Perception and Performance: Impact of “ASHA-soft” on ASHA Workers in Rural Field Practice Area of a Medical College in Central Karnataka

Introduction: “ASHA-soft” is an online system which captures the details of all the incentives received by the ASHAs for the activities done under various health-care services. The most motivating factor for the ASHA is the financial incentives that they get from government. Therefore, it is very important to overcome the hindrances of providing the timely incentives. To ensure this, “ASHA-soft” was launched. It was started in Karnataka in 2016. This study was conducted to know the perception of the ASHA workers about its introduction and the impact that it had on their performance. Objectives: The objectives are as follows: (1) To describe the perceptions of ASHA workers about the usefulness of “ASHA-soft,” (2) to explore the pattern of incentives received by the ASHA workers, and (3) to determine the impact of “ASHA-soft” on performance of ASHA. Methodology: A mixed method approach study was conducted. Two-year data available on “ASHA-soft” was analyzed and was compared with the data and reports of ASHAs 2 years before launch of “ASHA-soft.” Focus group discussion was conducted for ASHA workers to collect the information about their perception about “ASHA-soft” and the impact it has made on their work. Results: Except for the technical difficulty of not being able to enter data at the PHC level, “ASHA-soft” has been well accepted by the ASHAs. There is a steady increase in activities and incentives year by year after implementation of “ASHA-soft,” especially with regard to Family Planning Services and National Programmes and has shown a positive impact on their performance. Conclusion: Implementation of “ASHA-soft” has increased the satisfaction levels of ASHAs especially with regard to incentives received and has a positive effect on the performance of ASHAs. Key words: ASHA-soft, perception, incentives, activity