Sub-Saharan Africa

Healthcare workers (HCWs) can play an important role in assisting patients to stop smoking, but this role is undermined if they themselves smoke. The study determined the prevalence of tobacco smoking and alcohol use among HCWs in public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. [from abstract]

The authors wished to establish the use of existing diabetes management guidelines by general practitioners in Tshwane, South Africa. [adapted from abstract]

Poor case detection and inadequate numbers of mental health staff have been associated with increased morbidity among individuals with depression presenting to primary care. In Nigeria, as in most developing countries, general practitioners (GPs) may fill this treatment gap. This study surveyed the knowledge of and attitudes of GPs towards depression.

This update describes the development of a platform for delivery of essential health services in a post-conflict setting using integrated mobile teams of health workers consisting of MOH doctors, nurses, midwives, community health workers, and technicians, as well as community nutrition volunteers. [adapted from author]

This technical brief presents a project in Ethiopia focused on scaling-up efforts in underserved rural communities to enable access to long-acting family planning at the village level through task-shifting to Ethiopia’s health extension worker cadre. [adapted from author]

The Community Health Worker Assessment and Improvement Matrix (CHW AIM) was designed to help assess communtiy health worker program functionality and to provide benchmarks against which to measure program improvements. This operations research activity was designed as a field intervention study that applied the CHW AIM process. [adapted from summary]

This report provides an overview of an intercountry review and analysis of the present capacity, current status and functionality of HRH departments or units responsible for HRH actions in the ministries of health at the national level in the African Region of the World Health Organization. [adapted from introduction]

The objective of this study was to pilot an action learning group program, (an informal, practically based management training program which allow trainees to reflect on their own work environment) with managers in a rural public health setting and to explore participants’ experience of the program. [adapted from abstract]

This article describes the African Health Regulatory Collaborative for Nurses and Midwives, a four-year initiative to increase the collaboration among national stakeholders and help strengthen the capacity of health professional regulatory bodies to reform national regulatory frameworks, and discusses its importance in implementing and sustaining national, regional, and global workforce initiatives. [adapted from abstract]

Using South Africa as a case study, this article reports on the engagement of non-governmental organizations and community care workers in the implementation of collaborative tuberculosis/HIV activities in rural South Africa, including extent of participation and constraints and opportunities to enhance effective participation. [adapted from abstract]

This study was carried out to assess the attitudes of Ethiopian medical students towards their training and future practice of medicine, and to identify factors associated with the intent to practice in rural or urban settings, or to migrate abroad. [from abstract]

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the introduction of the Occupation Specific Dispensation, which sought to improve the public services’ ability to attract and retain health workers in South Africa, thereby reducing incentives to emigrate. [adapted from abstract]

This cross-sectional survey was conducted on consenting students of the first medical school in Gambia to help understand preferences for specialties by medical students, and the factors driving choices, to assist policy makers in ensuring optimal spread of personnel across disciplines. [adapted from abstract]

The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that strengthening health systems, through improved leadership and management skills of health teams, can contribute to an increase in health-service delivery outcomes. The study was conducted in six provinces in the Republic of Kenya. [from abstract]

This edition of Hotline, an HRH newletter focused on the needs of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in Africa, highlights resources, trainings and workshops, articles of interest and other information for FBO HRH pracitioners.

This article advocates training rural primary health care staff in basic emergency surgery in those areas of South Sudan where there is no access to secondary or tertiary level facilities (i.e. surgical task-shifting). Based on their experience, the authors describe and recommend the type of on-the-job training that they feel is most suitable for this level of staff. [from publisher]

This observational study was conducted to estimate the degree of internal and external brain drain among Mozambican nationals qualifying from domestic and foreign medical schools between 1980–2006. [from abstract]

This article outlines an educational partnership model designed to increase local capacity for postgraduate education at a Rwandan surgical residency program and to reduce dependence on foreign programs for the training of Rwandan surgeons. [adapted from author]

This study compared the performance of community health workers managing malaria and pneumonia with performance of those managing malaria alone in eastern Uganda and the factors influencing performance. [from abstract]

This article aimed to assess the effects on mortality, viral suppression, and other health outcomes and quality indicators of program for task shifting of antiretroviral therapy from doctors to nurses, which provides educational outreach training for nurses to initiate and represcribe. [adapted from summary]

This brief outlines a comprehensive human resources information system to support management functions in the public health sector that is being implemented by the Ministries of Health in Kenya. [adapted from author]

This article describes the process and results of an uncontrolled before and after study to explore intervention dose-effect relationships, as clinical practice guidelines were disseminated and training was progressively implemented. [adapted from author]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient and staff perceptions regarding whether the peer education program as as part of a task-shifting strategy for HIV care relieved the workload on professional health care workers and delivered services of acceptable quality. [adapted from author]

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of workplace violence in oral healthcare centres against Nigerian dental professionals. [from abstract]

The brief describes the difference a community health worker program has made to the lives of children in one remote region of Ghana.

This impact evaluation was conducted to assess volunteer community health workers’ effect on child morbidity, mortality and to calculate volunteer retention. [from abstract]

Participants in the Human Resources for Health Leadership and Management Course in Uganda share some perspectives on a program designed to help them address health workforce challenges at the district level. [from publisher]

This edition of Hotline, an HRH newletter focused on the needs of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in Africa, highlights resources, trainings and workshops, articles of interest and other information for FBO HRH pracitioners.

The health sector in Sub-Saharan Africa is most often unfunded, including the health workforce, but many countries do not meet the minimum health staffing levels to provide essential care. This brief outlines the the need for ministries of finance and health to allocate additional financial resources for HRH to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of current capital and recurrent expenditures. [adapted from author]

The objectives of this study are to determine the perceived barriers and motivators influencing final year midwifery students’ acceptance of rural postings in Ghana. [from abstract]