Documents & Reports

This brief outlines a comprehensive human resources information system to support management functions in the public health sector that is being implemented by the Ministries of Health in Kenya. [adapted from author]

This document is an introduction to the optimizing performance and quality process for analyzing the performance of health workers, organizations, and systems, and setting up interventions to improve performance and quality or build on strengths and successes. [adapted from author]

This brief outlines the concept of performance-based incentives (PBI) in the health sector, facilitating the design of these incentive programs using the case of Senegal as an example, building the evidence for PBI and integrating PBI into strengthening efforts. [adapted from author]

Prepared as a background document for “The State of the World’s Midwifery 2011,” this paper focuses on three overarching aspects essential to midwifery workforce management: managing entry to the workforce, managing stay in the workforce, and managing exit from the workforce. [adapted from author]

Issued by an international group of experts in health and private sector, this report stresses the importance of the private sector in responding to the HRH crisis and the need for further health workforce innovation, that increased the supply, improved the effectiveness of health workers. [from publisher]

The brief describes the difference a community health worker program has made to the lives of children in one remote region of Ghana.

This booklet provides an overview of capacity development and some basic definitions; highlights examples of practice in action from the field; and a series of tools and resources useful for developing and implementing capacity development programs. The case studies include examples such as health provider training to meet the needs of young people in Guyana, telemedicing in Mongolia, and investing in midwives and midwifery. [adapted from author]

This tool kit has been specifically designed to present an overview of the key aspects of a complex area of development need: how we close the gap between evidence and action to encourage nurses to use an evidence-based approach to their practice. [adapted from author]

This paper provides an overview of the issues related to the improvement of the functioning of the laboratory workforce, of the position of the laboratory worker in the health services and the implications of this position for optimal use of the laboratory services by clinicians in low income countries. [from author]

This brief presents an overview of issues related to the production and training of health workers with suggested actions, key considerations, and resources. [from publisher]

Participants in the Human Resources for Health Leadership and Management Course in Uganda share some perspectives on a program designed to help them address health workforce challenges at the district level. [from publisher]

This report looks at how innovations in the skill mix of health workers can improve the quality and availability of health services and reduce costs. It identifies the key success factors and the environment necessary for effective innovation and outlines the main gaps in the evidence base, concluding with recommendations to professionals, governments, development agencies and research bodies. [from publisher]

This document provides a strategy for addressing the complex problem of gender-based violence and concrete approaches for carrying it out, not only for those on the front lines attending to the women who live with violence, but also for decision-makers who may incorporate the lessons in the development of policies and resources. [from introduction]

This brief provides insight into the magnitude of gender-based violence, the risk factors and the health effects, as well as the costs to society and impact on economic growth. It outlines some feasible health sector interventions, which would minimize the prevalence and impact on the individual and the society. [from author]

This edition of Hotline, an HRH newletter focused on the needs of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in Africa, highlights resources, trainings and workshops, articles of interest and other information for FBO HRH pracitioners.

The health sector in Sub-Saharan Africa is most often unfunded, including the health workforce, but many countries do not meet the minimum health staffing levels to provide essential care. This brief outlines the the need for ministries of finance and health to allocate additional financial resources for HRH to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of current capital and recurrent expenditures. [adapted from author]

The Global Health Workforce Alliance, a partnership dedicated to identifying and coordinating solutions to the health workforce crisis, produced this report of the HRH activities and progress of the last five years and the refocusing of its efforts for the next five years. Topics include: health workforce at the heart of global agendas; accelerating country actions; promoting evidence-based HRH solutions; and supporting core health management functions. [adapted from author]

This paper investigates whether governments in developing countries can retain skilled health workers by raising public sector wages using sudden, policy-induced wage variation, in which the Government of Ghana restructured the pay scale for government health workers. [adapted from abstract]

The purpose of this review of nursing intervention literature was to document the comparative effects and costs of models of nursing intervention on patient outcomes, such as morbidity and mortality, and on system outcomes, such as health resource use. This information will be used to provide suggestions about innovative, effective and efficient models of nursing intervention. [from summary]

In rural India, frontline health workers—called accredited social health activists (or ASHAs)—are improving the health of women and families in their own communities by offering key preventive health services. Through the Manthan Project, IntraHealth International is testing a promising multi-media mobile phone application called mSakhi as a tool to make ASHAs’ jobs both easier and more effective. [from author]

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]

This report presents the findings and key messages for Thailand of a multicountry rapid situation analysis of the human resources for health implications for scaling up to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support. [from summary]

In this report, an attempt is made to provide a comprehensive
situation analysis of human resources in health in Sri Lanka together with a comprehensive assessment of the factors contributing to the present situation. [from introduction]

This compendium of health information technology (HIT) seeks to inform the implementation of HIT to facilitate continuous quality improvement of antiretroviral therapy programs and improved patient outcomes in low and middle income countries. [from author]

This study focused on the causes of absenteeism among doctors and paramedical staff in primary health care centres in Karnataka and loss of resources due to absenteeism and related issues, with a view to suggest ways and means of reducing absenteeism and maximising impact on the utilisation of public resources. [from summary]

Areas of the Vietnam still experience severe shortages of health workers for reproductive health, particularly mountainous and other remote areas populated by ethnic minorities. This case study evaluates a program to lower maternal mortality rates and encourage healthier births in these areas through an 18 month training for ethic minority midwives. [adapted from author]

In response the lack of sufficient human resources for health and the skewed geographic availability of medical personnel, the Apollo Hospital Group adopted telemedicine as the most effective way to accellerate the bridging of the demand supply gap without physically shifting resources. This case study examines the network and its processes. [adapted from author]

This case study reports on how the Institute for Rural Health Studies has managed to provide seamless access to healthcare for thousands of people throughout the state of Andhra Pradesh through both rural clinics and its related programs in the city’s bus station connecting to a network of patient counselors in government hospitals. [from author]

This case study highlights the efficiency with which the Community Health and Development (CHAD) program of the Christian Medical College, Vellore has obtained results through a combination of community-based provider training and innovative community service delivery methodologies, as well as discuss how aspects of the model can be adopted by other institutions to achieve similar results. [adapted from author]

This case study has studied the service delivery model of Kollyani, worked with the remote villages of the Bandarban district to create primary health centers where previously the area had none. Utilizing the local people and resources, they were able to create six local clinics run by trained villagers. The study examines the inputs invested and the outcomes produced in terms of health and social development and the issue of sustainability. [adapted from publisher]