Integrating Gender in Improvement: Approach of the USAID ASSIST Project

This 2-page brief summarizes the Applying Science to Strengthen and Improve Systems (ASSIST)’s Project holistic approach to gender integration in health care quality improvement. This strategic approach focuses on four areas (Build local capacity and foster local partnerships, Integrate gender in planned improvement activities, Document and share learning through knowledge management strategies and research, and Scale up and institutionalize). The approach promotes gender integration through contextualized and adaptable methods requiring little or no additional costs to the improvement effort while maximizing benefits. Through strategic integration of gender into improvement planning, implementation and documentation, we can avoid harmful consequences and use gender as a driver for improvement.