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Medical Schools in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Sub-Saharan African Medical School Study examined the challenges, innovations, and emerging trends in medical education in the region. [from summary]

Evaluation of Computerized Health Management Information System for Primary Health Care in Rural India

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a computerized Health Management Information System (HMIS) in a rural health system in India. [from abstract]

How to Create an Attractive and Supportive Working Environment for Health Professionals

This policy brief considers policy approaches that can be employed to help create positive work environments, thus improving the recruitment and retention of health professionals and contributing to the achievement of high quality health services. [from author]

Development of Postgraduate Surgical Training in Guyana

Like many developing countries, Guyana has a severe shortage of surgeons. Rather than rely on overseas training, Guyana developed its own Diploma in Surgery and asked for assistance from the Canadian Association of General Surgeons. This paper reviews the initial results of Guyana’s first postgraduate training program. [from abstract]

Connecting Medical Specialists in Rural Hospitals: Lessons Learned from the Telemedicine Project in Tanzania

This brief outlines a project conceived to tap the potential of telemedicine in Tanzania and to develop the relevant technology and practices. The project aimed to reduce the strain caused by a shortage of qualified personnel, contribute to training and continuous professional development; improve the quality of health services in rural areas; contribute to the establishment of a referral system; and be cost-effective.

Telehealth in the Developing World

Telemedicine offers solutions for emergency medical assistance, long-distance consultation, administration and logistics, supervision and quality assurance, and education and training for healthcare professionals and providers. This book aims to redress the relative lack of published information on successful telehealth solutions in the developing world. It includes chapters on topics such as the role of mHealth for community-based health workers in developing countries, IT for primary care, telemedical support for surgeons, and telehealth for remote areas. [adapted from author]

Infection Control and the Burden of Tuberculosis Infection and Disease in Health Care Workers in China: a Cross-Sectional Study

Hospitals with inadequate infection control are risky environments for the emergence and transmission of tuberculosis (TB). This study evaluated TB infection control practices, and the prevalence of latent TB infection and TB disease and risk factors in health care workers in TB centers in Henan province in China. [from abstract]

Learning in a Virtual World: Experience with Using Second Life for Medical Education

The authors designed and delivered a pilot postgraduate medical education program in the virtual world, Second Life to explore the potential of a virtual world for delivering continuing medical education (CME) designed for physicians; determine possible instructional designs using SL for CME; understand the limitations of SL for CME; understand the barriers, solutions, and costs associated with using SL, including required training; and measure participant learning outcomes and feedback. [adapted from abstract]

Assessment of Human Resources for Pharmaceutical Services in Ghana

The development of a framework for human resource planning for the pharmaceutical secotr forms the basis for strengthening this sector. Thus the generation of evidence to support pharmaceutical human resources planning strategies is vital. This report is a preliminary assessment of the pharmaceutical workforce in Ghana. [from preface]

Assessment of the Pharmaceutical Human Resources in Tanzania and the Strategic Framework

Lack of comprehensive data on personnel in the pharmaceutical sector is a gap in national human resource for health policies in most developing countries. This study was undertaken in order to determine the total workforce providing pharmaceutical services in both the public and private sectors in Tanzania. [from summary]

Global Health Education: a Cross-Sectional Study among German Medical Students to Identify Needs, Deficits and Potential Benefits

This study aimed to assess the importance medical students place on learning about selected social determinants of health, explore their knowledge of selected global health topics and analyse any associations with medical students’ mobility patterns and education in tropical medicine or global health. [from abstract]

Improving Quality of Malaria Treatment Services: Assessing Inequities in Consumers' Perceptions and Providers' Behaviour in Nigeria

Information about quality of malaria treatment services of different healthcare providers is needed to know how to improve the treatment of malaria since inappropriate service provision leads to increased burden of malaria. This study determined the technical and perceived quality of malaria treatment services of different types of providers in three urban and three rural areas in southeast Nigeria. [from abstract]

Positive Practice Environments in Uganda: Enhancing Health Worker and Health System Performance

This paper aims to explore the current key issues facing Uganda’s health human resource climate with particular attention to practice environments including recruitment, retention and productivity of its health workforce, to identify the HR solutions that are being or have been employed to address these main challenges. The paper will also help in identifying knowledge gaps for future in-depth research and recommendations for future strategies. [from introduction]

Zambia Country Case Study on Positive Practice Environments (PPE): Quality Workplaces for Quality Care

This desk review has put together a situation analysis of the professional practice environment in Zambia today, bringing out a picture of unhealthy, unproductive work environments. [from summary]

Maternal Health Care Professionals' Perspectives on the Provision and Use of Antenatal and Delivery Care: a Qualitative and Descriptive Study in Rural Vietnam

This qualitative descriptive study explored the perspectives and experiences of midwives, assistant physicians and medical doctors on the content and quality of maternal health care in rural Vietnam. [from abstract]

Task Shifting in Mozambique: Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Non-Physician Clinicians' Performance in HIV/AIDS Care

This article reports on a nationwide evaluation by the Mozambican Ministry of Health of the quality of care delivered by non-physician clinicians after a two-week in-service training course emphasizing antiretroviral therapy. [adapted from abstract]

Access for All to Skilled, Motivated and Supported Health Workers

This background paper to the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health discusses the critical role of human resources in meeting the MDGs. Human resources are the backbone of health systems, but if crucial HRH bottlenecks are not addressed it will not be possible to achieve the health MDGs. [adapted from author]

Data for Improvement and Clinical Excellence: Protocol for an Audit with Feedback Intervention in Long-Term Care

The primary purpose of the Data for Improvement and Clinical Excellence Long-Term Care (LTC) project is to assess the effects of a quality improvement audit with feedback intervention delivered monthly over 13 months to healthcare workers in four LTC facilities. [adapted from abstract]

Realist Synthesis of Randomised Control Trials Involving Use of Community Health Workers for Delivering Child Health Interventions in Low and Middle Income Countries

This study examined evidence from randomized control trials on community health worker interventions in management of childhood illnesses from a realist perspective to gain insight into how these interventions work. [adapted from abstract]

Achieving the MDGs by Investing in Human Resources for Health

This paper examines the role of health workers in achieving MDGs 1, 4, 5, and 6. It calls for greater domestic and global attention – and the funding required – to comprehensively and effectively address health workforce issues in the context of the MDGs and developing equitable and accountable health systems. [from introduction]

Mangers' Perceptions of the Manager Role in Relation to Physicians: a Qualitative Interview Study of the Top Managers in Swedish Healthcare

This study focused on the manager role in the manager-physician relationship, considered from the manager perspective. The aim was to understand how top executives in Swedish healthcare regard management of physicians in their organisations, and what this implies for the manager role in relation to the medical profession.

Zeroing In: AIDS Donors and Africa's Health Workforce

This report focuses on AIDS donors and on how they can better use their funding to address health workforce issues. It introduces the HRH crisis, the evolving approaches of AIDS donors, how these approaches to health workforce strengthening and development have played out in practice in Mozambique, Uganda, and Zambia and makes recommendations meant to inform the ongoing deliberations of AIDS donors as they work out the implementation details of their health system strengthening commitments. [adapted from author]

Task Sharing in Zambia: HIV Service Scale-Up Compound the Human Resource Crisis

This study analyses and reports trends in HIV and non-HIV ambulatory service workloads on clinical staff in urban and rural district level facilities. [from abstract]

Health Worker Performance in the Management of Paediatric Fevers Following In-Service Training and Exposure to Job Aids in Kenya

This article evaluates an initiative launched in Kenya to improve malaria case-management through enhanced in-service training and provision of job aids. [from abstract]

IGWG Gender and Health Toolkit

The The Interagency Gender Working Group (IGWG) toolkit is a resource on gender and health that brings together a wealth of practical and hands-on how-to resources for gender integration and mainstreaming in health policies, programs, and institutions. [adapted from author]

Research Training Needs in Peruvian National TB/HIV Programs

This article sought to systematically assess the research training needs of health care professionals working at Peruvian governmental institutions leading HIV and tuberculosis control and among senior stakeholders in the field. [from abstract]

Beyond Prevention: Home Management of Malaria in Kenya

Home Management of Malaria (HMM) is a strategy to improve acces to appropriate and effective malaria treatment in the community or home through early recognition of malaria symptoms and prompt treatment. To do this, volunteer members of the communities are trained to recognize fever, to administer treatment to children under five years of age when they find it, and to advise on follow-up treatment and prevention. They are monitored by a trained member of staff, such as a public health officer.

Working Together for Our Future: Belize's Health Workforce Strategic Plan 2010 - 2014

This important document strives to address the issues and challenges facing the health workforce in Belize and further strengthens the foundation upon which Belize continues to build a vision of quality health care for all Belizeans.[from author]

Front Line Care: Report by the Prime Minister's commission on the Future of Nursing and Midwifery in England 2010

The Commission developed a value-based vision of the future that sees nurses and midwives in the mainstream of service planning, development and delivery, backed up by the necessary education, continuing professional development and supervision, and by supportive management and workplace cultures. This report endorses important existing effots, and where necessary proposes to accelerate the pace of change. It adds new thinking about how best nursing and midwifery can support service users, families and local communities. [from author]