The data collectors comprised research associates and social workers. An effort was made to ensure appropriate gender balance, so that any concerns about gender-sensitive issues could be addressed. Prior to data collection, a four-day training workshop was organized for the data collectors, which included the following: an overview of how the study came about; a presentation of the study proposal with a special emphasis on the objectives, methodology and data analysis; and a detailed collective review of the research tools. This involved detailed presentation and discussion in English, followed by discussion of the translated (Setswana) version of the research questions (since the data collectors would be interviewing respondents in Setswana). This training was followed by pre-testing of the tools at Palapye primary hospital, which was not involved in the study. Lessons learnt were discussed by both the data collectors and the researchers to help further modify the tools and clarify some of the issues. The following week, the tools were finalized, centrally coded and sent to the different study sites ready for data collection.