Situation analysis is a collection of methods that helps planners and managers understand an organisation’s performance and internal and external factors affecting it. It helps us to understand where we are now, and what should come next in terms of planning. As you watch, think about who to involve when planning in eye care at a hospital, district, or national level, and what information must be available to conduct a situation analysis. © 2016 International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Taken from the free online course: Global Blindness: Planning and Managing Eye Care Services. We encourage the use and adaptation of this resource for teaching and learning. Find more Open Educational Resources for eye care on our website at http://iceh.lshtm.ac.uk/oer

1. Global Blindness: Planning and managing eye care services
Situation analysis

2. Learning outcomes
Understand the definition of
situation analysis
Identify its key components
Apply the concept to an eye
unit at the district level

3. Definition of
situation analysis
A collection of
methods used to
understand an
organisation’s
performance

4. Situation analysis
of an eye unit
Capacity
Capabilities
Difficulties
Environment
Possibilities
Where
we are
NOW

5. Eye health and the wider health
system
District
level
National level
Eye unit
Policies

6. National level
Key questions:
1. National prevention of blindness programme?
2. Strategy for universal health coverage?
3. Data on blindness and visual impairment?
4. Targets for diseases?

7. National level
Key questions:
5. Guidance on ophthalmic human resources,
training and distribution?
6. Local leaders in eye care?
7. Policy on infrastructure and development?

8. District level
Key information to gather:
• Target population

9. District level
Key information to gather:
• Target population
• Maps

10. District level
Key information to gather:
• Target population
• Maps
• Data

11. District level
Key information to gather:
• Target population
• Maps
• Data
• Barriers

12. District level
We need to know:
• Population in the district
• Prevalence of blindness and visual impairment
(VI)

13. District level
No. of blind
people
=
Prevalence
of blindness
x Population
Then we can calculate:
No. of VI
people
=
Prevalence
of VI
x Population

14. The 5 Ms
Manpower
Materials
Mobility
Management
Money

15. Sources of information
Data needed:
Target
population
Census
data
i

16. Sources of information
Data needed:
No. of blind and
visually impaired
Extrapolate
i
Survey data
i

17. Sources of information
Data needed: Manpower
Observation
i
Hospital
records
i

18. Sources of information
Data needed: Materials
Inventory
i Hospital
records
i

19. Sources of information
Data needed:
Mobility
Hospital
records
i

20. Sources of information
Data needed:
Management
Hospital
administration
i

21. Sources of information
Data needed: Money
Stakeholders
i Hospital
finances
i

22. SWOT analysis: Eye unit example
Strengths
Cataract surgeon in
place
Weaknesses
Long waiting list
Opportunities
NGO to provide
consumables
Threats
Fear of eye surgery

23. In conclusion
Situation analysis is an
important first step
Provides details on:
magnitude of need,
manpower, materials, money,
mobility and management

24. In conclusion
A SWOT analysis will
highlight issues, opportunities
and threats
Situation analysis identifies
gaps
Using this knowledge effectively
makes change achievable

25. Written by Dr Daksha Patel
© 2016 International Centre for Eye Health, London School of
Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International license.
Taken from the free online course: Global Blindness: Planning
and Managing Eye Care Services. We encourage the use and
adaptation of this resource for teaching and learning. Find more
Open Educational Resources for eye care on our website at
http://iceh.lshtm.ac.uk/oer