East Asia & Pacific

Assessment of Factors Influencing Retention in the Philippine National Rural Physician Deployment Program

In response to the shortage of doctors in remote communities, the Philippines began a progrom to attract physicians to work in such areas for a prescribed 2-year period, but ongoing monitoring shows that very few chose to remain there for longer. This assessment was carried out to explore the reasons for the low retention rates and to propose possible strategies to reverse the trend. [adapted from abstract]

Child Health Nurses in the Solomon Islands: Lessons for the Pacific and Other Developing Countries

The objectives of this study were to understand the roles of nurses with advanced training in paediatrics in the Solomon Islands and the importance of these roles to child health; to understand how adequately equipped child health nurses feel for these roles; and to identify the training needs, difficulties and future opportunities. [adapted from abstract]

Physiotherapy eSkills Training Online Resource Improves Performance of Practical Skills: A Controlled Trial

The aim of this study was to determine whether the an online eLearning resource in addition to usual teaching improved the performance of practical skills in physiotherapy students. [adapted from abstract]

Work-Family Conflict and Burnout among Chinese Female Nurses: The Mediating Effect of Psychological Capital

Exploring risk factors of nurse’ burnout is important to improve nurses’ health and to increase the quality of health care services. This study aims to explore the relationship between work-family conflict and burnout among Chinese female nurses and the mediating role of psychological capital in this relationship. [from abstract]

Achieving the Twin Objectives of Efficiency and Equity: Contracting Health Services in Cambodia

The Cambodian experience of contracting out for health workers discussed in this document suggests how a move away from the traditional government-provided health services model to government-financed and monitored contracts for health services can be an effective approach to expand coverage especially for the low-income groups. [adapted from author]

Pharmaceutical Care Issues Identified by Pharmacists in Patients with Diabetes, Hypertension or Hyperlipidaemia in Primary Care Settings

This study demonstrates the importance of pharmacists working in collaboration with other healthcare providers, especially medical doctors, in identifying and resolving pharmaceutical care issues to provide optimal care for patients with chronic diseases. [from author]

Stakeholder Perceptions of a Nurse Led Walk-In Centre

This study aimed to ascertain the views of key stakeholders on the introduction of a nurse led primary care walk-in center in a rural region of Australia that aimed to fulfill an unmet health care need in the community due to the shortage of general practitioners, meet projected demand for health care services and relieve pressure on the hospital system. [adapted from abstract[

Method for Developing Standardised Interactive Education for Complex Clinical Guidelines

The aim of this study was to transform the Clinical Practice Guideline for Perinatal Mortality into an education workshop to develop quality standardised interactive education acceptable to participants for learning skills in collaborative interprofessional care. [adapted from abstract]

Community-Based Blood Pressure Measurement by Non-Health Workers Using Electronic Devices: A Validation Study

Qualified health workers are expensive and often unavailable for blood pressure screening. In a poor, urban community the authors compared blood pressure measurements taken by non-health workers using electronic devices against qualified health workers. [from abstract]

Human Resources for Health Migration in the Philippines: A Case Study and Policy Directions

This paper aims to provide information on the migration of Filipino health workers and the impact it has on the individual migrant, his family, professions and specifically the health care system. Further it discusses policy initiatives that have been established to both ensure the country’s competitiveness in the global labor market as well as strengthen its capability to strengthen its health care system. [from introduction]

Management and Organization of Health Professionals, and Health Human Resource Management in China

This presentation provides a background to China’s health workforce by category, the current situation of the health workforce and the challenges and latest responses. [adapted from author]

Assessing Fitness to Practice of Overseas-Trained Health Practitioners by Australian Registration and Accreditation Bodies

Assessment of fitness-to-practice of health professionals trained overseas and who wish to practice in Australia is undertaken by a range of organisations. The purpose of the current paper is to investigate the methods of assessment used by these organisations and the issues associated with conducting these assessments. [from abstract]

HIV and Human Resources Challenges in Papua New Guinea: An Overview

The HIV epidemic in Papua New Guinea (PNG) presents major challenges, including significant human resources challenges. This report presents an overview of the available global literature on HIV and human resources, collates information on the workforce responses to HIV in PNG and highlights human resource issues specific to HIV in PNG. [from summary]

Human Resources for Health and Philippine Policy Options

This literature review attempts to put the phenomenon of HRH migration into context in terms of the underlying factors that prompt workers to relocate, as well as the facilitating effects of globalization and worldwide HRH shortages. [adapted from abstract]

Effort-Reward Imbalance and Quality of Life of Healthcare Workers in Military Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study investigates the association between job stress, psychological morbidity and quality of life in healthcare workers in three military hospitals in Taiwan. [from abstract]

Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior about Public Health Emergencies and the Response Capacity of Primary Care Medical Staffs of Guangdong Province, China

The main objective of this study is to explore the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and the response capacity of primary care medical staff related to public health emergencies in Guangdong Province, China. [adapted from abstract]

Enhanced Maternal and Child Health Nurse Care for Women Experiencing Intimate Partner/Family Violence: Protocol for MOVE, a Cluster Randomised Trial of Screening and Referral in Primary Health Care

This protocol describes the development and design of MOVE, a study to examine intimate partner violence screening effectiveness for nurses and the sustainability of screening practice. [adapted from abstract]

Physicians in Private Practice: Reasons for Being a Social Franchise Member

Evidence is emerging on the cost-effectiveness, quality and health coverage of social franchises (established networks of private sector providers for reproductive health and other primary care services). This study of providers in the Sun Quality Health network in Myanmar explores provider motivations – both financial and non-monetary – for joining and remaining in a social franchise. [adapted from author]

Integrating a Pharmacist into the General Practice Environment: Opinions of Pharmacists, General Practioners, Health Care Consumers, and Practice Managers

Pharmacists are viewed as highly trained yet underutilised and there is growing support to extend the role of the pharmacist within the primary health care sector. This study aimed to describe the opinions of local stakeholders in South-East Queensland on the integration of a pharmacist into the Australian general practice environment. [from abstract]

Revisting Current Barefoot Doctors in Border Areas of China: System of Services, Financial Issue and Clinical Practice Prior to Introducing Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI)

This study aimed at assessing the current situation of the health system of rural health care and evaluating the clinical competency of village doctors in management of childhood illnesses prior to implementing IMCI program in remote border rural areas. [from abstract]

Workplace Violence in a Large Correctional Health Service in New South Wales, Australia: A Retrospective Review of Incident Mangement Records

This study aimed to describe the patterns, severity and outcomes of incidents of workplace violence among employees of a large correctional health service, and to explore the help-seeking behaviours of staff following an incident. [from abstract]

Exploration of the Role of Pharmacists within General Practice Clinics: The Protocol for the Pharmacists in Practice Study (PIPS)

The aim of this study is to develop and test a multifaceted practice pharmacist role in primary care practices to improve the quality use of medicines by patients and clinic staff. [from abstract]

Destination of Pacific Island Health Professional Graduates from a New Zealand University

The authors undertook a survey of both resident and non-resident graduates of Pacific ethnicity from health professional undergraduate courses at the University of Otago in New Zealand to examine the retention of these graduates in Pacific communities and factors influencing their choices of destination. [from author]

Does the Positive Influence of an Undergraduate Rural Placement Persist into Postgraduate Years?

The purpose of this study was to test whether or not the effects of a seven week rural undergraduate placement for medical students (which showed positive influence on student attitudes to rural health and their intention to practise in a rural settings) persisted into postgraduate years. [adapted from abstract]

Challenges Confronting Clinicians in Rural Acute Care Settings: A Participatory Research Project

The major aims of this study were to better understand the challenges faced by rural acute care clinicians and the impact of these challenges on their capacity to carry out their roles. A secondary aim was to explore and prioritise strategies to address selected challenges. [from introduction]

Issues Affecting Therapist Workforce and Service Delivery in the Disability Sector in Rural and Remote New South Wales, Australia: Perspectives of Policy-Makers, Managers and Senior Therapist

This article reports the findings of a qualitative study of therapist workforce and service delivery in the disability sector in rural and remote Australia. The aim was to investigate issues of importance to policy-makers, managers and therapists providing services to people with disabilities in rural and remote areas. [from abstract]

Characteristics of Physicians, Their Migration Patterns and Distance: A Longitudinal Study in Hiroshima, Japan

The authors analyzed the flow of all the clinical physicians in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, with particular attention to migration to rural and distant places to determine effective workforce policies for rural and remote areas. [adapted from introduction]

Integrated Health Sector Response to Violence against Women in Malaysia: Lessons for Supporting Scale Up

Malaysia has been at the forefront of the development and scale up of an integrated health sector model that provides comprehensive care to women and children experiencing physical, emotional and sexual abuse. This study explored the strengths and challenges faced during the scaling up of the model to two states in Malaysia in order to identify lessons for supporting successful scale-up. [from abstract]

Strengthening Church and Government Partnerships for Primary Health Care Delivery in Papua New Guinea: Lessons from the International Experience

This working paper outlines the current operational relationship between the government and church providers of primary health care in Papua New Guinea and presents findings from a literature review to determine the differences between primary health service provision by church-based organizations and government provision, and the characteristics of existing arrangements for governments to engage non-govenment, non-profit providers of primary health services. [adapted from introduction]

Factors and Symptoms Associated with Work Stress and Health-Promoting LIfestyles among Hospital Staff: A Pilot Study in Taiwan

Healthcare workers including physicians, nurses, medical technicians and administrative staff experience high levels of occupational stress as a result of heavy workloads, extended working hours and time-related pressure. The aims of this study were to investigate factors associated with work stress among hospital staff members and to evaluate their health-promoting lifestyle behaviors. [from abstract]