Latest Resources

Health Care Providers’ Perceptions of and Attitudes Towards Induced Abortions in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia: A Systematic Literature Review of Qualitative and Quantitative Data

The aim of this study was to identify, summarise and synthesise available research addressing health care providers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards induced abortions in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. [from abstract]

Maternal Mortality: A Cross-Sectional Study in Global Health

Although most of maternal deaths are preventable, maternal mortality reduction programs have not been completely successful. As targeting individuals alone does not seem to be an effective strategy to reduce maternal mortality (Millennium Development Goal 5), the present study sought to reveal the role of many distant macrostructural factors affecting maternal mortality at the global level. [from abstract]

Factors Associated to Job Satisfaction Among Health Care Workers at Public Hospitals of West Shoa Zone, Orom ia Regional State, Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Study

The main aim of this study is to assess job satisfaction and associated factors among healt
h workers at public hospitals in west Shoa zone of Oromia Region. [from abstract]

Implementation of the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist Program at a Tertiary Care Setting in Sri Lanka: A Developing Country Experience

To study institutionalization of the World Health Organization’s Safe Childbirth Checklist (SCC) in a tertiary care center in Sri Lanka. [from abstract]

Strengthening the Foundation for Sustainable Primary Health Care Services in Nigeria

The aim of this descriptive, interventional study is to highlight positive steps taken by governments to re-establish and revitalise PHC, especially by empowering communities, the challenges, and lessons learned as potentials for improvement of a universal, qualitative PHC system in Nigeria. [from abstract]

Integrated Care for Women, Mothers, Children and Newborns: Approaches and Models for Mental Health, Pediatric and Prenatal Care Settings

“Integrated” behavioral health care most often refers to coordinated primary care and mental health care delivery at a co-located clinical site or psychiatric consultation service to a primary care clinical site. Women’s perinatal medical and mental health is an ideal target for integrated, patient-centered, and family-centered care. [from abstract]

Quality of Intrapartum Care by Skilled Birth Attendants in a Refugee Clinic on the Thai-Myanmar Border: A Survey Using WHO Safe Motherhood Needs Assessment

This manuscript describes the quality of intrapartum care provided by SBAs [Skilled Birth Attendants] in Mae La camp, a low resource, protracted refugee context on the Thai-Myanmar border. [from abstract]

The Free Health Care Initiative: How Has it Affected Health Workers in Sierra Leone

No study to date has focused on how the decisions made, or not made, in the post-conflict
period can affect the longer term pattern of attraction, retention, distribution and
performance of health workers, and thus ultimately the performance of the sector. [from abstract]

Health in Africa and Faith Communities: What Do We Know?

Faith-inspired organizations (FIOs) and communities are important providers of healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa (as in other world regions). Quality can be high and the focus is often on serving the very poor and marginalized, but FIO work is rarely treated as a central part of national and global health strategies and systems.

Maternal Satisfaction with the Delivery Services in Assela Hospital, Arsi Zone, Oromia Region

Objective of this paper is to assess maternal satisfaction with the delivery service in Assela hospital, Arsi zone, Oromia region. [from abstract]

Barriers to Accessing Health Care Services for Children With Disabilities in Southern Africa: The Case of Namibia

The review found out that the barriers to access occur when the density of health care facilities is low and in settings where the transportation system, road networks and infrastructure is poor. Most of the studies under review further noted that even in cases where health services are well distributed and available other factors act as barriers to access. [from abstract]

What About My Health? An Assessment of How the Health and Safety Issues of Health Workers are Addressed

Hospitals are established to attend to the health needs of people as well as to treat the injured and the sick. However, health workers are sometimes faced with occupational health and safety issues which give a bad image to the socio-economic importance of the hospitals.
This study assessed how the health and safety issues of health workers in the public health facilities of Ghana are addressed. [from abstract]

Occupational Health Hazards among Healthcare Workers in Kampala, Uganda

The aim of this paper is to assess the occupational health hazards faced by healthcare workers and the mitigation measures. [adapted from abstract]

Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic in West Africa: Lessons Learned and Issues Arising from West African Countries

How can the world improve the health systems in low- and middle-income countries to effectively manage future outbreaks? Recently, the Royal College of Physicians launched a new partnership with the West African College of Physicians to curtail the effects of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the region. We believe that strengthened health systems, skilled human resources for health and national ownership of problems are key to effective management of outbreaks such as Ebola Virus Disease. [from abstract]

Attitudes and Practices of Health Care Workers Towards HIV Positive Patients at the Federal Medical Centre Owo Ondo State Nigeria

The study was designed to determine the attitude and practices of health care workers towards HIV positive patients at the Federal Medical Centre Owo , Ondo State, Nigeria. [from abstract]

PEPFAR Human Resources for Health Strategy - PEPFAR 3.0

PEPFAR is pivoting the scale-up of resources and services towards health service delivery sites with moderate and high yield of patients, communities that link patients to those sites, and geographic areas with high burden of HIV. Meeting demand in those settings requires an adequate supply and appropriate skills mix of HRH available to provide quality HIV services along the continuum of care. [from introduction]

Challenges of Clinical Leadership in Nigeria

Trending in Nigeria is the conventional view that medical practitioners should look after patients, while administrators look after organizations. Yet several pioneering healthcare institutions have turned this assumption on its head and achieved outstanding performance in the UK and in central Europe. This can be replicated in Nigeria through the adoption of clinical leadership practices and the restructuring of the healthcare system in Nigeria, which has been characterized by strike actions from medical
practioners. [from abstract]

Taking mHealth Solutions to Scale: Enabling Environments and Successful Implementation

The following case study offers a look at some of these basic ingredients and approaches that can help to achieve both scale and sustainability in the African context. We focus in particular on how closing persistent gaps increases the likelihood of mainstreaming mHealth initiatives into health systems. [from introduction]

Evaluations of Reproductive Health Programs in Humanitarian Settings: A Systematic Review

Provision of reproductive health (RH) services is a minimum standard of health care in humanitarian settings; however access to these services is often limited. This systematic review, one component of a global evaluation of RH in humanitarian settings, sought to explore the evidence regarding RH services provided in humanitarian settings and to determine if programs are being evaluated. [from abstract]

Assessing Post-Abortion Care in Health Facilities in Afghanistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Complications of abortion are one of the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide, along with hemorrhage, sepsis, and hypertensive diseases of pregnancy. In Afghanistan little data exist on the capacity of the health system to provide post-abortion care (PAC). This paper presents findings from a national emergency obstetric and neonatal care needs assessment related to PAC, with the aim of providing insight into the current situation and recommendations for improvement of PAC services. [from abstract]

Guidance for Establishing a National Health Laboratory System

Establishment of a comprehensive National Health Laboratory System provides the framework for coordinated development and delivery of accessible, quality laboratory services countrywide. This ‘’Guidance for Establishing a National Health Laboratory System‘’ provides technical guidance for the steps required to develop a National Laboratory Policy and National Laboratory Strategic Plan, and effectively implement all the key elements of a comprehensive National Health Laboratory System. [from executive summary]

Health Systems and Gender in Post-Conflict Contexts: Building Back Better?

As part of a larger research project that explores whether and how gender equity considerations are taken into account in the reconstruction and reform of health systems in conflict-affected and post conflict countries, we undertook a narrative literature review based on the questions “How gender sensitive is the reconstruction and reform of health systems in post conflict countries, and what factors need to be taken into consideration to build a gender equitable health system?” We used the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) six building blocks as a framework for our analysis; these six b

Rural-Proofing for Health: Guidelines

A guide to accounting for rural contexts in health policy, strategic planning and resourcing. Addressing the
specific rural health context in policy design, budget allocations and implementation plans is not yet a standard process in South Africa. This guide addresses that, to ensure that “the rural health context” is addressed adequately
when new policies and budgets are drawn up and implemented in the beautiful rural parts of our country. [adapted from resource]

Design and Implementation of a Health Management Information System in Malawi: Issues, Innovations and Results

As in many developing countries, lack of reliable data and grossly inadequate appreciation and use of available information in planning and management of health services were two main weaknesses of the health information systems in Malawi. As a first step towards conceptualization and design of the system, a minimum set of indicators was identified and a strategy was formulated for establishing a system in the country. [from abstract]

Aligning Vertical Interventions to Health Systems: A Case Study of the HIV Monitoring and Evaluation System in South Africa

Since responsibility for health services management lies at the district (sub-national) level, this study aimed to assess the extent to which the HIV M&E system is integrated with the overall health system M&E function at district level. This study describes implementation of the HIV M&E system, determines the extent to which it is integrated with the district health information system (DHIS), and evaluates factors influencing HIV M&E integration. [from abstract]