Documents & Reports

The paper develops a framework for designing and implementing healthcare delivery innovations aimed at making markets work better for poor people. Focusing on the social contract between providers and users, it reviews several arrangements that have emerged, with a particular focus on the providers largely used by the poor. [from publisher]

This paper reviews and provides an understanding of the private health sector’s role in low- and middle-income countries and its relationship with the governmental capacity to regulate private providers, in particular, and to act as health system steward, in general. [from abstract]

The paper describes performance-based incentive contracting schemes that have been implemented to improve results for a range of interventions from time-limited immunizations to chronic conditions that require significant lifestyle changes, such as diabetes. It argues that performance incentives are a viable and potentially more powerful solution than typical inputoriented approaches to dealing with underutilization, poor quality, and low efficiency. [from publisher]

The paper reviews various purchasing models and the advantages each offers for purchasing from the private sector. It then identifies the key challenges to successful implementation of these models, and discusses improvements needed in the contracting mechanism itself. It determines that the purchasing mechanism can create new incentives for providers, payers, and consumers on a national scale, but it may require that changes be made in the health sector as a whole for new programs to be successful. [from publisher]

The objective of this study was to identify and characterize contracting models that have existed in the Zambian health sector and their consequences on access to health care. The study was aimed at assessing the extent to which the identified contracting models have been successful in achieving their intended goals and at determining their potential to be scaled up to the entire health sector, including the private sector. [from summary]

The objective of the study defined in this report was to evolve a community-based model of monitoring absenteeism in public health centres that can induce demand accountability of service providers, along with measuring the rate of their absenteeism and the satisfaction of the beneficiaries, and to do evidence-based advocacy for adopting the model and improving the service delivery. [from abstract]

This brief outlines the concepts of flexible working practices, which are being promoted by governments, employers and unions as an important element of efforts to recruit and retain skilled employees and to improve the deployment of available nursing skills. [adapted from author]

This technical brief looks at the cost of absenteeism, examines governance issues, describes the various stakeholders, and offers a number of recommendations for strengthening governance to reduce absenteeism. [from publisher]

This book presents the principal findings of a study on contractual arrangements between faith-based hospitals and public health authorities in four sub-Saharan African countries.

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 survey tests the use of employee engagement concepts in United States Agency for International Development-assisted countries to measure and improve health worker performance, productivity, and retention. [adapted from author]

This report describes pioneering work where quality improvement methods are being applied to strengthen human resources management and performance at the facility, district, and regional management levels to improve maternal care in Niger’s Tahoua Region. [from summary]

This brief presents an overview of issues related to community health workers and human resources for health along with suggested actions, key considerations, and resources. [from author]

The West African Health Organization is implementing a regional approach to strengthening human resource information systems that is closely aligned with key principles of the US Government’s Global Health Initiative—supporting country ownership and country-led plans, encouraging sustainability through health systems strengthening and capacity-building, and leveraging partnerships. This CapacityPlus technical brief provides an overview of this approach, highlights lessons learned, and provides recommendations for other regions and countries to adopt the approach.

This policy brief explores actual performance of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) and other related maternal and newborn health services by Nurses, nurse-midwives, and non-physician clinicians who provided at least one of the EmOC signal functions in the previous three months preceding data collection in hospitals and health centres throughout Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. [adapted from author]

This report contains the results of an in-depth training needs assessment of Lesotho health workers foces on workers at the central and district level. [adapted from summary]

The purpose of this document is to act as a master plan for all the resources, methodologies, priorites and monitoring & evaluation processes to implement a program for continuing education for Lesotho health workers and serve as a point of reference for all stakeholders and beneficiaries. [adapted from author]

A team of nursing leaders collaborated to identify essential nursing competencies to address the HIV and AIDS epidemics in the sub-Saharan African region. This document includes: evidence supporting the need to establish core competencies in HIV and AIDS; concepts related to the core competencies for nursing related to HIV and AIDS; and the essential core competencies for nursing related to HIV and AIDS.

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 baseline assessment of HIV/AIDS service providers gathered information on productivity and engagement to develop a set of improved human resource practices that will be integrated into ongoing HIV service delivery. [adapted from summary]

This study reviews experiences and lessons learned regarding monetary and non-monetary incentives for community workers. It includes indicative costings and recommendations for further policy and development with regard to the effective recruitment, training and deployment of community workers in Zambia. [adapted from summary]

This fact sheet advocates for and provides resources to support health professionals being able to access health care information to provide appropriate care, patient education and treatment that saves and improves lives. [adapted from introduction]

The aim of this report is to describe the role of the nurse workforce in the development and implementation of primary health care (PHC) reform; identify key factors in the practice environment which inhibit or strengthen PHC reform; articulate the contribution nurses can make in future health sector reform. [adapted from summary]

The paper describes the conceptual literature on the determinants of routine health information system (RHIS) performance and its role in improving health systems functioning and performance at the local level, strategies to improve RHIS performance, evaluation challenges, and makes suggestions to improve RHIS design and information use. [adapted from abstract]

The purpose of this study was to examine the approaches utilized by clinical nurse specialists to access and transfer research knowledge in their daily practice. [from author]

This issue contains articles on: improving data collection for policy making; increasing impact of FBOs on health and development; profile of the Christian Health Association of Ghana; security challenges for health commodities; and biblical approach to people living with HIV/AIDS. [from author]

In order to explain the Christian Health Association of Malawi’a (CHAM) approaches to HRH, this paper gives an overview of CHAM especially its operational structure; reviews HRH data from affiliated institutions; looks at elements faced by CHAM with regards to retention; and analyzes what CHAM has done to promote retention of health workers. [adapted from author]

This brief outlines collaborations with Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faith-based organizations (FBOs) to expand family planning options to underserved populations while helping FBOs increase services to their communities. [from author]

This study in Uganda aimed to untangle the intrinsic motivation, retention, and performance factors for health workers faith-based facilities compared to public sector health workers. [adapted 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.