Latest Resources

Clinical Supervision in the Workplace: Guidance for Occupational Nurses

This leaflet has been designed as an introduction to clinical supervision. It aims to stimulate ideas and to encourage occupational health nurses to set up supervision practice in their workplaces. Clinical supervision isn’t a management tool, but can be used as a support and prompt to professional practice in a creative way. [from introduction]

Electronic Learning: an RCN Guide for Nurse Educators

Electronic learning: a guide for nurse educators has been written by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Education Forum in response to growing interest in new learning technologies, both from individual nursing educators and as a result of education policy initiatives. The guidance sets out what we mean by e-learning, the skills that you as nursing educators, and your learners, will need for electronic learning, and the range of learning technology opportunities. [from introduction]

Dealing with Bullying and Harassment: a Guide for Nursing Students

This guide is aimed mainly at nursing students. It should help you to: recognize if you or a collegue are being bullied or harassed; take action against bullying or harassment; raise awareness of the problem with employers, educators and students; encourage nursing educators and employers to carry through anti-harassment policies. [from introduction]

Hierarchy of Effective Teaching and Learning to Acquire Competence in Evidenced-Based Medicine

All health care professionals need to understand and implement the principles of EBM to improve care of their patients. Interactive and clinically integrated teaching and learning activities provide the basis for the best educational practice in this field. [summary]

Recruitment of Health Workers from the Developing World

The loss of human resources through migration of professional health staff to developed countries usually results in a loss of capacity of the health systems in developing countries to deliver health care equitably. Migration of health workers also undermines the ability of countries to meet global, regional and national commitments…

Faith-Based Response to HIV in Southern Africa: the Choose to Care Initiative

This study describes the work of the Choose to Care initiative of the Catholic Church in Southern Africa which began in 2000. It shows that effective scaling-up of programmes in the response to HIV does not necessarily have to be the expansion of a single central service. Working through the diocesan and parish system,…the Catholic Church scaled up service provision by the replication of smaller scale programmes rooted in and responsive to the needs expressed by local communities in this five-country area.

Information Needs of Nurses: Summary Report of an RCN Survey

This report summarizes a UK-wide survey to find out what information nurses, health visitors,midwives and health care assistants need to support their practice and lifelong learning. [adapted from author]

Here to Stay? International Nurses in the UK

The Royal College of Nursing commissioned this report into the employment policy and practice implications of the rapid growth in the number of internationally recruited nurses working in the UK. [from summary]

Guidance for Nurse Staffing in Critical Care

These documents aim for a level of staffing and skill mix that is determined by patient need and level of dependency to ensure that patients’ needs are met. Therefore, effective workforce planning is essential. This guidance looks at the considerations for employers, senior nurses and others planning staffing needs at ward, unit and organisational level. [from introduction]

Applying Benchmarking in Health

The task of improving quality is a demanding job. It requires focusing on clients, using data, working collaboratively with other team members, and maintaining an overarching view of the health system in which we work. Benchmarking is a process for finding, adapting, and applying best practices. [adapted from author]

Addressing the Human Resource Crisis: a Case Study of the Namibian Health Service

This paper addresses an important practical challenge to staff management. We use a case study based on semi-structured interview data to explore the steps that Namibia, a country facing severe health problems that include an alarmingly high AIDS infection rate, has taken to manage its health workers. [from abstract]

Exploring the Effects of Telehealth on Medical Human Resources Supply: a Qualitative Case Study in Remote Regions

The availability of medical human resource supply is a growing concern for rural and remote communities in many countries. In the last decade, various telehealth experiences in Canada have highlighted the potential impact of this technology on professional practice. The purpose of this study was to explore physicians’ and managers’ perceptions regarding the potential of telehealth to support recruitment and retention of physicians in remote and rural regions. [abstract]

Collection and Analysis of Human Resources for Health (HRH) Strategic Plans

This resource paper uses a simple framework to provide an analytical review of human resources for health (HRH) strategic plans that have been generated over the last few years by countries in sub-Saharan Africa that are faced with an HRH crisis. The author collected and analyzed HRH strategic plans for the following countries: Eritrea, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia. The paper explores some of the key dynamics and steps in the evolution of these plans, including the plan development process and content, implementation bottlenecks and the frequency with which the plans are reviewed or evaluated.

South African Health Review 2006

The 2006 Review seeks to provide a South African perspective on prevailing international public health issues, and in particular provides an opportunity to reflect on progress to achieving the Millennium Development Goals many of which are linked to maternal and child health. It also seeks to stimulate debate and critical discourse, to provide a platform for assessing progress and to identify key gaps and opportunities for future action that is realistic and sustainable. [from foreword]

Quality Improvement for Emergency Obstetric Care: Leadership Manual and Toolbook

The purpose of this newly revised manual and accompanying toolbook is to assist health care providers working in emergency obstetric care (EmOC) settings to improve the quality of services within their facility. With whatever resources are at hand, quality improvement (QI) processes can help staff change and improve practices and conditions and, in so doing, have a significant impact on pregnancy outcomes. [publisher’s description]

Nursing Workforce Profile

This yearly profile is a summary of statistics about the nursing workforce in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, UK and USA.

ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses

The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses, most recently revised in 2006, is a guide for action based on social values and needs. The Code is regularly reviewed and revised in response to the realities of nursing and health care in a changing society. The Code makes it clear that inherent in nursing is respect for human rights, including the right to life, to dignity and to be treated with respect. The ICN Code of Ethics guides nurses in everyday choices and it supports their refusal to participate in activities that conflict with caring and healing. [publisher’s description]

Reducing the Impact of HIV/AIDS on Nursing & Midwifery Personnel

These revised and expanded guidelines aim to help [national nursing associations], nursing and midwifery personnel, nurse managers, employers and others to address the educational needs and ethical responsibilities of nursing and midwifery personnel in reducing transmission of HIV/AIDS, HBV, HCV and tuberculosis; develop strategies for a safer work environment and increased protection for nursing and midwifery personnel; and address the socioeconomic welfare issues related to the health care needs, compensation and financial security of HIV-positive nursing and midwifery personnel.

It's Your Career: Take Charge: Career Planning and Development

This document is directed towards individual nurses to help them take charge and be in control of their careers within the ever-changing world of health care. These guidelines highlight the key dimensions of career planning and development and offer guidance to those who wish to evaluate the present and shape their future. [adapted from introduction]

Guidelines on the Nurse Entre/Intrapraneur Providing Nursing Service

The content of these guidelines focuses on nurse entrepreneurs providing nursing services. These guidelines aim to: provide background knowledge on the development of nurse entrepreneurs providing nursing service; establish the link between nurse entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs; identify the roles, services, basic profile and requirements of nurse entrepreneurs; and define the potential role of national nurses’ associations in the development and regulation of nurse entrepreneurs providing nursing service. [adpated from author’s description)

Packaging Health Services When Resources Are Limited: the Example of a Cervical Cancer Screening Visit

Increasing evidence supporting the value of screening women for cervical cancer once in their lifetime, coupled with mounting interest in scaling up successful screening demonstration projects, present challenges to public health decision makers seeking to take full advantage of the single-visit opportunity to provide additional services.

Community Home-Based Care for People and Communities Affected by HIV/AIDS: Training Course and Handbook for Community Health Workers

This pre-tested and peer-reviewed curriculum focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary for providing holistic CHBC for people living with HIV/AIDS, transferring knowledge and skills to caregivers and CHBC clients, and mobilizing communities around HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment, and support. The trainer’s guide includes comprehensive units that cover topics from HIV basics, communication skills, nursing care, nutrition, positive living, family planning, HIV prevention, ART, to community mobilization.

Attitudes Towards Immunization in Cambodia: a Qualitative Study of Health Worker and Community Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices in Kompong Chhnang

Childhood immunization is a major public health concern in Cambodia. Given the high infant and child mortality rates and the low uptake rate of immunizations, a study of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of communities and health workers was conducted to identify barriers to immunization and inform future information, communication and education (IEC) strategies. Quantitative and qualitative research was conducted to discover the KAP of communities and health workers towards immunization services and the introduction of hepatitis B vaccine.

Training Vaccinators in a Time of Change

This article discusses the need for effective staff training for qualiy immunization services and describes one non-governmental organization’s experience of training partners in countries. [adapted from author]

Ensuring Privacy and Confidentiality in Reproductive Health Services: a Training Module and Guide

This [training] guide considers the constraints to protecting privacy in low-resource settings and provides an evidence-based rationale that services will be more effective if resources are invested in ensuring the privacy rights of clients. [This guide] is designed to enable clinic staff, service providers, and supervisors to better support and protect the right of clients to privacy and confidentiality.