I&E Materials Review Toolkit

The purpose of I&E materials review is to ensure that I&E materials developed or made available under a Title X project are suitable for the intended population or community, including clients and potential clients. Before launching an I&E materials review process, agencies should take steps to understand the requirements and components of this process. 

Agencies should begin by ensuring that they have up-to-date, Title X-compliant I&E policies. Then they should take an inventory of all family planning and reproductive health materials they share or are considering sharing with clients and potential clients.

In reviewing materials, the I&E Advisory Committee must:

• Consider the educational, cultural, and diverse backgrounds of the individuals to whom the materials are addressed
• Consider the standards of the population or community to be served with respect to such materials
• Review the content of each material to assure that the information is factually correct, medically accurate, culturally and linguistically appropriate, inclusive, and trauma-informed
• Determine whether a material is suitable for the population or community to which it is to be made available
• Establish a written record of its determinations

Many Title X agencies accomplish these goals by assigning a staff person to conduct an initial review to ensure that the materials align with the educational, cultural, and diverse backgrounds of their client population. They then assign a clinical services provider to assess the materials for medical accuracy. Once the staff complete these two steps and agree that the materials are appropriate, the I&E Advisory Committee reviews the materials.

While conducting in-person Advisory Committee meetings is the gold standard, convening in-person meetings may not always be feasible. Many Title X agencies have I&E policies that allow for alternative methods of obtaining Advisory Committee feedback such as:

• Sending materials and review forms to committee members electronically and conducting the meeting over the phone, via video conference, or by collecting committee members’ input via an online survey.
• Soliciting feedback from clients. Clients can be recruited to serve on the Advisory Committee when they make their appointments or while they are waiting to see a provider. When recruiting clients for I&E materials review, be sure to tell them that their participation is voluntary and will not impact the services they receive.

Reviewers can use the forms below to guide and document their review process, regardless of whether they conduct in-person committee meetings or obtain feedback virtually, electronically, or from clients in the waiting room.

Once the material has been through the complete review process, the Title X agency should summarize the findings and recommendations of all reviewers, document both the final recommendation about whether to distribute the material to clients as well as how the review process led to this decision, and organize all documentation in order to easily demonstrate compliance with I&E requirements.

This toolkit was supported by the Office of Population Affairs (Grant FPTPA006030). The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.