Title: Monitoring and control
Course: Health Management, Ethics and Research - Ethiopia (Full)

Monitoring and control

Monitoring and control will be an important part of your role as a Health Extension Practitioner, otherwise you won't know how well you are doing as you try to achieve your goals and objectives (Figure 2.5). Monitoring is the regular observation and recording of activities. Controlling is ensuring that work has been accomplished according to plan. If your monitoring and control activities indicate that you aren't being very effective then you may have to change the way that you are working or ask for extra help from your supervisors.

Figure 2.5 Monitoring health goals through the regular observation and recording of activities. (Photo: Ali Wyllie)

Look again at the list of management functions. Imagine that you are trying to increase the number of people in your community who use latrines regularly. Which of the management functions do you think is the most important?

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All these functions are important when you try to achieve your health objectives. Good management involves the use of all these functions.