Latest Resources

There is growing concern globally at the current flows of nurse migration, particularly from low-income to middle and high-income countries. Recruitment practices of many countries such as Ireland are thought to be fuelling this rate of migration. This paper aims to establish the perceptions and opinions of those involved in the recruitment process on their role in recruitment and the effects recruitment has on both source and destination countries. [from abstract]

This article assesses interventions aimed at improving family planning mechanisms and reviewing the problem-solving processes to build an effective monitoring system of the interventions at the local level of the overall system of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of Bangladesh. [adapted from author]

World health statistics 2007 presents the most recent health statistics for WHO’s 193 Member States. This third edition includes a section with 10 highlights of global health statistics for the past year as well as an expanded set of 50 health statistics. [publisher’s description] The section on Health Workforce Statistics gives a breakdown of the total number and density by population for the 193 member countries.

While publications like the World Health Report have described general approaches that can be taken to improve the human resources for health (HRH) situation at the country level, there is a relative paucity of more detailed documentation that describes promising practices that would be useful to HRH leaders and practitioners. As a result, USAID’s Africa Bureau commissioned a study to identify and document promising practices in a way that takes into account the context of the practice, describes lessons learned and puts forth potential implications for replication in other countries. The intent of the promising practices study is to “serve as a practical and much needed resource for governments, partners and donors in promulgating policies and approaches that have successfully mitigated the negative effects of the health workforce crisis.” After consultation within USAID, it was decided that the study would focus on promising practices in four African countries: task shifting in Ghana and Uganda, improving retention in Malawi, and increasing recruitment and rapid deployment in Namibia.

This brief discusses Capacity’s experience with partnering with faith-based organizations (FBO), the critical role these organizations play in improving Africa’s health workforce and some challenges to working with FBOs.

The report of the Africa Working Group (Joint Learning Initiative) is in 4 main parts covering a situation analysis, opportunities that arise and the preconditions for effective strategies.

This report focuses on the impact of human resource shortages witnessed by MSF teams in four southern African countries - Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa. While the focus is largely on nurses in rural areas, it should be acknowledged that health staff is lacking across the spectrum - from doctors to laboratory technicians to pharmacists - at all levels of care. In all these cases the need for access to ART, as well as other health needs, is outstripping human resource capacity. [from introduction]

This manual describes the purpose and processes for developing and using a system of Human Resources for Health (HRH) performance indicators in order to monitor the activities of a public sector health service. It is particularly aimed at enhancing the management process in developing countries and draws on experiences of pilot work. [from purpose]

This tool seeks to assist HRH workers and policy makers in a country think through, diagnose, and stimulate dialogue about their HRH challenges by responding to questions and reflecting on the policy implications of their answers.

The objective of the article is to explore the degree of agreement on issues surrounding the proposals for dental health personnel requirements among key oral health personalities who are central to determining policy on oral health personnel requirements for Ghana and to make recommendations to assist in the future development of dental health personnel requirements. [author’s description]

The serious shortage of oral health personnel in the country is not in doubt and many Ghanaians continue to rely on the services of self-styled quack practitioners. The oral health of all Ghanaians cannot be guaranteed as long as this situation persists. [author’s description]

Hospitals are workplaces in which HIV has double significance. Needlestick accidents link patients, healthcare workers and cleaning staff through the risk of occupational exposure to HIV. Additionally, concern over needlestick injuries may embody HIV stigma, discrimination and fear. This paper draws on qualitative research from a one-year case study at a large, private South African healthcare company that runs a number of hospitals across the country. Issues surrounding needlestick injuries were discussed with hospital managers, union members, infection-control nurses, health and safety representatives, HIV/AIDS counsellors, and general nursing staff. [from abstract]

The Nigerian national ARV treatment training programme was conceived to meet the human resource needs in hospitals providing ARV therapy. This paper reports on the evaluation of the training programme. It examines knowledge and skills gained, and utilization thereof. Recommendations are made for improved training effectiveness and for specific national policy on training, to meet the demand for scaling up therapy to the thousands who need ARV. [from abstract]

This handbook explains why a gender and human rights strategy is a better approach for achieving results in curbing the HIV/AIDS epidemic It also shows you how to do it by providing the necessary information and techniques for incorporating gender and human rights into HIV/AIDS training. [from introduction]

This paper draws from research commissioned by the Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD). It provides a case study in the introduction of a new health care worker role into an already well established and ‘mature’ workforce configuration. It assesses the role of USA style physician assistants (PAs), as a precursor to planned ‘piloting’ of the PA role within the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland. The evidence base for the use of PAs is examined, and ways in which an established role in one health system (the USA) could be introduced to another country, where the role is ‘new’ and unfamiliar, are explored.

Although health workers are needed to do vaccinations, the role of human resources for health as a determinant of vaccination coverage at the population level has not been investigated. The author’s aim was to test whether health worker density was positively associated with childhood vaccination coverage in developing countries. [from summary]

As labor shortages intensify, succession planning and leadership development have become strategic initiatives requiring rigorous consideration. Traditional methods of replacing personnel will not accommodate the vacancies expected to plague healthcare organizations. Managers should focus on identifying potential gaps of key personnel and adapting programs to accommodate organizational need. Attention should be placed on capturing the intellectual capital existent in the organization and developing diverse groups of leadership candidates. [executive summary]

The aim of the study was to estimate the use of skilled attendants’ delivery services among users of antenatal care and the coverage of skilled attendants’ delivery services in the general population in Kikoneni location, Kenya. Antenatal care attendance, deliveries by skilled attendants, and the percentage of antenatal care attendees who delivered in a healthcare facility were assessed. Targeted programmatic efforts are necessary to increase skilled attendant-assisted births, with the ultimate goal of reducing maternal mortality. [from abstract]

This document provides a brief history of training of traditional birth attendants (TBAs), summary of evidence for effectiveness of TBA training, and consideration of the future role of trained TBAs in an environment that emphasizes transition to skilled birth attendance. [adapted from abstract]

Funding for scaling-up antiretroviral treatment (ART) in low-income countries has increased substantially, but the lack of human resources for health (HRH) is increasingly being identified as an important constraint for scaling-up ART. ART is labour intensive. Important reductions in doctor-time per patient can be realized during scaling-up. The doctor-based ART delivery model analysed seems adequate for Cambodia. However, for many districts in sub-Saharan Africa a doctor-based ART delivery model may be incompatible with their HRH constraints. [from abstract]

This paper describes the socio-economic profile of medical students in the 1998/99 academic year at the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) Medical Faculty in Maputo. It aims to identify their social and geographical origins in addition to their expectations and difficulties regarding their education and professional future. [from abstract]

The purpose of this self-study manual is to provide accurate and accessible information on postpartum and newborn care to trainers of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and other community-level Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Workers.* The information can be integrated into existing training curricula and materials or it can be adapted into additional units for an ongoing program of instruction for TBAs. [from introduction]

Guidance for integrated postpartum care at the community/household level that reduces maternal and newborn mortality and encourages health in the immediate postpartum period is lacking. This report identifies and summarizes descriptive and research studies of existing community-based postpartum programs which provide counseling and services along with education on self-care. The literature review identified three models of community-base postpartum care: home visits by professional health care providers, home visits by community workers and home visits by community workers with referral or health facility support.

This report presents the child mortality impact of a trial of primary healthcare service delivery strategies in rural Ghana. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, underfive mortality in areas with village-based community-nurse services fell by 16 percent during the five years of program implementation compared with mortality before the intervention. [from abstract]

To improve birth spacing services in Cambodia, the development of the communication and counselling skills of all providers is critical. A a large part of this issue focuses on these skills. [editor’s description]