging

   We explored a diverse array of use cases​​, such as ​​​​longitudinal mental health tracking during pregnancy​​, ​​patient-provider interactions, and immunization access in conflict-affected settings. Participants emphasized the flexibility of mobile phone surveys to answer both broad population-level questions and detailed client-level inquiries. Mobile phone surveys are especially valuable when it is important to track trends over time using repeated cross-sectional or longitudinal approaches, or when working in rapidly shifting contexts where outcome indicators can change quickly.

3. Rigor and innovation must go hand-in-hand

As the demand for mobile surveys grows, developing methodological rigor is essential. Discussions highlighted the need for evidence-based methods, standardized indicator definitions, careful attention to questionnaire language and nuanced approaches to answering open-ended questions. We also discussed opportunities to apply artificial intelligence (AI) for analyzing open-ended responses, potentially unlocking new ways to co-create indicators with communities.

4. Reaching conflict-affected and vulnerable populations is a critical challenge but also a leading opportunity

   A particularly rich area of discussion centered on how to reach and engage respondents in fragile or conflict-affected settings​ —​ many of whom are challenging to reach via in-person surveys. Participants shared experiences of navigating trust, cultural barriers and technological constraints. These insights underscored the need to tailor not just the “what” of data collection but the “how,” ensuring survey designs are responsive to vulnerable populations.

The value-add: Leveraging mobile phone surveys approaches for FASTR

For the GFF, the value of engaging in this space lies not just in adopting mobile phone surveys for household and client samples but in shaping how they are used. FASTR’s unique approach allows for triangulation of household data collected using mobile phones (“demand side” data) with facility-based phone survey data (“supply side” data) and health management information systems data (service use data) to connect findings to country-level investment and programmatic decisions.

More broadly, ​the February 2025 convening set in motion a larger learning agenda for mobile phone data collection for RMNCAH-N — one that is actively shaping FASTR’s work. As we pilot and scale household and client surveys using mobile phones across GFF partner countries, we do so with a sharper grasp of both the opportunities and the challenges. ​W​e are not starting from scratch; rather, we are building on existing momentum, aligning with partner efforts and bringing new​,​ country-oriented perspectives and voices into the global measurement conversation.

Household and client surveys are designed to fit into the broader FASTR toolset, addressing a range of practical and actionable country learning questions and measurement needs.

What’s next?

Building on this ​​foundation​​​​, FASTR ​​has developed​​​​ a clear roadmap to expand the use of mobile phone​s​ in household and client surveys where they can add the most value. We are prioritizing countries ready to pilot, adapt and integrate these surveys into national systems. At the same time, we are deepening our investment in research to enhance the rigor of our methods — so that the data we generate is not just timely, but trustworthy and transformative.​​​

In 2026, the GFF, in close partnership with country governments and other data users, is testing and implementing a nutrition phone survey that will sample both community health workers and the clients they serve. This effort will help us better understand the realities of program implementation and strengthen how we support frontline providers and their clients. Further, building on globally available survey tools and approaches, we intend to test and roll out a set of household survey instruments​ ​—​ ​conducted entirely by phone​ ​—​ ​that will capture many of the updated GFF core indicators. These tools are intended to capture rapid shifts in indicators at frequent intervals between major face-to-face household surveys.

​​​​​For technical experts, implementing partners and others exploring how to better monitor and improve PHC systems, we invite you to engage with us as we co-develop tools, test new ideas and continue to center the voices of women, children and adolescents in strengthening PHC systems.

Related links: 

• Learn more about FASTR here.
• Access resources from the convening and webinar series here.
• Learn more about how R4D is partnering with the GFF to scale FASTR in partner countries here.

Graphics by Shane Khan

Original article published in R4D: https://r4d.org/blog/unlocking-new-frontiers-in-rmncah-n-data-with-mobile-phone-surveys/