NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY OF HEALTH KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION INITIATIVES IN UGANDA

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Basaza ◽  
Alison Kinegyere ◽  
Boniface Mutatina ◽  
Nelson Sewankambo

Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide evidence about the design and implementation of policies for advancing the sustainability of knowledge translation (KT) initiatives and policies in Uganda's health system.Methods: We searched for and reviewed evidence about KT sustainability issues in Uganda, the impacts of options, barriers to implementing these options, and implementation strategies to address such barriers. In instances where the systematic reviews provided limited evidence, these were supplemented with relevant primary studies. Documents such as the government reports and unpublished literature were also included in the search. Key informant interviews and a policy dialogue were conducted, and an expert working group guided the study.Results: The KT sustainability issues identified were: the absence of a specific unit within the health sector to coordinate and synthesize research; health worker not familiar with KT activities and not often used. Furthermore, Uganda lacks a mechanism to sustain its current national health frameworks or platforms, and does not have a system to ensure the sustained coordination of existing national health KT platforms. The policy options proposed include: (i) the identification of a KT champion; (ii) the establishment of an operational KT framework; (iii) KT capacity building for researchers and research users, as well as policy and decision makers.Conclusions: The sustainability of KT will be influenced by the prevailing context and concerns within healthcare both in Uganda and internationally. Furthermore, the availability of resources for KT advocacy, communication, and program design will impact on the sustainability of Uganda's KT activities.

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (Suppl 7) ◽  
pp. e001769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dheepa Rajan ◽  
Nanoot Mathurapote ◽  
Weerasak Putthasri ◽  
Tipicha Posayanonda ◽  
Poldej Pinprateep ◽  
...  

Improving health governance is increasingly recognised as a key pillar for achieving universal health coverage (UHC). One good practice example of a participatory health governance platform is the National Health Assembly (NHA) in Thailand. This review of 9 years of the Thai NHA process attempted to understand how it works, given the paucity of such mechanisms worldwide. In addition, an in-depth look at its strengths and weaknesses allowed for reflection on whether the lessons learnt from this participatory governance model can be relevant for other settings.Overall, the power of stakeholder groups coming together has been impressively harnessed in the NHA process. The NHA has helped foster dialogue through understanding and respect for very differing takes on the same issue. The way in which different stakeholders discuss with each other in a real attempt at consensus thus represents a qualitatively improved policy dialogue.Nevertheless, the biggest challenge facing the NHA is ensuring a sustainable link to decision-making and the highest political circles. Modalities are needed to make NHA resolutions high priorities for the health sector.The NHA embodies many core features of a well-prepared deliberative process as defined in the literature (information provision, diverse views, opportunity to discuss freely) as well as key ingredients to enable the public to effectively participate (credibility, legitimacy and power). This offers important lessons for other countries for conducting similar processes. However, more research is necessary to understand how improvements in the deliberative process lead to concrete policy outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Ulu Ogbonnaya ◽  
Ijeoma Nkem Okedo-Alex ◽  
Ifeyinwa Chizoba Akamike ◽  
Benedict Azuogu ◽  
Henry Urochukwu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Evidence suggests that implementing an accountability mechanism such as the accountability framework for routine immunization in Nigeria (AFRIN) will improve routine immunization (RI) performance. The fact that the AFRIN, which was developed in 2012, still had not been operationalized at the subnational level (Ebonyi State) by 2018 may in part account for the poor RI coverage (33%) in 2017. Knowledge translation (KT) is defined as the methods for closing the gaps from knowledge to practice. Policy briefs (useful in communicating research findings to policy-makers) and policy dialogues (that enable stakeholders to understand research evidence and create context-resonant implementation plans) are two KT tools. This study evaluated their usefulness in enabling policy-makers to contextualize AFRIN in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Methods The study design was cross-sectional descriptive with mixed-methods data collection. A policy brief developed from AFRIN guided deliberations in a 1-day multi-stakeholder policy dialogue by 30 policy actors. The usefulness of the KT tools in contextualizing policy recommendations in the AFRIN was assessed using validated questionnaires developed at McMaster University, Canada. Results At the end of the policy dialogue, the policy options in the policy brief were accepted but their implementation strategies were altered to suit the local context. The respondents’ mean ratings (MNR) of the overall usefulness of the policy brief and the policy dialogue in contextualizing the implementation strategies were 6.39 and 6.67, respectively, on a seven-point Likert scale (very useful). The MNR of the different dimensions of the policy brief and policy dialogue ranged from 6.17 to 6.60 and from 6.10 to 6.83, respectively (i.e. moderately helpful to very helpful). Conclusion The participants perceived the KT tools (policy brief and policy dialogue) as being very useful in contextualizing policy recommendations in a national policy document into state context-resonant implementable recommendations. We recommend the use of these KT tools in operationalizing AFRIN at the subnational level in Nigeria.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-149
Author(s):  
Md Golam Mustafa ◽  
Md Shahinul Alam ◽  
Md Golam Azam ◽  
Md Mahabubul Alam ◽  
Md Saiful Islam ◽  
...  

Worldwide, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is still a major public health problem. Bangladesh having a large burden of HBV infection, should be a major contributor towards it’s elimination by 2030. The country has been making progress in reducing incidence of HBV infection during the past decades. The progresses are mainly due to large vaccination coverage among children and large coverage of timely birthdose vaccine for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HBV. However, Bangladesh still faces challenges in achieving target of reduction in mortality from HBV. On the basis of targets of the WHO’s Global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis 2016–2021, we highlight priorities for action towards HBV elimination. To attain the target of reduced mortality we propose that, the service coverage targets of diagnosis and treatment should be prioritized along with vaccination. Firstly, improvements are needed in the diagnostic and treatment abilities of medical institutions and health workers. Secondly, the government needs to reduce the costs of health care. Thirdly, better coordination is needed across existing national program and resources to establish an integrated system for prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment of HBV infection. In this way, we can make progress towards achieving the target of eliminating HBV from Bangladesh by 2030 J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg 2020; 38(3): 145-149


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-93
Author(s):  
Immanuel Luigi Da Gusta ◽  
Johan Setiawan

The aim of this paper are: to create a data visualization that can assist the Government in evaluating the return on the development of health facilities in the region and province area in term of human resources for medical personnel, to help community knowing the amount of distribution of hospitals with medical personnel in the regional area and to map disease indicator in Indonesia. The issue of tackling health is still a major problem that is not resolved by the Government of Indonesia. There are three big things that become problems in the health sector in Indonesia: infrastructure has not been evenly distributed and less adequate, the lack of human resources professional health workforce, there is still a high number of deaths in the outbreak of infectious diseases. Data for the research are taken from BPS, in total 10,600 records after the Extract, Transform and Loading process. Time needed to convert several publications from PDF, to convert to CSV and then to MS Excel 3 weeks. The method used is Eight-step Data Visualization and Data Mining methodology. Tableau is chosen as a tool to create the data visualization because it can combine each dasboard inside a story interactive, easier for the user to analyze the data. The result is a story with 3 dashboards that can fulfill the requirement from BPS staff and has been tested with a satisfied result in the UAT (User Acceptance Test). Index Terms—Dashboard, data visualization, disease, malaria, Tableau REFERENCES [1] S. Arianto, Understanding of learning and others, 2008. [2] Rainer; Turban, Introduction to Information Systems, Danvers: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2007. [3] V. Friedman, Data Visualization Infographics, Monday Inspirition, 2008. [4] D. A. Keim, "Information Visualization and Visual Data Mining," IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics 8.1, pp. 1-8, 2002. [5] Connolly and Begg, Database Systems, Boston: Pearson Education, Inc, 2010. [6] E. Hariyanti, "Pengembangan Metodologi Pembangunan Information Dashboard Untuk Monitoring kinerja Organisasi," Konferensi dan Temu Nasional Teknologi Informasi dan Komunikasi untuk Indonesia, p. 1, 2008. [7] S. Darudiato, "Perancangan Data Warehouse Penjualan Untuk Mendukung Kebutuhan Informasi Eksekutif Cemerlang Skin Care," Seminar Nasional Informatika 2010, pp. E-353, 2010.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
Mohammed Mustapha Namadi

Corruption is pervasive in Nigeria at all levels. Thus, despite recent gains in healthcare provision, the health sector faces numerous corruption related challenges. This study aims at examining areas of corruption in the health sector with specific focus on its types and nature. A sample size of 480 respondents aged 18 years and above was drawn from the eight Metropolitan Local Government Areas of Kano State, using the multistage sampling technique. The results revealed evidence of corrupt practices including those related to unnecessary-absenteeism, diversion of patients from the public health facilities to the private sector, diverting money meant for the purchase of equipment, fuel and diesel, bribery, stealing of medications, fraud, misappropriation of medications and unjustifiable reimbursement claims. In order to resolve the problem of corrupt practices in the healthcare sector, the study recommended the need for enforcement of appropriate code of ethics guiding the conduct of the health professionals, adoption of anti-corruption strategies, and strengthening the government monitoring system to check corruption in public health sector in order to ensure equitable access to healthcare services among the under-privileged people in the society.


Author(s):  
Maria Benkhalti ◽  
Manuel Espinoza ◽  
Richard Cookson ◽  
Vivian Welch ◽  
Peter Tugwell ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Health technology assessment (HTA) can impact health inequities by informing healthcare priority-setting decisions. This paper presents a novel checklist to guide HTA practitioners looking to include equity considerations in their work: the equity checklist for HTA (ECHTA). The list is pragmatically organized according to the generic HTA phases and can be consulted at each step. Methods A first set of items was based on the framework for equity in HTA developed by Culyer and Bombard. After rewording and reorganizing according to five HTA phases, they were complemented by elements emerging from a literature search. Consultations with method experts, decision makers, and stakeholders further refined the items. Further feedback was sought during a presentation of the tool at an international HTA conference. Lastly, the checklist was piloted through all five stages of an HTA. Results ECHTA proposes elements to be considered at each one of the five HTA phases: Scoping, Evaluation, Recommendations and Conclusions, Knowledge Translation and Implementation, and Reassessment. More than a simple checklist, the tool provides details and examples that guide the evaluators through an analysis in each phase. A pilot test is also presented, which demonstrates the ECHTA's usability and added value. Conclusions ECHTA provides guidance for HTA evaluators wishing to ensure that their conclusions do not contribute to inequalities in health. Several points to build upon the current checklist will be addressed by a working group of experts, and further feedback is welcome from evaluators who have used the tool.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Archana Shrestha ◽  
Rashmi Maharjan ◽  
Biraj Man Karmacharya ◽  
Swornim Bajracharya ◽  
Niharika Jha ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of deaths and disability in Nepal. Health systems can improve CVD health outcomes even in resource-limited settings by directing efforts to meet critical system gaps. This study aimed to identify Nepal’s health systems gaps to prevent and manage CVDs. Methods We formed a task force composed of the government and non-government representatives and assessed health system performance across six building blocks: governance, service delivery, human resources, medical products, information system, and financing in terms of equity, access, coverage, efficiency, quality, safety and sustainability. We reviewed 125 national health policies, plans, strategies, guidelines, reports and websites and conducted 52 key informant interviews. We grouped notes from desk review and transcripts’ codes into equity, access, coverage, efficiency, quality, safety and sustainability of the health system. Results National health insurance covers less than 10% of the population; and more than 50% of the health spending is out of pocket. The efficiency of CVDs prevention and management programs in Nepal is affected by the shortage of human resources, weak monitoring and supervision, and inadequate engagement of stakeholders. There are policies and strategies in place to ensure quality of care, however their implementation and supervision is weak. The total budget on health has been increasing over the past five years. However, the funding on CVDs is negligible. Conclusion Governments at the federal, provincial and local levels should prioritize CVDs care and partner with non-government organizations to improve preventive and curative CVDs services.


Author(s):  
Sibylle Herzig van Wees ◽  
Michael Jennings

Abstract Substantial global advocacy efforts have been made over the past decade to encourage partnerships and funding of faith-based organizations in international development programmes in efforts to improve social and health outcomes. Whilst there is a wealth of knowledge on religion and development, including its controversies, less attention has been payed to the role that donors might play. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse the engagement between donors and faith-based organizations in Cameroon’s health sector, following the implementation of the Cameroon Health Sector Partnership Strategy (2012). Forty-six in-depth interviews were conducted in selected regions in Cameroon. The findings show that global advocacy efforts to increase partnerships with faith-based organizations have created a space for increasing donor engagement of faith-based organizations following the implementation of the strategy. However, the policy was perceived as top down as it did not take into account some of the existing challenges. The policy arguably accentuated some of the existing tensions between the government and faith-based organizations, fed faith-controversies and complicated the health system landscape. Moreover, it provided donors with a framework for haphazard engagement with faith-based organizations. As such, putting the implications of donor engagement with FBOs on the research map acknowledges the limitations of efforts to collaborate with faith-based organizations and brings to the surface still-remaining blinkers and limited assumptions in donor definitions of faith-based organizations and in ways of collaborating with them.


2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 1551-1559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean R. Tunis ◽  
Lara J. Maxwell ◽  
Ian D. Graham ◽  
Beverley J. Shea ◽  
Dorcas E. Beaton ◽  
...  

Objective.While there has been substantial progress in the development of core outcomes sets, the degree to which these are used by researchers is variable. We convened a special workshop on knowledge translation at the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) 2016 with 2 main goals. The first focused on the development of a formal knowledge translation framework and the second on promoting uptake of recommended core outcome domain and instrument sets.Methods.We invited all 189 OMERACT 2016 attendees to the workshop; 86 attended, representing patient research partners (n = 15), healthcare providers/clinician researchers (n = 52), industry (n = 4), regulatory agencies (n = 4), and OMERACT fellows (n = 11). Participants were given an introduction to knowledge translation and were asked to propose and discuss recommendations for the OMERACT community to (1) strengthen stakeholder involvement in the core outcome instrument set development process, and (2) promote uptake of core outcome sets with a specific focus on the potential role of post-regulatory decision makers.Results.We developed the novel “OMERACT integrated knowledge translation” framework, which formalizes OMERACT’s knowledge translation strategies. We produced strategies to improve stakeholder engagement throughout the process of core outcome set development and created a list of creative and innovative ways to promote the uptake of OMERACT’s core outcome sets.Conclusion.The guidance provided in this paper is preliminary and is based on the views of the participants. Future work will engage OMERACT groups, “post-regulatory decision makers,” and a broad range of different stakeholders to identify and evaluate the most useful methods and processes, and to revise guidance accordingly.


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