Enabling Delegates to access and explore their PVS data like never before, empowering them to make informed decisions

Offering complete documentation of the performance of the Veterinary Services, PVS reports contain insights and recommendations used by governments, investors and partners to advocate for and prioritise their investments in the veterinary domain. Such recommendations have resulted in many success stories over the rich 18-year history of the PVS Pathway programme. 

The impact of WOAH’s flagship capacity-building programme

To further document the impact of the programme according to its theory of change, WOAH initiated the PVS Pathway Recommendations Impact Evaluation. Here, current Delegates were asked to share their perceptions of the outputs, outcomes and impact of the recommendations resulting from their latest PVS report. This survey will contribute to our baseline understanding of programme impact before the global launch of the PVS Information System (PVSIS), targeted for May 2024. 

Preliminary results show that 93% of respondents were satisfied with the recommendations given in PVS reports. Furthermore, 56% attributed all or most of the changes observed in their Veterinary Services (VS) to their engagement in the PVS Pathway, and 71% are hopeful to achieve all or most of the PVS recommendations. The vast majority of respondents (98%) reported that the PVS recommendations made by PVS Experts and presented in PVS reports have had a positive impact on their ability to take concrete actions to improve the performance of their Veterinary Services/Aquatic Animal Health Services. After their latest PVS activity, 39% reported an increase in their financial resources.

Figure 1: the PVS Pathway Recommendations Impact Evaluation survey results.

However, digitalisation and automation can lead to greater impact, which is why WOAH has developed the PVS Information System. Through innovative data visualisation and analysis techniques, WOAH has unlocked valuable text data. This allows governments, investors and partners to access, use and act upon the recommendations more easily, efficiently and strategically.

A vast array of features and visualisations for prioritisation

 The key features of the PVSIS allow users to:

• view all past PVS reports in .pdf;
• see historical PVS Pathway engagement;
• preview Evaluation reports through collapsible and expandable features;
• explore Critical Competencies and Levels of Advancement;
• explore recommendations, strengths, weaknesses and findings for each Critical Competency;
• view performance data and trends across historical data for the first time through dashboards, based on data extracted from PVS reports.

The implementation of PVS missions will become easier than ever. The automation of processes related to travel, security, budget, accounting, correspondence, expert selection and more will make the process more efficient, reducing errors and delays. Moreover, online data collection and report forms are under development for all future initial and Follow-up PVS Evaluation-type missions, and dashboards will feature real-time data insights. 

Security and trust at the heart of the System

 The PVSIS is designed to maintain the same level of confidentiality that Members have already established for all existing PVS reports. While the System allows each Member to view their data securely, they will not have permission to view any other Member’s identifiable data. All interactive dashboards will present all PVS data anonymously and grouped as a cohort analysis, to respect each Member’s preferences and confidentiality.

Delegates who have engaged with the PVS Pathway since 2006 have received instructions on how to connect to the System. We invite them to explore the portal and verify the information’s accuracy. Members with feedback or questions are invited to contact with any queries related to using the data in the System. Likewise, if they are interested in participating in the WOAH PVS Pathway Recommendations Impact Evaluation Survey.

A soft launch will progressively unveil the Information System to WOAH’s network – its staff, Members, PVS experts, partners, and donors – before culminating in its global launch in May 2024.

Stay tuned for updates and training opportunities!

Contact: Jennifer Lasley (j.lasley@woah.org) and Barbara Alessandrini, WOAH Capacity-Building Department

Cover photo: Training provided by the WOAH’s PVSIS Project Team,  SysReforms International and One Health Epi Consulting – © WOAH