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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]

Optimizing Performance and Quality

Optimizing Performance and Quality (OPQ) is a stakeholder-driven, cyclical process for analyzing human and organizational performance and setting up interventions to improve performance and quality or build on strengths and successes. The OPQ process is a seven-stage process to builds capacity within an organization to recognize and address problems or performance gaps on an ongoing basis. [from resource]

Health Seeking Behaviour and Challenges in Utilising Health Facilities in Wakiso District, Uganda

The health seeking behaviour of a community determines how they use health services. Utilisation of health facilities can be influenced by the cost of services, distance to health facilities, cultural beliefs, level of education and health facility inadequacies such as stock-out of drugs.
This study will assess the health seeking practices and challenges in utilising health facilities in a rural community in Wakiso district, Uganda. [from abstract]

Public Health Care for South African Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People: Health Rights Violations and Accountability Mechanisms

This study aimed to document LGBT people’s experiences in SA public sector health care, including access to HIV counselling, testing and treatment, to analyse to what extend LGBT people’s right to health is actioned. It also investigates strategies for LGBT people to seek resolution and create accountability when experiencing health rights violations. [from abstract]

Poor Availability of Skilled Birth Attendants in Nigeria: A Case Study of Enugu State Primary Health Care System

The Government of Enugu State plans to offer free perinatal services at the primary health care (PHC) centers in order to improve perinatal outcomes in the state, but it was not clear whether there are skilled birth attendants (SBAs) at the PHC level to implement the program. This study aims to determine whether there are sufficient numbers of SBAs in the public PHC system in Enugu State of Nigeria. [adapted from abstract]

Guide for Developing National Patient Safety Policy and Strategic Plan

A national patient safety policy is essential but it must reflect the context and needs of the individual country. To avoid reinventing the wheel, patient safety policy must reference internationally approved and tested guidelines and policy recommendations. Policy-makers require an accessible resource for the task of developing the national patient safety policy and patient safety strategic plan in order that they are comprehensive as well as precise and yet uncomplicated and flexible. [from introduction]

Conceptualizing the Impacts of Dual Practice on the Retention of Public Sector Specialists - Evidence from South Africa

‘Dual practice’, or multiple job holding, generally involves public sector-based health workers taking additional work in the private sector. There has been little conceptual or empirical development of the relationship between dual practice and retention. This article helps begin to fill this gap, drawing on empirical evidence from a qualitative
study focusing on South African specialists. [from abstract]

Comparison of Manual and Electronic Methods of Nursing Record: A Nurse's Perspective

Recording nursing reports is considered as a quality assurance tool for patients and nurses. Nowadays,the presence of electronic health record systems is an indicator of development. Studies on advantages and disadvantages of the electronic and manual recording methods have shown different results. In this study, electronic and manual recording of nursing reports were compared from the perspective of nurses. [from abstract]

The Impact of Student-Centered Pedagogy on Training in a Pediatrics Course

This study aimed to determine the attitudes of students towards learning method based on problem solving as a student-centered and their satisfaction from the student-centered learning method in the medical students of Mashhad University of Medical Science.

Improving Health Outcomes and Health Care in India

With India’s low life expectancy largely reflecting deaths from preventable diseases, the most significant gains in health would come from population-wide preventive measures. Access to public health care services varies substantially, resulting in many people turning to private-sector providers who mainly serve those who can pay. [from abstract]