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How Many Doctors Do We Need in Sudan?

The aim of this paper is to propose a scientific estimation of Sudan’s need for doctors in strategic terms by: projecting estimated figures to reach the average standards of doctor-population ratios in the region; projecting annual graduation and postgraduate training rates; proposing estimates of the number of doctors the state economy can support; suggesting meastures to optimize distribution in different speacialties and geographic zones and to manage migration. [adapted from author]

Human Resource Strategy Options for Safe Delivery

This report examines the current and future availability of skilled health workers for safe delivery services and the factors influencing their retention in government health facilities, particularly in rural areas of Nepal. [from author]

Review of Health Leadership and Management Capacity in Fiji

This review describes the current situation of health leadership and management capacity at the sub-divisional level in Fiji. [from summary]

Motivating Health Workers to Serve in Rural Lao PDR

This issue of Voices describe an effort to assess health workers’ preferences in order to determine the most effective incentives for rural service. [adapted from author]

Newborn Care Training of Midwives and Neonatal and Perinatal Mortality Rates in a Developing Country

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that two training programs for midwives in Zambia would reduce incrementally 7-day neonatal mortality rates for low-risk institutional deliveries. [adapted from abstract]

Self-Assessment of Intercultural Communication Skills: A Survey of Physicians and Medical Students in Geneva, Switzerland

In order to gain a general picture of the intercultural challenges faced by Geneva physicians and inform the development of targeted training activities, we conducted a large-scale survey of physicians’ and medical students’ knowledge, attitudes and skills related to care of immigrant patients. This paper reports on respondents’ self-assessments of their clinical and intercultural skills. [from author]

Nursing Shortage in India with Special Reference to International Migration of Nurses

This paper attempts to explore the migration of nurses from India in the context of nursing shortages in the country. It looks at the relationship between the development of the nursing profession in India, shortage of nurses in the country and international migration of Indian nurses. [from introduction]

Working Conditions and Health Care in a "Recuperated" Clinic in Cordoba, Argentina

This work was undertaken to inform the debate on the relationship between working conditions and the provision of health care. We found that the work environment impacts on health care workers as they try to provide a more equitable form of health care. [from abstract]

Expansion on the Private Health Sector in East and Southern Africa

This review explores the implications of expansion of the private for profit
health sector for equitable health systems in East and Southern Africa, explores whether there are signs of increasing for-profit private sector activity in the region, and identifies issues of concern on private for profit activity in the health sector. [adapted from summary]

Determining Priority Retention Packages to Attract and Retain Health Workers in Rural and Remote Areas in Uganda

The Ministry of Health, in partnership with CapacityPlus, conducted a discrete choice experiment survey among current students in health training programs as well as health workers practicing in rural districts to investigate preferences for potential attraction and retention strategies. The results constitute an important input to the policy-making process related to the identification, costing, and selection of possible retention interventions for implementation. [from publisher]

Guidelines for Forming and Sustaining Human Resources for Health Stakeholder Leadership Groups

These guidelines provide a practical, clear, and user-friendly set of actions that human resources for health leaders at the country level can take to successfully launch and sustain stakeholder leadership groups. [from publisher]

Retention

What will motivate health workers to stay in rural areas? This brief presents an overview of the issue of retention along with suggested actions, key considerations, and resources. [from publisher]

Health Worker Information Systems

How can countries gather and use health workforce data to increase access to care? This brief presents an overview of the issue of health worker information systems along with suggested actions, key considerations, and resources. [from publisher]

Tracking All Health Workers in Botswana

Kabelo Bitsang, iHRIS administrator at the Botswana Ministry of Health, explains how the Ministry is using CapacityPlus’s free, open source software to track and manage the country’s health workforce. [from publisher]

Human Resources Mangement

Human resources management (HRM) focuses on people - how they fit within a health system; how they are hired, trained, paid, and supported; and how they can be most productive. This CapacityPlus Issue Brief focuses on how can we strengthen the systems health workers need to function effectively. [adapted from author]

Overcoming the Hurdle of Implementation: Putting Human Resources for Health Tools into Action

This paper states that it is critical for HRH leaders to take action to ensure that already available workforce strengthening tools are disseminated, adapted and used to foster effective implementation at the country level. The paper highlights four such tools as examples that can be used to build implementation capacity, and acknowledges more like them. [adapted from abstract]

Human Resource Challenges in Faith-Based Organizations

This issue of Contact is dedicated to HRH in faith-based organizations and includes articles such as: Formulating Policy for Human Resources in Health; Human Resources Crisis in Christian Health Associations; Health Worker Migration and Retention in Africa; New Economic Models for Faith-based Health Care; The Challenge of Retaining Health Workers in Lesotho; adn Building Capacity through Health Worker Training. [adapted from author]

Ethiopia’s Health Extension Program: Improving Health through Community Involvement

This article discusses the Health Extension Program, an innovative community-based health program in Ethiopia. It is based on the assumption that access to and quality of primary health care in rural communities can be improved through transfer of health knowledge and skills to households.

Can Lay Health Workers Increase the Uptake of Childhood Immunisation? Systematic Review and Typology

The objective of this review was to assess the effects of lay health worker interventions on childhood immunisation uptake. [from summary]

Study of Patient Attitudes Towards Decentralization of HIV Care in an Urban Clinic in South Africa

In South Africa, limited human resources are a major constraint to achieving universal antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage. Decentralization or “down-referral” (wherein ART patients deemed stable on therapy are referred to their closest Primary Health Clinics (PHCs) for treatment follow-up) is being used as a possible alternative of ART delivery care. This cross-sectional qualitative study investigates attitudes towards down-referral of ART delivery care among patients currently receiving care in a centralized tertiary HIV clinic. [from abstract]

Task Analysis: An Evidence-Based Methodology for Strengthening Education and Training of Nurses and Midwives in Liberia

A task analysis survey of health workers in Liberia was conducted to determine how often recently graduated health workers perform tasks from the basic package of health services, and whether training was received for these tasks either in school or on the job. This paper focuses on nurse and midwife cadres and describe the: implementation of the study in Liberia; key findings and analysis of select clinical tasks; and recommendations for improving and integrating educational programs. [adapted from abstract]

Review of Health Leadership and Management Capacity in Papua New Guinea

This review describes the state of health leadership and management capacity in Papua New Guinea. [from summary]

Laos Builds Specialty Training System through Partnerships

This article reports on the successful development of a postgraduate medical training system through a series of international partnerships in Loas over the past decade.

Sustaining Innovation in the Health Care Workforce: a Case Study of Community Nurse Consultant Posts in England

Recruiting, retaining and meeting increasing demand for experienced, qualified nurses is an issue of concern for all health care systems. This paper considers the factors that sustain or curtail workforce innovations through the case example of a cohort of nurse consultants established in one community health service in England.

Measuring Client Satisfaction and the Quality of Family Planning Services: A Comparative Analysis of Public and Private Health Facilities in Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana

This analysis seeks to quantify differences in the quality of family planning (FP) services at public and private providers in three representative sub-Saharan African countries (Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana), to assess how these quality differentials impact upon FP clients’ satisfaction, and to suggest how quality improvements can improve contraceptive continuation rates.

From PALSA PLUS to PALM PLUS: Adapting and Developing a South African Guideline and Training Intervention to Better Integrate HIV/AIDS Care with Primary Care in Rural Health Centers in Malawi

This report describes the development of a guideline and training program (PALM PLUS) designed to integrate HIV/AIDS care with other primary care in Malawi. [from abstract]

Perceptions of Per Diem in the Health Sector: Evidence and Implications

This study details the perceived benefits, problems, and risks of abuse of per diems and allowances in developing countries. Drawing on 41 interviews with government and nongovernmental officials in Malawi and Uganda the report highlights how practices to maximize per diems have become a defining characteristic of many public institutions and influence how employees carry out their work. As per diems have become de facto top ups of salaries, more fundamental reform of health worker incentives and payment is also needed. [from abstract]

Effects of Nationality Differences and Work Stressors on Work Adjustment for Foreign Nurse Aides

The main purpose of this study was to discuss the nationality differences of foreign nurse aides and the effect of work stressors influencing work adjustment. [from abstract]

Understanding the "Four Directions of Travel": Qualitative Research into the Factors Affecting Recruitment and Retention of Doctors in Rural Vietnam

Many countries, including Vietnam, are debating the right mix of interventions to motivate doctors in particular to work in remote areas. The objective of this study was to understand the dynamics of the health labour market in Vietnam, and what might encourage doctors to accept posts and remain in-post in rural areas. [from abstract]

Development and Evaluation of a Web-Based Breast Cancer Cultural Competency Course for Primary Healthcare Providers

This article outlines the project to develop and evaluate a continuing medical education (CME) course aimed at improving healthcare provider knowledge about breast cancer health disparities and the importance of cross-cultural communication in provider-patient interactions about breast cancer screening. [from abstract]