PSI

Coverage is the proportion of geographic areas where a product or service is available according to pre-defined minimum standards.

Geographic areas can be villages, neighborhoods, hotzones, census enumeration areas, etc.

Product availability is defined by the minimum standard for coverage. These vary from one product to another and also depend on the targets set by each program. Minimum standards that are used, for example, are: “at least one condom outlet per census enumeration area”, “one outlet with water treatment products for every 500 people in a neighborhood”, and “30% or more hotspots usually sell condoms within the hotzone”.

Quality of coverage is the proportion of geographic areas where a product or service is available AND where additional minimum standards of quality are present:

Promotion materials are present inside or outside the outlet, adherence to recommended retail price, product is displayed in a visible location, outlet has accessible operating hours, product is within expiry date, outlet stock directly from wholesaler/distributor, etc.

Access is the proportion of a target population that is within the catchment area of a product or service delivery point.

The catchment area is based on a geographic or time distance and depends on the product or service. For example, a radius of 100 meters around condom outlets in hotzones, or 10 km for bednet outlets in rural areas). People who live, work, meet, and/or entertain within the catchment area of a delivery point are said to have easy access to the product or service.

Penetration is the proportion of outlets in which a product or service is available: out of all potential outlets for a given product or service, it is the percentage of outlets that actually sell the product or provide the service.