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The results of this survey shed light on several aspects of problems faced by reproductive health services regarding provider performance, equipment and supplies in facilities and laboratories, availability of medicine, initial staff qualification and in-service training, and supervision of health care providers. The results will serve as a guide for monitoring and evaluation of maternal and child health programs, reproductive health programs, HIV/AIDS programs, and other infectious diseases programs. [from preface]

The study assessed knowledge and practice of health care providers on current concepts on malaria prophylaxis in pregnancy. [from abstract]

This assessment was designed to provide detailed information on the availability and quality of facility infrastructure, resources, and management systems. Detailed information was also collected on services for child health, family planning, maternal health, antenatal care, and delivery care. Furthermore, selected infectious diseases, namely STIs and tuberculosis, were also covered under the survey. Information was collected on the capacity of health facilities to provide quality HIV/AIDS services.

This study focused on factors associated with the readiness of Kenyan health facilities to provide quality and appropriate care to family planning clientele; the degree to which health care providers foster informed selection of an appropriate contraceptive method; and the extent to which clients perceive services to be of high quality. [from abstract]

Given the worrying trends in infant and child mortality rates, there is a clear need to assess current practices in the management of childhood illnesses and to identify opportunities for intervention. The 2004 Kenya Service Provision Assessment Survey (KSPA) findings indicate that most health care providers are not taking care of sick children holistically, but rather are treating children only for the presenting illness.

Empirical investigations of health worker training in Kenya have been limited to mappings of health service providers in terms of cadre and distribution and assessments of the training needs for various skills. However, there has not been a comprehensive study of the influence of training on the provision of quality Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC). We seek to fill this gap by assessing the link between health provider training and practice with regard to the provision of EmOC. [from author]

The Trauma Management Program (TMP) was developed to improve the capacity of local health workers to deliver effective trauma care. This report illustrates a method to increase the capacity of indigenous health workers to manage traumatic injuries. These health workers are able to provide trauma care for otherwise inaccessible populations in remote and conflicted regions. The principles learnt during the implementation of the TMP might be applied in similar settings. [from introduction]

A growing number of international donors are promoting an expansion of private-sector health-care delivery to achieve universal and equitable access. But this paper shows there is an urgent need to reassess the arguments used in favour of scaling-up private-sector provision in poor countries. The evidence shows that prioritising this approach is extremely unlikely to deliver health for poor people. [adapted from author]

There is a general consensus that another influenza pandemic is inevitable. Although health care workers (HCWs) are essential to the health system response, there are few studies exploring HCW attitudes to pandemic influenza. The aim of this study was to explore HCWs knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviour towards pandemic influenza. [from abstract]

Mid-level cadres of health workers provide the bulk of emergency obstetric and neonatal care in Malawi. This study set out to explore the perceptions of mid-level providers regarding the factors affecting their performance and retention within the Malawian health system. [adapted from author]

The study had three objectives: to determine the current competency levels of the workforce attending women during labor, delivery, and the early postpartum period; examine conditions at the workplace to determine environmental and organizational factors that affect workforce productivity and performance; and assess implications for regional training and performance improvement at the workplace. [from author]

The goal of the assessment was to review the quality of HIV care, antiretroviral treatment and tuberculosis services provided in private-for-profits in Uganda in order to generate appropriate recommendations and inform the development of a strategy to improve the quality of those services. [from author]

This study explores the factors that affect performance of nurses in Namibia with the aim of providing a management framework for improving the performance of professional nurses. [from author]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of scaling up antiretroviral treatment (ART) on the working environment and motivation of health workers in South Africa; and to suggest strategies to minimize negative effects and maximise positive effects. [from summary]

The aims of this publication are to encourage midwives and student midwives to make the most of supervision by working in partnership with their supervisor; provide clear information about the supervisory process and the interface between supervision and midwifery practice; and inform midwives and student midwives about the changing role of the supervisor of midwives. [from introduction]

The toolkit is a collection of participatory educational exercises for educating health care providers on the issues of stigma and gender-based violence. It was developed for and with health care providers in Andhra Pradesh, India. The goal is to facilitate open discussion on HIV stigma and gender violence, and on what health workers can do to promote a change in attitude and practice. [from publisher]

Zambia, like many of the countries heavily affected by HIV and AIDS in southern Africa, also faces a shortage of human resources for health. The country receives significant amounts of funding from GHIs for the large-scale provision of antiretroviral treatment through the public and private sector. This paper examines the impact of GHIs on human resources for ART roll-out in Zambia, at national level, in one province and two districts. [from abstract]

The lack of adequate national pharmacy work-force plans and the reluctance of health authorities to develop these and resource their implementation, particularly for services beyond supply chain management, may be due to the scarcity or lack of an appropriate human resource information system and evidence base. Compared with other health professions, pharmacy is severely lagging in developing an evidence base related to its education and work-force development.

Losses of graduates from the Fiji School of Medicine to overseas migration and to the local private sector prompted exploration of the reasons for these losses from the Fiji public workforce. This study provides some support for the view that local or regional postgraduate training may increase retention of doctors. Attention to career pathways and other sources of frustration, in addition to encouragement to complete training, should increase the likelihood of such programs reaching their full potentials. [adapted from abstract]

This document provides resources on Ethiopia’s experiences with community health worker programs. [from abstract]

Anticipating physician supply to tackle future health challenges is a crucial but complex task for policy planners. While there are number of forecasting tools available the methods, advantages and shortcomings of such tools are not straightforward and not always well appraised. This paper attempts to present a typology of existing forecasting approaches and to analyze the methodology-related issues. [adapted from abstract]

This study evaluates the effectiveness and sustainability of a voluntary counseling and testing training program based on a training-of-trainers model. [adapted from abstract]

Population size is often correlated with the number of physicians in a community, and is conventionally considered to represent the power of communities to attract physicians. However, associations between other demographic/economic variables and the number of physicians in a community have not been fully evaluated. This study seeks other parameters that correlate with the physician population and show which characteristics of a community determine its attractiveness to physicians. [adapted from abstract]

This study investigates the influence of demographic characteristics, provincial policies, organizational changes and emerging practice challenges on the rural–urban segments of the Canadian nursing workforce in order to describe the nature of nursing work from the perspective of rural nurse executives and frontline nurses. [adapted from introduction]

The most common problems related to Health Workers Salaries and Benefits (HWSB) in Bolivia, Peru and Chile are shortage of health workers, disparity of skills, poor distribution of health workers, inadequate working environments and low knowledge about the characteristic of HWSB. This report collects data about these countries, showing that the wages of doctors during the last fifteen years have generally had to increase more than the wages of other workers. [adapted from executive summary]

Migration of medical professionals from developing countries has become a major concern. This brain drain worsens the already depleted healthcare resources in poor countries and widens the gap in health inequities worldwide. This article makes recommendations regarding the collaboration of international organizations to protect the value of this intellectual property. [adapted from article]

The already inadequate health systems of sub-Saharan Africa have been badly damaged by the emigration of their health professionals. This article suggests some practical measures to address the situation. [adapted from summary]

Predicted shortages and recruitment targets for nurses in developed countries threaten to deplete nurse supply and undermine global health initiatives in developing countries. This article supports a twofold approach involving greater diligence by developing countries in creating a largely sustainable domestic nurse workforce, and their greater investment through international aid in building nursing education capacity in the less developed countries that provide nurses. [adapted from abstract]

Nurses and managers interviewed in Cape Town primary care facilities share their insights, experiences and how they cope with the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. [from introduction]

The author presents a report on the career paths taken by graduates of Makerere Medical School in Uganda.