Browse by Geographic Focus

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]

Sudan's National Policy Towards Voluntary Sector in Health

This document outlines the Ministry’s policies regarding the role NGOs play in national health policy and health services, outlines strengths and weaknesses of NGO programs and outlines government standards for integrating and evaluating NGO services. [adapted from author]

Improving Breast Cancer Control via the Use of Community Health Workers in South Africa: A Critical Review

This article explores community health worker (CHW) programs and describes their potential use in low- and middle-income countries. It uses South Africa as an example of how CHWs could improve access to breast health care because of its middle-income status, existing cancer centers, and history of CHW programs. [adapated from abstract]

Reduced Perinatal Mortality Following Enhanced Training of Birth Attendants in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Time-Dependent Effect

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect on perinatal mortality of training birth attendants in a rural area of the Democratic Republic of Congo using two established programs. [from abstract]

Improving Effective Surgical Delivery in Humanitarian Disasters: Lessons from Haiti

This article highlights some challenges from the recent experience with surgical team after the Haiti earthquake and proposes some ways forward to support an effective surgical humanitarian response to future major disasters. [adapted from author]

Effect of Mobile Phone Text-Message Reminders on Kenyan Health Workers' Adherence to Malaria Treatment Guidelines: A Cluster Randomised Trial

This study assessed whether text-message reminders sent to health workers’ mobile phones could improve and maintain their adherence to treatment guidelines for outpatient paediatric malaria in Kenya. [from summary]

Willingness to Work in Rural Areas and the Role of Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Professional Motivations: A Survey of Medical Students in Ghana

This paper assesses the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on willingness to accept postings to deprived areas among medical students in Ghana. [from abstract]

Human Resources for Health in Maternal, Neonatal and Reproductive Health at Community Level: A Profile of the Solomon Islands

This profile summarises the available information on the cadres working at community level in the Solomon Islands: their diversity, distribution, supervisory structures, education and training, as well as the policy and regulations that govern their practice. [from summary]

Rebuilding Human Resources for Health: A Case Study from Liberia

This paper illustrates the process, successes, ongoing challenges and current strategies Liberia has used to increase and improve HRH since the end of a 14-year cival war, particularly the nursing workforce. [adapted from abstract]

Healthcare is Not Something You Can Isolate from Life in General: Factors Influencing Successful Clinical Capacity Building in the Pacific

This article presents factors that influenced the implementation of a capacity building assistance program in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Island jurisdictions that worked with health professionals to develop local organizational and clinical HIV capacity. It also evaluates the program to understand the contextual factors affecting the delivery of services. [adapted from introduction]

Meeting the Challenge of HIV Clinical Training within 2.5 Million Square Miles of the Pacific Ocean

To improve clinician ability to recognize HIV and understand treatment, Hawai’s AIDS Education and Training Center developed innovative ways of training and building capacity. This is a report of the program and the experiences with these clinicians. [adapted from introduction]

Junior Doctors' and Medical Students' Commitment to Working in Areas of Workforce Shortage

The purpose of this study was to report on the preparedness of medical students and junior doctors to commit to working in areas of workforce shortage. [from abstract]

Training Family Physicians in Community Health Centers: A Health Workforce Solution

For more than 25 years, family medicine residencies have worked with community health centers (CHCs) to train family physicians. This study compares CHC and non-CHC-trained family physicians regarding practice location, job and training satisfaction, and recruitment and retention to underserved areas. [from author]

Human Resources for Health in Maternal, Neonatal and Reproductive Health at Community Level: a Profile of Fiji

This profile summarises the available information on the cadres working at community level in Fiji – their diversity, distribution, supervisory structures, education and training, as well as the policy and regulations that govern their practice. [from summary]

Workplace Violence and Gender Discrimination in Rwanda's Health Workforce: Increasing Safety and Gender Equality

This article reexamines a set of study findings that directly relate to the influence of gender on workplace violence, synthesizes these findings with other research from Rwanda, and examines the subsequent impact of the study on Rwanda’s policy environment. [from abstract]

Ethiopia's Rural Care Crisis Eased by Community Health Workers

This article and the accompanying video tell the story of a community health worker, Almaz Doiso, in Ethiopia who is responsible for the health needs of more than 500 families in one of the most remote regions of the world - South Omo Ethiopia. [adapted from author]

Task Shifting and Integration of HIV Care into Primary Care in South Africa: The Development and Content of the Streamlining Tasks and Roles to Expand Treatment and Care for HIV (STRETCH) Intervention

Task shifting and the integration of HIV care into primary care services have been identified as possible strategies for improving access to antiretroviral treatment. This paper describes the development and content of an intervention involving these two strategies. [from abstract]

Implementation of Integrated Care: the Empirical Validation of the Development Model for Integrated Care

This study empirically validated a model for integrated care in practice by assessing the relevance, implementation and plans of the elements in three integrated care service settings in The Netherlands. [from abstract]

Mentorship Needs at Academic Institutions in Resource-Limited Settings: a Survey at Makerere University College of Health Sciences

There is increasing global emphasis on mentorship of young scientists in order to train and develop the next leaders in global health. However, mentoring efforts are challenged by the high clinical, research and administrative demands. This study evaluated the status and nature of mentoring practices at Makerere College of Health Sciences. [from abstract]

Bachelor of Rural Health Care: Do We Need Another Cadre of Health Practitioners in Rural Areas?

This article proposes the idea of a new degree course in medicine of a shorter duration to encourage students from rural areas to take up medicine and then provide services in their local areas. [from author]

Human Resources for Health and Decentralization Policy in the Brazilian Health System

This paper assesses whether the process of decentralizing human resources for health management and organization to the level of the state and municipal health departments has involved investments in technical, political and financial resources at the national level. [from abstract]

Occupational Segregation, Gender Essentialism and Male Primacy as Major Barriers to Equity in HIV Care Giving: Findings from Lesotho

In 2008 the Capacity Project partnered with the Lesotho Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in a study of the gender dynamics of HIV/AIDS caregiving in three districts of Lesotho to account for men’s absence in HIV/AIDS caregiving and investigate ways in which they might be recruited into the community and home-based care workforce. [from abstract]

Community Case Management Using ACT and RDT in Two Districts in Zambia: Achieving High Adherence to Test Results Using Community Health Workers

This article outlines a prospective evaluation of the effectiveness of using community health workers as delivery points for ACT and RDTs in the home management of malaria in two districts in Zambia. [from abstract]

Devolution and Human Resources in Primary Healthcare in Rural Mali

Devolution, as other types of decentralization (e.g. deconcentration, delegation, privatization), profoundly changes governance relations in the health system. This article assesses the key advantages and dilemmas associated with devolution such as responsiveness to local needs, downward accountability and health worker retention. Challenges of politics and capacities are also addressed in relation to human resources for health at the local level. [from abstract]

Collaboration to Change the Landscape of Nursing: A Journey between Urban and Remote Practice Settings

This article describes an innovative strategy to test a health human resource (HHR) planning and employment model to foster inter-organizational collaboration, knowledge transfer and exchange of nurses between an urban academic health science centre and a remote region in northern Ontario. [from introduction]

Nurse Prescribing of Medicines in Western Europe and Anglo-Saxon Countries: a Systematic Review of the Literature

The aim of this review was to gain insight into the scientific and professional literature describing the extent to and the ways in which nurse prescribing has been realised or is being introduced in Western European and Anglo-Saxon countries; and to identify possible mechanisms underlying the introduction and organisation of nurse prescribing. [adapted from abstract]

Current Shortage and Future Surplus of Doctors: a Projection of the Future Growth of the Japanese Medical Workforce

The purpose of this research is to project the future growth of the Japanese medical doctor workforce from 2008 to 2050 and to forecast whether the proposed additional increase in the student quota will cause a doctor surplus. [from abstract]