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he tragic and excessive attack on a doctor at the Western Hospital in Australia in February has brought the issue of violence in health care settings back into the spotlight, writes the magazine of the Australian Medical Association (Victoria). This latest attack serves as a stark reminder of the unacceptable risks health care workers are exposed to just by turning up to work each day, with emergency departments in particular described in recent times as ‘war zones’. [from summary]

External challenges to health systems have received little attention in recent years, including the increase of prices for petroleum-based products. Health systems are significant consumers of fossil fuels in the form of petroleum-based medical supplies; transportation of goods, personnel and patients; and fuel for lighting, heating, cooling and medical equipment. Long-term increases in petroleum prices in the global market will have potentially devastating effects on health sectors who already struggle to deliver services to remote parts of their catchment areas. [adapted from abstract]

While discussing larger philosophical topics on the role of assessment, participants at this two-day workshop also debated the role of assessments in so-called new disciplines and how these appraisals will lead to a ‘new professionalism’. [adapted from summary]

This report outlines the findings from a three-pronged approach that includes: 1. Establishing a database of existing mHealth tools related to FLHW performance and accountability; 2. Conducting a literature review on the evidence
base of using mHealth tools to improve FLHW performance and accountability; 3. Developing a framework to guide the adaptation of paper-based content into mobile-friendly content. [from summary]

Health systems in Europe face a number of increasingly complex challenges. Globalization, evolving health threats, an ageing society, financial constraints on government spending, and social and health inequalities are some of the most pressing. This policy summary aims to outline these needs and to consider measures and options towards meeting them. [adapted from summary]

To compare the effectiveness of mobile phone text messaging and that of traditional health worker training in communicating clinical recommendations to health workers in China. [from abstract]

The purpose of this paper is to compare the malaria knowledge level and health practices of individuals in SPH intervention areas to individuals without SPH intervention [from abstract]

The purpose of this study was to investigate recent changes in the geographic distribution of pediatricians and the factors underlying this change. [from abstract]

This study explores the personal experiences of health workers using e-health innovations in selected
post-conflict situations. [from abstract]

The objective of this study is to provide information on the current state of physician tracking systems in the region, highlighting emerging themes and innovative practices. [from abstract]

In India, there is a constant tug of war in national policy on “Which health worker is needed in rural areas?” and “Who can, realistically, be got there?” In this article, we try to inform this debate by juxtaposing perspectives of three cadres involved in primary care in India—allopathic, ayurvedic and nursing—on rural service. We also identify key incentives for improved rural retention of these cadres. [adapted from abstract]

It has been more than 20 years since the 1988 Constitution formally established the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS), which established health as a fundamental right and duty of the state and started a process of fundamentally transforming Brazil’s health system. The report assesses whether the SUS reforms have transformed the health system as envisaged more than 20 years ago and whether the reforms have led to improved outcomes with regard to access to services, financial protection, and health status. [adapted from introduction]

With this publication, WHO issues its first guidelines for Transforming and Scaling up Health Professionals’ Education and Training. The guidelines are expected to give rise to regional and country based policy and technical dialogues with key stakeholders in education, health, finance and labour, on how best to finance health professional training and prepare health professionals for the 21st century.[from foreword]

The objective of this analysis was to assess the effectiveness of care provided by mid-level health workers (MLHWs), a group of cadres who are trained for 2-5 years to acquire basic skills in diagnosing, managing common conditions, and preventing disease. MLHWs, provided we adopt the right approaches and define their role on the basis of sound evidence, can be part of the solution. [from summary]

From 1989 through 1997, Rwanda had the lowest life expectancy of any country in the world. Workforce setbacks further plagued the country as many clinicians fled or were killed. During the last decade, however, Rwanda has rebuilt its health system and registered some of the steepest declines in premature mortality in recent history.[adapted from introduction]

This flagship report was commissioned by the Global Health Workforce Alliance Secretariat and the World Health Organization to consolidate the latest information available on human resources for health and provide recommendations to the global community on how to attain, sustain and accelerate progress on universal health coverage. [from summary]

The Global Health Workforce Alliance’s strategy for 2013-2016 includes commitments to train, deploy and retain at least an additional 2.6 million health workers, develop evidence-based quality HRH plans, build a new long-term vision for HRH, increase accountability for HRH results and compel HRH stakeholders to take proactive roles in support of national HRH development strategies. [adapted from preface]

Sri Lankan rural doctors based in isolated peripheral hospitals routinely resuscitate critically ill patients but have difficulty accessing training. We tested a train-the-trainer model that could be utilised in isolated rural hospitals. [from abstract]

The Ministry of Health/Ghana Health Service in collaboration with the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) country office commissioned the development of this policy and guidelines on occupational health and safety (OHS) of health workers in view of the tremendous risks posed to these workers in the process of rendering invaluable services to mankind. We wish to express our appreciation to the W.H.O. for supporting this effort. [from introduction]

This toolkit can help public health managers to plan for the implementation of information and communications technology (ICT) in health information systems. It draws on lessons learned during project Optimize, a five-year partnership between the World Health Organization and PATH to help optimize the vaccine supply chain

Using the IST Improvement Framework, developed by the USAID Applying Sciences to Strengthen and Improve Systems Project (ASSIST), as a guide, the authors developed a survey tool to assess the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of IST provided between January 2007 and July 2012 by PEPFAR-funded implementing partners in Nigeria. [from abstract]

The Guidebook aims to be a useful resource amongst rural colleagues - to cross-fertilise experiences and build a stronger and more vibrant community of rural health care practitioners and medical educators. [adapted from preface]

The extra demand imposed upon the Libyan health services during and after the Libyan revolution in 2011
led the ailing health systems to collapse. To start the planning process to re-engineer the health sector, a conference was held in Tripoli, Libya to facilitate a consultative process between 500 Libyan health experts in order to identify the problems within the Libyan health system and propose potential solutions. This article summarises the 500 health expert recommendations that seized the opportunity to map a modern health systems to take the Libyan health sector into the 21st century.

To explore the key human resource (HR) practices affecting doctors in a medical complex in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. [from abstract]

This article analyses (1) how financial incentives (salary top-ups) and non-financial incentives (housing and education) affect nurses’ willingness to work in remote areas of Tanzania and (2) how the magnitude of the incentives needed to attract health workers varies with the nurses’ geographic origin and their intrinsic motivation. [from abstract]

“Community Based Education in Health Professions: Global Perspectives” presents a collection of case studies from Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, India, Pakistan and South Africa describing different ways of planning, implementing and sustaining community-based education for health students. The case studies provide an account of what worked and what did not, the trials and errors, and the challenges and lessons learned. [adapted from introduction]

The social quality approach is a community-based approach for encouraging service recipients to get involved in the availability, use, and quality of health services. This report, based on Santenet2 project data, correlation analysis, and qualitative data collection, illustrates the implementation process, successes and essential components to the successful implementation of the social quality approach. [from executive summary]

Intended for those organizations involved in health financing policy debates, this tool articulates the pro-[Universal Health Care] arguments, and presents relevant evidence and examples. It is designed to support policies that promote equity, efficiency and effectiveness, and ensure that the rights of the most vulnerable are not forgotten. [adapted from introduction]

Through interviews, researchers found Kenyan women medical clinical researchers shared similar motivations as US women but differed as well. Kenyan medical doctors pursued health research within a context of limited resources, but the ability to balance work and family while contributing to public health through research and leadership was highly valued. [adapted from abstract]

Despite the huge burden of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, there is little evidence of the multidimensional needs of patients with HIV infection to inform the person-centred care across physical, psychological, social and spiritual domains stipulated in policy guidance. We aimed to describe the problems experienced by people with HIV in Kenya and Uganda and the management of these problems by HIV outpatient services. [from abstract]