Latest Resources

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a computerized Health Management Information System (HMIS) in a rural health system in India. [from abstract]

This paper reviews reports on maternal, neonatal and child health, as well as HIV care and treatment services that look at program incentives. [from abstract]

This policy brief considers policy approaches that can be employed to help create positive work environments, thus improving the recruitment and retention of health professionals and contributing to the achievement of high quality health services. [from author]

Like many developing countries, Guyana has a severe shortage of surgeons. Rather than rely on overseas training, Guyana developed its own Diploma in Surgery and asked for assistance from the Canadian Association of General Surgeons. This paper reviews the initial results of Guyana’s first postgraduate training program. [from abstract]

This brief outlines a project conceived to tap the potential of telemedicine in Tanzania and to develop the relevant technology and practices. The project aimed to reduce the strain caused by a shortage of qualified personnel, contribute to training and continuous professional development; improve the quality of health services in rural areas; contribute to the establishment of a referral system; and be cost-effective.

Telemedicine offers solutions for emergency medical assistance, long-distance consultation, administration and logistics, supervision and quality assurance, and education and training for healthcare professionals and providers. This book aims to redress the relative lack of published information on successful telehealth solutions in the developing world. It includes chapters on topics such as the role of mHealth for community-based health workers in developing countries, IT for primary care, telemedical support for surgeons, and telehealth for remote areas. [adapted from author]

Spain has gone from a surplus to a shortage of medical doctors in very few years. Medium and long-term planning for health professionals has become a high priority for health authorities. This study used a supply and demand-need simulation model for 43 medical specialties using system dynamics to colculate the supply and the deficit or surplus. [adapted from abstract]

Hospitals with inadequate infection control are risky environments for the emergence and transmission of tuberculosis (TB). This study evaluated TB infection control practices, and the prevalence of latent TB infection and TB disease and risk factors in health care workers in TB centers in Henan province in China. [from abstract]

The authors designed and delivered a pilot postgraduate medical education program in the virtual world, Second Life to explore the potential of a virtual world for delivering continuing medical education (CME) designed for physicians; determine possible instructional designs using SL for CME; understand the limitations of SL for CME; understand the barriers, solutions, and costs associated with using SL, including required training; and measure participant learning outcomes and feedback. [adapted from abstract]

The development of a framework for human resource planning for the pharmaceutical secotr forms the basis for strengthening this sector. Thus the generation of evidence to support pharmaceutical human resources planning strategies is vital. This report is a preliminary assessment of the pharmaceutical workforce in Ghana. [from preface]

Lack of comprehensive data on personnel in the pharmaceutical sector is a gap in national human resource for health policies in most developing countries. This study was undertaken in order to determine the total workforce providing pharmaceutical services in both the public and private sectors in Tanzania. [from summary]

This study aimed to assess the importance medical students place on learning about selected social determinants of health, explore their knowledge of selected global health topics and analyse any associations with medical students’ mobility patterns and education in tropical medicine or global health. [from abstract]

Information about quality of malaria treatment services of different healthcare providers is needed to know how to improve the treatment of malaria since inappropriate service provision leads to increased burden of malaria. This study determined the technical and perceived quality of malaria treatment services of different types of providers in three urban and three rural areas in southeast Nigeria. [from abstract]

This paper aims to explore the current key issues facing Uganda’s health human resource climate with particular attention to practice environments including recruitment, retention and productivity of its health workforce, to identify the HR solutions that are being or have been employed to address these main challenges. The paper will also help in identifying knowledge gaps for future in-depth research and recommendations for future strategies. [from introduction]

This desk review has put together a situation analysis of the professional practice environment in Zambia today, bringing out a picture of unhealthy, unproductive work environments. [from summary]

This qualitative descriptive study explored the perspectives and experiences of midwives, assistant physicians and medical doctors on the content and quality of maternal health care in rural Vietnam. [from abstract]

This article reports on a nationwide evaluation by the Mozambican Ministry of Health of the quality of care delivered by non-physician clinicians after a two-week in-service training course emphasizing antiretroviral therapy. [adapted from abstract]

This background paper to the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health discusses the critical role of human resources in meeting the MDGs. Human resources are the backbone of health systems, but if crucial HRH bottlenecks are not addressed it will not be possible to achieve the health MDGs. [adapted from author]

The primary purpose of the Data for Improvement and Clinical Excellence Long-Term Care (LTC) project is to assess the effects of a quality improvement audit with feedback intervention delivered monthly over 13 months to healthcare workers in four LTC facilities. [adapted from abstract]

This study examined evidence from randomized control trials on community health worker interventions in management of childhood illnesses from a realist perspective to gain insight into how these interventions work. [adapted from abstract]

This paper examines the role of health workers in achieving MDGs 1, 4, 5, and 6. It calls for greater domestic and global attention – and the funding required – to comprehensively and effectively address health workforce issues in the context of the MDGs and developing equitable and accountable health systems. [from introduction]

This study focused on the manager role in the manager-physician relationship, considered from the manager perspective. The aim was to understand how top executives in Swedish healthcare regard management of physicians in their organisations, and what this implies for the manager role in relation to the medical profession.

This report focuses on AIDS donors and on how they can better use their funding to address health workforce issues. It introduces the HRH crisis, the evolving approaches of AIDS donors, how these approaches to health workforce strengthening and development have played out in practice in Mozambique, Uganda, and Zambia and makes recommendations meant to inform the ongoing deliberations of AIDS donors as they work out the implementation details of their health system strengthening commitments. [adapted from author]

This study analyses and reports trends in HIV and non-HIV ambulatory service workloads on clinical staff in urban and rural district level facilities. [from abstract]

This article evaluates an initiative launched in Kenya to improve malaria case-management through enhanced in-service training and provision of job aids. [from abstract]