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Empowerment Model for Nurse Leaders’ Participation in Health Policy Development: an East African Perspective

Nurses comprise the largest portion of the health care workforce in most countries; they interact closely with patients and communities, they work throughout the day and within all sectors of health care. Their breath of practice gives them a broad understanding of requirements of the health care system, of how factors in the environment affect the health outcomes of clients and communities. Nurses’ involvement in health policy development ensures that health services are: safe, effective, available and inexpensive. [from abstract]

Enhancing the Quality of Clinical Clerkships in a Resource Limited Settings Medical School: Northern Tanzania

To reduce healthcare worker shortages in sub-Saharan Africa, medical schools have increased enrolment. However, this
expansion has not been accompanied by adequate increases in faculty size or physical infrastructure.
Consequently, classes are overcrowded, and may lead to reduction in the quality of training, especially during clinical clerkships. Aiming to expose medical students to rural working environments and reduce overcrowding at the
main teaching hospital, in 2012 Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College(KCMUCo) introduced a 12-week clerkship
rotation.

Successful mLearning Pilot in Senegal: Delivering Family Planning Refresher Training Using Interactive Voice Response and SMS

Health workers’ knowledge of contraceptive side effects increased substantially after the refresher training. The mobile phone approach was convenient and flexible and did not disrupt routine service delivery. Clear limitations of the medium are participants can’t practice clinical skills or have interactive discussions. Also, some participants had trouble with network reception. [from abstract]

Basic E-learning Course on Human Rights and Health

Disseminate the links between health and human rights and explain the international human rights instruments that protect the right to health and other related human rights. [from materials]

Gender and Health: Awareness, analysis and Action: A Virtual Course

The purpose of this course is to provide PAHO/WHO staff with basic skills on gender mainstreaming in health. The elearning builds familiarity with how gender operates as a determinant of health, guides guides participants through basic steps of applying gender responsive planning to their work, and introduces the basic skills to integrate gender concerns into public health practice.

Optimizing Health Worker Roles to Improve Access to Key Maternal and Newborn Health Interventions through Task Shifting

The objective of this guidance is to issue evidence-based recommendations to facilitate universal access to key, effective maternal and newborn interventions through the optimization of health worker roles. These recommendations are intended for health policy-makers, managers and other stakeholders at a regional, national and international level. [from introduction]

Creating Technical Assistance Libraries to Capture Tacit Knowledge

In international nongovernmental organizations such as Pathfinder International, staff often lack quick and easy access to the expertise of their colleagues due to demands on time, competing priorities, and lack of systems to capture this knowledge. To address this issue, Pathfinder created a collection of high-quality technical resources that also includes the experiences of technical advisors in using the resources.

Enhancing Public Health Practice through a Capacity-Building Educational Programme: An Evaluation

The Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Health Management, launched by the Govt. of India under the aegis of the National Rural Health Mission in 2008, aims to enhance the managerial capabilities of public health professionals to improve the public health system. The Govt. of India invested enormous resources into this programme and requested an evaluation to understand the current processes, assess the graduates’work performance and identify areas for improvement. [from abstract]

Guide to the Performance Appraisal System in the Civil Service and Local Authorities

The purpose of this guide is to assist the Appraising Officer (Supervisor) and the Appraisee in the effective implementation of the PAS in the Civil Service and Local Authorities. [from introduction]

Human Resources for Health Issues in Kenya: Constraints and opportunities from a recent baseline survey

This paper summarizes the outcome of a rapid baseline survey and reveals critical gaps in the policy framework for HRH as well as resource constraint that must be addressed through additional budgets and better articulation of health workforce issues beyond personnel emoluments. The study shows the need for civil society organizations to join hands with development partners, Faith based organizations to advocate and support implementation of specific measures to address well documented HRH challenges. [from introduction]

What Drives the Community Health Services in Kenya: Results of a recent mapping exercise of Community Health Units in three regions of Turkana North, Greater Machakos, and Kibera

This position paper highlights the outcome of a recent mapping exercise in Turkana, Machakos and Kibera. Insights
from this study indicate that communities have embraced the Community Health Strategy and its contribution to improved
health status. [from introduction]

Improving Benchmarks for Key Health Service Delivery Areas: Evaluation of Demonstration Sites Interventions

The main objective of the evaluation was to conduct a review of the support given by the Capacity Kenya Project at the selected demonstration sites and their contribution to the health worker productivity and/or retention. [from introduction]

Baseline and Work Load Indicator Assessment for Community Health Workforce: A Case of Selected Community Units in Nyanza and Coast Regions

This study sought to assess the staff requirements, work load and performance with respect to the CH work force
using workload indicator of staffing need (WISN) tool. The ultimate objective was to provide information to guide the organization, management and development of the work force. [from abstract]

Career Plans of Primary Care Midwives in the Netherlands and Their Intentions to Leave the Current Job

In labour market policy and planning, it is important to understand the motivations of people to
continue in their current job or to seek other employment. Over the last decade, besides the increasingly medical
approach to pregnancy and childbirth and decreasing home births, there were additional dramatic changes and
pressures on primary care midwives and midwifery care. Therefore, it is important to re-evaluate the career plans
of primary care midwives and their intentions to leave their current job. [from abstract]

Strengthening Human Resource for Health in South-East Asia: Time for Action and Commitment (Report of a regional meeting, Thimphu, Bhutan, 19–21 November 2014)

The meeting was organized under three themes: (i) rural retention of health workforce; (ii) transforming and scaling up health professionals’ education and training; and (iii) human resources for health in the context of universal health coverage(UHC). [from abstract]

A Systematic Review of Nursing Research Priorities on Health System and Services in the Americas

To systematically review literature on priorities in nursing research on health systems and services in the Region of the Americas as a step toward developing a nursing research agenda that will advance the Regional Strategy for Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage. [from abstract]

Global Evidence on Inequities in Rural Health Protection: New Data on Rural Deficits in Health Coverage for 174 Countries

This paper presents global estimates on rural/urban disparities in access to health-care services. The report uses proxy indicators to assess key dimensions of coverage and access involving the core principles of universality and equity. Based on the results of the estimates, policy options are discussed to close the gaps in a multi-sectoral approach addressing issues and their root causes both within and beyond the health sector. [from abstract]

Assessment of Human Resources for Health Programme Implementation in 15 Latin American and Caribbean Countries

The health systems in the Americas region are characterized by fragmentation and segmentation, which constitute an important barrier to expanding coverage, achieving integrated primary health care, and reducing inefficiency and discontinuity of care. [from abstract]

West Africa Private Health Sector: Six Macro-Level Assessments

This brief is a summary of the West Africa private health sector assessment conducted by the SHOPS project. The assessment looked at six countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania, Niger, and Togo. The brief presents the assessment methods, findings, and both regional and country-specific recommendations. The recommendations aim to strengthen family planning and HIV service delivery by leveraging the unique capabilities of the West Africa Health Organization as well as each country’s private health sector. [from resource]

Evidence on Feasibility and Effective Use of mHealth Strategies by Frontline Health Workers in Developing Countries: Systematic Review

Given the large scale adoption and deployment of mobile phones by health services and frontline health workers (FHW), we aimed to review and synthesize the evidence on the feasibility and effectiveness of mobile-based services on healthcare delivery. [from abstract]

Geospatial Analysis in Global Health M&E

Geospatial Analysis in Global Health: A Monitoring and Evaluation Guide for Making Informed Decisions provides monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practitioners an overview of geospatial analysis techniques applicable to their work. This guide shows how geospatial analysis can be used to support public health program decision-making along with routine planning and M&E. [from abstract]

Mobile Technology for Monitoring and Evaluation and Health Information Systems in Low- to Middle-Income Countries

In many developing country settings, limited resources constrain the development and expansion of certain technology infrastructures — such as high-speed Internet — that could facilitate more efficient data collection and reporting in the health sector. Mobile technologies may offer an affordable alternative to (or alongside) other electronic health applications in many low-resource settings. In this paper, current uses of such mobile technologies in the developing world are discussed, and how these approaches can be applied to improve national monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems.

Tracking Implementation and (Un)intended Consequences: A Process Evaluation of an Innovative Peripheral Health Facility Financing Mechanism in Kenya

In many African countries, user fees have failed to achieve intended access and quality of care improvements. Subsequent user fee reduction or elimination policies have often been poorly planned, without alternative sources of income for facilities. We describe early implementation of an innovative national health financing intervention in Kenya; the health sector services fund (HSSF). [from abstract]

Health Sector Planning and Budgeting in Kenya: Recommendations to Improve Alignment

Kenya, like many developing countries, suffers from a persistent misalignment between policy, planning and budgeting; resulting in a failure of the government to achieve public sector targets and respond to changing population needs. Research conducted by KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme has found that several years after the adoption of these planning and budgeting tools, the desired linkage between policy, planning and resource allocation in the health sector is far from being realised.

mHealth and Gender: Making the Connection

The use of mHealth interventions withinin health systems research is increasing, with few taking into account the connections between gender and mHealth. This policy brief attempts to fill this gap by exploring key connections between mHealth and gender that need to be taken into account when conducting or implementing mHealth research and interventions.

Health Research Capacity in Africa: How to Measure?

Improving the capacity of local researchers in Africa is a recognised way to advance health and development. Numerous approaches to health research capacity strengthening (health RCS) exist, including training for individuals, improving research systems within institutions, and international collaborations among health research agencies. But how do we know if these approaches work and
which are the most effective

Three-Stage Data Envelopment Analysis as a Tool for Nurse Leader Performance Appraisals

This article proposes a performance appraisal based on competency models of leadership for a larger professional group working across several different organizations, yet in similar professional and institutional environments. The empirical data in this article are based on two surveys that were conducted in 15 Slovenian public hospitals. [from abstract]

Inequities in Chinese Health Services: An Overview of the Recent History of Chinese Health Care and Recommendations for Reform

The Chinese health system was once held up as a model for providing universal health care in the developing world in the 1970s, only to have what is now considered one of the least equitable systems in the world according to the World Health Organization. This article begins with a brief look at what equity in health services entails, and considers the inequities in access to health services in China among different segments of the population. [from abstract]

Examining the Communication Effects of Health Campaigns: A Case Study Using Find Thirty Every Day® in Western Australia

The aims of this study were to examine the relationship between campaign awareness and four socio-cognitive variables on changes in physical activity levels among a cohort of adults exposed to a physical activity campaign. Find Thirty every day® was a population-wide, serial mass media campaign delivered in Western Australia. [from abstract]

The Role of Institutions on the Effectiveness of Malaria Treatment in the Ghanaian Health Sector

The objective of this study is to find the effect of institutional factors on the quality of care. The institutional factors examined were mainly the extent of decentralization between government and health facilities, as well as between health workers and facility administration, the hiring procedure, and job satisfaction. [from abstract]