Documents & Reports

Accelerating Progress On Maternal Health In Africa: Lessons From Emerging Policy And Institutional Innovations

This paper examines three groups of innovative ideas have been institutionalized in African countries to improve maternal health: policy, institutional and experimental innovations. [adapted from abstract]

Pay-for-Performance, Motivation and Final Output in the Health Sector: Experimental Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo

The pap er studies the effects of a financing mechanism for the health sector in which governmental payment to health facilities is contingent up on the number of patients for some predetermined health services, as opposed to a fixed payment. [from abstract]

Recife Political Declaration on Human Resources for Health: Renewed Commitments Towards Universal Health Coverage

A declaration adopted at the Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health (HRH)to take stock of progress made
since the Second Global Forum in 2011, to identify continuing challenges and to renew our shared vision and
resolve regarding human resources for health. [adapted from summary]
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Assessing Health Professional Education: Workshop Summary

While discussing larger philosophical topics on the role of assessment, participants at this two-day workshop also debated the role of assessments in so-called new disciplines and how these appraisals will lead to a ‘new professionalism’. [adapted from summary]

Addressing Needs in the Public Health Workforce in Europe

Health systems in Europe face a number of increasingly complex challenges. Globalization, evolving health threats, an ageing society, financial constraints on government spending, and social and health inequalities are some of the most pressing. This policy summary aims to outline these needs and to consider measures and options towards meeting them. [adapted from summary]

Twenty Years of Health System Reform in Brazil An Assessment of the Sistema Único de Saúde

It has been more than 20 years since the 1988 Constitution formally established the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS), which established health as a fundamental right and duty of the state and started a process of fundamentally transforming Brazil’s health system. The report assesses whether the SUS reforms have transformed the health system as envisaged more than 20 years ago and whether the reforms have led to improved outcomes with regard to access to services, financial protection, and health status. [adapted from introduction]

Mid-level Health Workers for Delivery of Essential Health Services A Global Systematic Review and Country Experiences

The objective of this analysis was to assess the effectiveness of care provided by mid-level health workers (MLHWs), a group of cadres who are trained for 2-5 years to acquire basic skills in diagnosing, managing common conditions, and preventing disease. MLHWs, provided we adopt the right approaches and define their role on the basis of sound evidence, can be part of the solution. [from summary]

Universal Truth: No Health Without a Workforce Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health Report

This flagship report was commissioned by the Global Health Workforce Alliance Secretariat and the World Health Organization to consolidate the latest information available on human resources for health and provide recommendations to the global community on how to attain, sustain and accelerate progress on universal health coverage. [from summary]

Global Health Workforce Alliance Strategy 2013-2016: Advancing the Health Workforce Agenda Within Universal Health Coverage

The Global Health Workforce Alliance’s strategy for 2013-2016 includes commitments to train, deploy and retain at least an additional 2.6 million health workers, develop evidence-based quality HRH plans, build a new long-term vision for HRH, increase accountability for HRH results and compel HRH stakeholders to take proactive roles in support of national HRH development strategies. [adapted from preface]

Community Based Education in Health Professions: Global Perspectives

“Community Based Education in Health Professions: Global Perspectives” presents a collection of case studies from Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, India, Pakistan and South Africa describing different ways of planning, implementing and sustaining community-based education for health students. The case studies provide an account of what worked and what did not, the trials and errors, and the challenges and lessons learned. [adapted from introduction]

Improving Health through the Social Quality Approach in 800 Communes in Madagascar

The social quality approach is a community-based approach for encouraging service recipients to get involved in the availability, use, and quality of health services. This report, based on Santenet2 project data, correlation analysis, and qualitative data collection, illustrates the implementation process, successes and essential components to the successful implementation of the social quality approach. [from executive summary]

Arguing for Universal Health Coverage

Intended for those organizations involved in health financing policy debates, this tool articulates the pro-[Universal Health Care] arguments, and presents relevant evidence and examples. It is designed to support policies that promote equity, efficiency and effectiveness, and ensure that the rights of the most vulnerable are not forgotten. [adapted from introduction]

Report on the Society for Family Health Gender Assessment

To promote organizational learning and action related to political will and accountability, leadership and management, technical capacity, organizational culture, human resources policies and programs that promote gender equality, non-discrimination, and equal opportunity and treatment with respect to recruitment, hiring, training, remuneration, conditions of work,and programming at Society for Family Health. [from abstract]

Applying the HRH Action Framework to Develop Sustainable Excellence in the Health Supply Chain Workforce

The objective of this technical brief is to create a bridge between the supply chain management and human resources for health communities by describing how the HRH Action Framework can be applied to strengthen the health supply chain workforce, drawing on lessons learned and successes from applications in the health sector. [from author]

Transforming the Global Health Workforce

This book addresses key issues that countries face today in building, retaining, and deploying a competent and skilled workforce in an increasingly globalized environment. The authors examine critical issues and discuss how countries and stakeholders are incorporating innovative responses to the health workforce supply and demand challenges of the 21st century. [from preface]

Engaging People Living With HIV as Lay Counsellors in HIV Care and Treatment Services: Experiences in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

This document summarises the key components of the lay counsellors programme that have contributed to its success, such as careful recruitment practices and recognition of lay counsellors as valued members of health-care teams. Also highlighted are specific steps that support the use of people living with HIV as lay counsellors and parameters regarding how to monitor the impact of this work. [from summary]

Sharing Tasks Among Health Care Workers in Uganda to Integrate Rapid Syphilis Testing in PMTCT Services

This article outlines a study to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness of introducing rapid syphilis tests for same-day testing and treatment of syphilis at established prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) sites in Uganda. [from author]

Road Map for Scaling Up the Human Resources for Health for Improved Health Service Delivery in the African Region 2012-2015

The purpose of this document is to introduce the road map and highlight the key issues and challenges hindering the achievement of universal coverage of health care and relating to the human resources component of the health system. The document then sets forth a series of actions to be taken to overcome these challenges. [from author]

Human Resources for Health: Critical for Effective Universal Health Coverage

This document explores lessons learned from health related MDGs, the priority health agenda for the 15 years after 2015, bridging health workforce gaps to achieve universal health coverage and indicators and targets for health. [adapted from author]

Health Education: Theoretical Concepts, Effective Strategies and Core Competencies

This publication is intended to fill the gaps in knowledge and understanding of health education and promotion and provide knowledge of the wide range of tools available. As a health education foundation document, it provides a review of the various health education theories, identifies the components of evidence-based health education, outlines the competencies
necessary to engage in effective practice, and seeks to provide a common understanding of health education disciplines and related concepts.

National Strategic Plan for Nurse Education, Training and Practice (South Africa)

This strategy is the result of a task team on nursing education appointed to refine national concerns and recommendations and to develop a plan of action to address both education and practice issues related to the profession. [adapted from author]

Community Caregivers: The Backbone for Accessible Care and Support

This report is the result of research undertaken in South Africa to review community and home-based care, especially in regards to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. The research highlights the important roles played by caregivers in health promotion programs, counselling and testing, client advocacy, stigma mitigation and community mobilization. [adapted from author]

Applying Stakeholder Leadership Group Guidelines in Ghana: A Case Study

This case study discusses the steps taken to revitalize the Ghana Health Workforce Observatory through the application of fuidelines for forming and sustaining human resources for health (HRH) stakeholder leadership groups. The guidelines are aimed at HRH leaders or practitioners at the country level who see a pressing need for a stakeholder leadership group to address a key HRH problem or set of problems. [adapted from summary]

Health Sector Response to Gender-based Violence: An assessment of the Asia Pacific Region

This document reports the outcome of an assessment and review of existing approaches to and models of health sector responses to gender-based violence in the Asia Pacific region. [adapted from author]

Nursing for Nutrition

This briefing argues that the global shortage of skilled health workers means that children in the world’s poorest countries don’t get the care that would stop them dying from causes related to malnutrition. It advocates for the need for more health workers who are trained and supported to prevent and treat malnutrition in the places of greatest need. [adapted from publisher]

WHO Nursing and Midwifery Progress Report 2008-2012

This report is a compilation of summary activities carried out by WHO and its partners between 2008 and 2012. It demonstrates a collaborative effort rallying around the Strategic Directions for Strengthening Nursing and Midwifery which is the operational framework developed by WHO since 2002. The report also offers some practical recommendations within the framework of primary health care. [from publisher]

Interprofessional Collaborative Practice in Primary Health Care: Nursing and Midwifery Perspectives

This publication presents 6 case studies on interprofessional education and collaborative practice from Brazil, Canada, India, South Africa and the USA. The document also highlights some barriers and enablers to take into account for implementation. [from publisher]

Directive on Continuing Professional Development for Health Professionals

This directive outlines the systematic organization of the fragmented continuing professional development (CPD) activities of health professionals in Ethiopia and describes the CPD requirements and roles for health workers and the government offices responsible for standardizing and accrediting CPD and health worker licensing. [adapted from author]

Mozambique: Strengthening the Community Health Worker Supply Chain Preliminary Report

This report is an interim summary of ongoing supply chain strengthening interventions focused on community health workers in Mozambique. The piloting of these interventions aims to improve the performance of the supply chain that provides these community health workers with antimalarial drugs, rapid diagnostic tests, male condoms, and essential medicines for a variety of treatments. [from summary]

WHO Policy Dialogue on International Health Workforce Mobility and Recruitment Challenges: Technical Report

This technical report summarizes the presentations and discussions that took place during a policy dialogue on international health workforce mobility and recruitment challenges. These discussions provided a better understanding of the progress made and challenges in implementing the WHO Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel and provided further recognition of policy mechanisms that may be used to address the challenges and benefits associated with international migration and recruitment of health personnel. [from author]