Browse by Subject

The Use of ICT Tools (Mobile Phones) to Improve Awareness of Pregnancy Danger Signs among Pregnant Women in Rural Communities of South Africa

he present study investigated awareness of pregnancy danger signs, symptoms and associated factors among a group of South African pregnant women attending prenatal care clinics in rural setting. [from abstract]

Practice of Hospital Pharmacy in Bangladesh: Current Perspective

Although hospital pharmacists are recognized for its importance as health care provider in many developed
countries, in most developing countries it is still underutilized. The aim of the present study was to summarize the
current scenario of pharmacy practices in four hospitals of Bangladesh and to identify the pharmacist’s roles in
these situations. [from abstract]

Strengthening Health Systems for Resilience

In countries with high levels of poverty or instability and with poor health system management and governance, people are highly vulnerable to shocks associated with ill health, including major epidemics. An effective health system can help build their resilience by reducing exposure to infection and minimising the impact of sickness on livelihoods and economic development. [from introduction]

Developing and Refining the Methods for a 'One-Stop Shop' for Research Evidence about Health Systems

Policymakers, stakeholders and researchers have not been able to find research evidence about health systems using an easily understood taxonomy of topics, know when they have conducted a comprehensive search of the many types of research evidence relevant to them, or rapidly identify decision-relevant information in their search results. [from abstract]

Health in All Policies: Training Manual

The purpose of this manual is to provide a resource for training to increase understanding of Health in All Policies (HiAP) by health and other professionals. It is anticipated that the material in this manual will form the basis of two- or three-day workshops, which will: Build capacity to promote, implement and evaluate HiAP; Encourage engagement and collaboration across sectors; Facilitate the exchange of experiences and lessons learned; Promote regional and global collaboration on HiAP; and Promote dissemination of skills to develop training courses for trainers. [from overview]

Quality Assurance of Pharmacy Education: The FIP Global Framework

The Framework is offered primarily as a tool – to be used in whole or in part - to facilitate the establishment of systems of quality assurance in countries where no such formal systems exist or for improvement of existing systems. Where regional similarities and collaborations exist, the Framework may also be applied at a regional rather than national level. [from forward]

Note:This document is an updated and expanded version of the FIP Global Framework for Quality Assurance of Pharmacy Education Version 1, adopted by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in 2008.

The Factors that Attract Healthcare Professionals to and Retain Them in Rural Areas in South Africa

Attracting healthcare professionals (HCPs) to rural areas and retaining them there remains a challenge. Current retention strategies focus on the factors that cause people to leave rural areas, but these strategies continue to fail to retain HCPs in these areas, and the situation in which there is a lack of quality and inadequacy of the type of health services is perpetuated. The literature describes factors that attract healthcare workers to work in rural areas, and this study contributes to a deeper understanding of this. [from abstract]

The Self-Reported Learning Needs of Primary Care Doctors in South Africa: A Descriptive Survey

Strengthening primary health care in South Africa is a prerequisite for the successful introduction of National
Health Insurance. Primary care doctors from both the public and private sectors are an essential contributor to achieving this goal. In order to prepare these doctors for their future role, a national diploma training programme is being developed. This study aimed to evaluate the learning needs of primary care doctors and to assist with the design of the diploma. [from abstract]

Mobile Application Design for Health Intermediaries: Considerations for Information Access and Use

This paper employs a qualitative meta-analysis in unpacking the dynamism of intermediary practice in South Africa. The authors consider mobile application design in accessing and using health information. A number of critical design considerations are presented, including the role of context as a static and dynamic modality. The authors ultimately derive an information model, which assimilates four intersecting dimensions of context. [from abstract]

The New HIV/AIDS Program in Peru: The Role of Prioritizing and Budgeting for Results

This study aims to evaluate and develop recommendations on how the HIV/AIDS program in Peru can achieve better Value for Money. [from abstract]

Factors Affecting Choice of Place for Childbirth Among Women in Ahferom Woreda, Tigray, 2013

Reduction of maternal mortality is a global priority particularly in developing countries including
Ethiopia where maternal mortality ratio is one of the highest in the world. The key to reducing maternal mortality ratio is increasing attendance by skilled health personnel throughout pregnancy and delivery. However, delivery service is significantly lower in Tigray region. Therefore, this study aimed to assess factors affecting choice of place of child birth among women in Ahferom woreda. [from abstract]

Soothsaying as Health Seeking Behaviour: Implications for Medical Treatment of Diseases Perceived to be Supernatural

In spite of the advances in modern medical technologies in dealing with ill-health, a section of society continues to use divination in their search for therapy. Using a qualitative survey, this study sought to gain insight into reasons why this practice is pervasive. [from abstract]

The Effect of Mutual Task Sharing on the Number of Needed Health Workers at the Iranian Health Posts; Does task sharing Increase Efficiency?

Nowadays task sharing is a way to optimize utilization of human resources for health. This study was
designed to assess the effect of task sharing, mutually between midwives and Family Health Workforces (FHWs), on
the number of needed staff across the Iranian Health Posts. [from abstract]

The Effect of Hospital Service Quality on Patient's Trust

This study aimed to examine the effect of quality of services provided in private hospitals on the patient’s trust. [from abstract]

Structural and Contextual Dimensions of Iranian Primary Health Care System at Local Level

This study was performed to illustrate structural and contextual dimensions of organizational structure and relationship between them in Iranian primary health care system at local level. [from abstract]

The Right to Health, Health Systems Development and Public Health Policy Challenges in Chad

This paper uses a secondary data analysis of existing documents by the Ministry of Public Health, Institut National de la Statistique, des Etudes Economiques et Démographiques(INSEED), the Ministry of Economy and Agence Française de Cooperation to analyze critically the shape and performance of health systems in Chad based on key concepts and
components of the right to health contained in article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and on General Comment 14. [from abstract]

Utilization of Community Health Workers for Malaria Treatment: Results from a Three-Year Panel Study in the Districts of Kaya and Zorgho, Burkina Faso

Malaria is holo-endemic in Burkina Faso and causes approximately 40,000 deaths every year. In 2010, health authorities scaled up community case management of malaria with artemisinin-based combination therapy. Previous trials and pilot project evaluations have shown that this strategy may be feasible, acceptable, and effective under controlled implementation conditions. However, little is known about its effectiveness or feasibility/acceptability under real-world conditions of implementation at national scale. [from abstract]

Scaling Up Health Workforce Education and Training: Guide for Applying the Bottlenecks and Best Buys Approach

Bottlenecks and Best Buys Approach is designed to help educational institutions identify obstacles to increasing the production of competent and qualified graduates that can be overcome through limited yet strategic investments. This guide draws from the project’s experience of adapting and applying the approach in more than 30 nursing, midwifery, medical, health assistant, and community health extension worker schools, both public and privately owned, in seven African countries. [from introduction]

Health Workforce Planning: An Overview and Suggested Approach in Oman

This review analyses various approaches to health workforce planning and presents the Six-Step Methodology to Integrated Workforce Planning which highlights essential elements in workforce planning to ensure the quality of services. [from abstract]

Examining the Teaching Roles and Experiences of Non-Physician Health Care Providers in Family Medicine Education: A Qualitative Study

Primary Care reform in Canada and globally has encouraged the development of interprofessional
primary care initiatives. This has led to significant involvement of non-physician Health Care Providers (NPHCPs) in the teaching of medical trainees. The objective of this study was to understand the experiences, supports and challenges facing non-physician health care providers in Family Medicine education. [from abstract]

Standard Days Method of Contraception: Evidence on Use, Implementation, and Scale Up

This working paper summarizes the results of a structured review on SDM [Standard Days Method] by the Evidence Project in 2014. This review utilized standardized search strings and systematic screening and abstracting criteria for reviewing available peer-reviewed and grey literature reports on SDM outcomes.

The mHealth Planning Guide: Key Considerations for Integrating Mobile Technology into Health Programs

The mHealth Planning Guide helps individuals and organizations appropriately plan for mHealth deployments. [from introduction]

Systematic Review of Feasibility and Acceptability of Psychosocial Interventions for Schizophrenia in Low and Middle Income Countries

In low and middle income countries there is evidence to suggest effectiveness of community-
based psychosocial interventions for schizophrenia. Many psychosocial interventions have
however been conceptualized in high income countries and assessing their feasibility and
acceptability in low and middle income countries is pertinent and the objective of this review. [from abstract]

The Role of the District Family Physician

District clinical specialist teams were formed in 2012. One member of the team is the family physician. The role of the district family physician is discussed and the case made for focusing on the organisational health of the medical teams practising family medicine within the district as an effective way to improve the quality of medical care delivered in the district. [from abstract]

Self-Directed e-Learning at a Tertiary Hospital in Malawi – A Qualitative Evaluation and Lessons Learnt

We have introduced an e-learning platform in the medical department of the Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Malawi. With the support of computer-assisted instruction, we aimed to improve the quality of medical training and education, as well as access to current medical materials, in particular for interns. From March to April 2012, we conducted a qualitative evaluation to assess relevance and appropriateness of the e-learning platform. Data was collected via face-to-face interviews, a guided group discussion and a checklist based observation log. [from abstract]

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]