EVIPNet Europe – bridging the research-to-policy gap

Abstract Issue/problem Despite substantial investments into increasing the availability and accessibility of information in the WHO European Region, scientific evidence often plays a limited role in policy and practice resulting in lost opportunities to improving health systems and outcomes. Description of the problem The WHO Action plan and resolution to strengthen the use of evidence, information and research for policy-making, adopted in 2016, urges Member States to increase country capacity to foster the utilization of research in both policy and practice. To support and guide Member States in this effort, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe launched the Evidence-informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) Europe, a capacity-building initiative that operates in line with, and in support of, Health 2020 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. EVIPNet Europe aims to assist its member countries and catalyse sustainable change by strengthening both the evidence supply and demand sides, and building knowledge translation (KT) capacity at individual, organizational and system levels. Results EVIPNet Europe has been successful in enhancing the capacity of policy-makers and researchers to access, appraise, package and use evidence; strengthening organizational capacity and infrastructure; and creating institutional bridges between policy and research communities. The network’s activities have, furthermore, led to an increased conceptual and instrumental use of evidence in policy, introducing important changes in policy strategy development and legislations. Lessons To overcome the knowledge-to-policy gap, comprehensive capacity building strategies, operating at individual, organizational and systemic levels are required to create and sustain a culture more favourable to evidence-informed policy.

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Infectious disease outbreaks in the African region: overview of events reported to the World Health Organization in 2018

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268819001912 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 147 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

F. Mboussou ◽

P. Ndumbi ◽

R. Ngom ◽

Z. Kassamali ◽

O. Ogundiran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

Disease Onset ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Case Fatality ◽

World Health ◽

African Region ◽

Regional Office ◽

Member States ◽

Infectious Disease Outbreaks ◽

The World

Abstract The WHO African region is characterised by the largest infectious disease burden in the world. We conducted a retrospective descriptive analysis using records of all infectious disease outbreaks formally reported to the WHO in 2018 by Member States of the African region. We analysed the spatio-temporal distribution, the notification delay as well as the morbidity and mortality associated with these outbreaks. In 2018, 96 new disease outbreaks were reported across 36 of the 47 Member States. The most commonly reported disease outbreak was cholera which accounted for 20.8% (n = 20) of all events, followed by measles (n = 11, 11.5%) and Yellow fever (n = 7, 7.3%). About a quarter of the outbreaks (n = 23) were reported following signals detected through media monitoring conducted at the WHO regional office for Africa. The median delay between the disease onset and WHO notification was 16 days (range: 0–184). A total of 107 167 people were directly affected including 1221 deaths (mean case fatality ratio (CFR): 1.14% (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07%–1.20%)). The highest CFR was observed for diseases targeted for eradication or elimination: 3.45% (95% CI 0.89%–10.45%). The African region remains prone to outbreaks of infectious diseases. It is therefore critical that Member States improve their capacities to rapidly detect, report and respond to public health events.

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WHO European Health Literacy Action Plan

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.151 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

K Sørensen ◽

A Koylyu ◽

B Mikkelsen

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Swot Analysis ◽

Action Plan ◽

Action Planning ◽

Regional Office ◽

Member States ◽

Wide Range ◽

European Health ◽

Other World ◽

Action Networks

Abstract Background Grounded in the last decade's health literacy developments; the work of the European health literacy action networks on measurement and NCDs as well as the newly adopted European Health Literacy Roadmap and resolution agreed upon by their 53 Member States in 2019, the WHO European Region continues its investment in health literacy. A WHO European health literacy action plan is under development to be launched in 2021. The action plan implies concrete actions for Member States on how to develop health literate populations and societies. Methods Based on co-creation principles, the development of the action plan is conducted by stakeholders from a wide range of fields and disciplines. Lead by the WHO European Regional Office, the process includes an initial stakeholder meeting, iterative technical consultations with experts and the wider stakeholder community and Member State consultations. The analytical methods integrate a SWOT-analysis, future scenario thinking and long-sight action planning approaches as well as application of health literacy analytics. Results The results of the initial analytical steps will be presented such as the SWOT analysis, the future scenarios and associated recommendations on how to create health literate populations and societies in Europe. Additionally, the outline of the draft of the European health literacy action plan will be open for discussion and input. Conclusions Through an iterative process, the European health literacy action plan is co-produced by multiple actors through a series of consultations facilitating ownership and accountability. The European health literacy action plan can be an inspiration and a model for other world regions.

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Skills building seminar: Learning to assess Health Information Systems - from performance measurements to areas of action

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz185.224 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Information Systems ◽

Capacity Building ◽

Health Information ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Health Information Systems ◽

World Health ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Member States ◽

Support Tool ◽

Skill Building

Abstract In order to respond effectively to population health and health systems’ challenges, policies must be based on the best scientific evidence derived from sound data and information, and relevant research. Health information systems (HIS), both at national and international level, play an important role in ensuring that reliable and timely health information is available for operational and strategic decision making inside and outside the health sector. How do you know if the HIS in your country is performing well? How can you identify potential areas of action in such a complex and multistakeholder system? Previous research has found that there is a great need for capacity-building activities to support strategic development and assessment of HIS. The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe has created a practical support tool to assist Member States in assessing and developing their national HIS and eHealth systems. The tool covers the domains of resources, indicators, data sources, data management, national HIS data quality/information products, and dissemination and use. Currently, the tool is being used by nine countries in the Joint Action on Health Information (InfAct) to peer review each other’s HIS in rotating groups of three countries. This skill building seminars will start with two presentations to set the scene. First, an introduction will be given on the concepts of a HIS and its core elements, the WHO assessment tool and its current format. Second, experiences will be shared on using the support tool. Thereafter, the participants will choose a domain of the HIS tool in which they are particularly interested and will be split into groups. Each group will carry out a mock exercise of the chosen domain of the tool for their own country. They will identify strengths and weaknesses, and exchange experiences among members of the group on how these have potentially been addressed. Each group will be guided by an expert in the domain with prior experience with the tool. Additionally, based on previous experiences with the tool, a set of commonly found strengths and weakness, followed by recommendations will be prepared to support the group discussions. The skill building session will end by having each group report in a plenary format. The experts from each domain will reconvene in a panel and provide feedback to the strength and weakness, and recommendations that were identified during the group discussions. Through this skill building seminar, participants will have a clear picture of what a HIS entails. They will be familiarised with an existing HIS assessment tool and how it has been used. Through guided group discussions, they will be able to identify potential elements of action in a specific domain and cross-fertilise with other participants and experts on ideas how to address specific challenges. Finally, they will learn about common strengths and challenges in HIS across Europe. Key messages Health information from strong health information systems can help Member States identify areas for action to reduce health inequalities, improve health and support the evaluation of measures taken. The specific needs for capacity building to run a health information system (HIS) on national, regional or even local level has long been neglected. HIS assessments are one element to close this gap.

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The global governance of antimicrobial resistance: a cross-country study of alignment between the global action plan and national action plans

Globalization and Health ◽

10.1186/s12992-020-00639-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Louise Munkholm ◽

Olivier Rubin

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Global Governance ◽

Action Plan ◽

World Health ◽

Action Plans ◽

Vertical Alignment ◽

Member States ◽

Horizontal Alignment ◽

Global Action ◽

Global Action Plan

Abstract Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing problem worldwide in need of global coordinated action. With the endorsement of the Global Action Plan (GAP) on AMR in 2015, the 194 member states of the World Health Organization committed to integrating the five objectives and corresponding actions of the GAP into national action plans (NAPs) on AMR. The article analyzes patterns of alignment between existing NAPs and the GAP, bringing to the fore new methodologies for exploring the relationship between globally driven health policies and activities at the national level, taking income, geography and governance factors into account. Methods The article investigates the global governance of AMR. Concretely, two proxies are devised to measure vertical and horizontal alignment between the GAP and existing NAPs: (i) a syntactic indicator measuring the degree of verbatim overlap between the GAP and the NAPs; and (ii) a content indicator measuring the extent to which the objectives and corresponding actions outlined in the GAP are addressed in the NAPs. Vertical alignment is measured by the extent to which each NAP overlaps with the GAP. Horizontal alignment is explored by measuring the degree to which NAPs overlap with other NAPs across regions and income groups. In addition, NAP implementation is explored using the Global Database for Antimicrobial Resistance Country Self-Assessment. Findings We find strong evidence of vertical alignment, particularly among low-income countries and lower-middle-income countries but weaker evidence of horizontal alignment within regions. In general, we find the NAPs in our sample to be mostly aligned with the GAP’s five overarching objectives while only moderately aligned with the recommended corresponding actions. Furthermore, we see several cases of what can be termed ‘isomorphic mimicry’, characterized by strong alignment in the policies outlined but much lower levels of alignment in terms of actual implemented policies. Conclusion To strengthen the alignment of national AMR policies, we recommend global governance initiatives based on individualized responsibilities some of which should be legally binding. Our study provides limited evidence of horizontal alignment within regions, which implies that regional governance institutions (e.g., WHO regional offices) should primarily act as mediators between global and local demands to strengthen a global governance regime that minimizes policy fragmentation and mimicry behavior across member states.

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Developing a multisectoral National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) to implement the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) in Tanzania

BMJ Global Health ◽

10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000600 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. e000600 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Janneth M Mghamba ◽

Ambrose O Talisuna ◽

Ludy Suryantoro ◽

Grace Elizabeth Saguti ◽

Martin Muita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Action Plan ◽

International Health ◽

Monitoring And Evaluation ◽

Evaluation Framework ◽

World Health ◽

International Health Regulations ◽

Member States ◽

Health Security ◽

National Action Plan ◽

Health Regulations

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa precipitated a renewed momentum to ensure global health security through the expedited and full implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) in all WHO member states. The updated IHR (2005) Monitoring and Evaluation Framework was shared with Member States in 2015 with one mandatory component, that is, States Parties annual reporting to the World Health Assembly (WHA) on compliance and three voluntary components: Joint External Evaluation (JEE), After Action Reviews and Simulation Exercises. In February 2016, Tanzania, was the first country globally to volunteer to do a JEE and the first to use the recommendations for priority actions from the JEE to develop a National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) by February 2017. The JEE demonstrated that within the majority of the 47 indicators within the 19 technical areas, Tanzania had either ‘limited capacity’ or ‘developed capacity’. None had ‘sustainable capacity’. With JEE recommendations for priority actions, recommendations from other relevant assessments and complementary objectives, Tanzania developed the NAPHS through a nationwide consultative and participatory process. The 5-year cost estimate came out to approximately US$86.6 million (22 million for prevent, 50 million for detect, 4.8 million for respond and 9.2 million for other IHR hazards and points of entry). However, with the inclusion of vaccines for zoonotic diseases in animals increases the cost sevenfold. The importance of strong country ownership and committed leadership were identified as instrumental for the development of operationally focused NAPHS that are aligned with broader national plans across multiple sectors. Key lessons learnt by Tanzania can help guide and encourage other countries to translate their JEE priority actions into a realistic costed NAPHS for funding and implementation for IHR (2005).

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Prioritising children and adolescents in the tuberculosis response of the WHO European Region

European Respiratory Review ◽

10.1183/16000617.0106-2018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (151) ◽

pp. 180106 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Matthias I. Gröschel ◽

Martin van den Boom ◽

Giovanni Battista Migliori ◽

Masoud Dara

Keyword(s):

World Health ◽

Regional Office ◽

Member States ◽

Country Level ◽

National Strategic Plan ◽

Regional Meeting ◽

Latent Tb ◽

Low Incidence ◽

Latent Tb Infection ◽

Health Organization

In 2017, in recognition of the challenges faced by Member States in managing childhood and adolescent tuberculosis (TB) at a country level, the WHO Regional Office for Europe held a Regional Consultation. In total, 35 countries participated in the consultations representing both high- and low-incidence Member States. Here, we provide an overview of the existing World Health Organization (WHO) documents and guidelines on childhood and adolescent TB and describe the outcomes of this regional meeting. National childhood and adolescent TB guidelines are available in 25% of Member States, while 33% reported that no such guidelines are at hand. In the majority of countries (83%), childhood and adolescent TB is part of the National Strategic Plan. The most pressing challenges in managing paediatric TB comprise the lack of adequate drug formulations, the difficult diagnosis, and treatment of presumed latent TB infection. Investments into childhood and adolescent TB need to be further advocated to achieve the End TB goals set by WHO to eliminate TB by 2030.

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Measles elimination 2010 target: the need to meet the specific risk group

Eurosurveillance ◽

10.2807/esm.11.10.00648-en ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 1-2 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

J. S. Spika

Keyword(s):

World Health ◽

European Region ◽

Regional Office ◽

Monthly Basis ◽

Member States ◽

Measles Elimination ◽

2010 Target ◽

Substantial Progress ◽

Health Organization ◽

Case Based

Substantial progress has been made within the World Health Organization European Region in recent years towards the measles and rubella elimination targets for 2010. These 2010 targets were set in 2005 by the WHO European Regional Office for Europe, following the approval of the Resolution EUR/RC55/R7 [1,2]. In 2005, 28 (54%) of 52 WHO member states reported a measles incidence of less than 1 per million population (one indicator for measuring measles elimination status) and by 2006, 50 (96%) had introduced rubella vaccine into their national programmes. In 2002, member states began reporting measles cases by age and vaccination status to WHO on a monthly basis [3] and case-based reporting was implemented in 2003. Since that time, the number of countries reporting case-based data has increased from one in 2003 to 23 in 2006. In 2006, countries have been asked to report rubella cases monthly (either aggregate or case-based). The WHO European Region measles/rubella laboratory network has also been strengthened through regular laboratory assessments and proficiency testing and by having subregional meetings.

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Conducting International Diploma Course on Leishmaniasis and its Control in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Journal of Arthropod-Borne Diseases ◽

10.18502/jad.v13i3.1534 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad Reza Yaghoobi-Ershadi ◽

Amir Ahmad Akhavan ◽

Mohammad Reza Shirzadi ◽

Yavar Rassi ◽

Ali Khamesipour ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Capacity Building ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Field Work ◽

Team Work ◽

World Health ◽

Multiple Choice Questions ◽

Important Public Health Problem ◽

Regional Office

Background: Leishmaniasis represents the important public health problem in the world. One of the main objectives of World Health organization is capacity building of managers and authorities who are involved with diseases control activities. Methods: The course was conducted in Esfahan Health Research and Training Center (E.H.R.T.C) in summer 2005 and 2009. The course carried out jointly by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOH) of Iran, World Health Organization-Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO-EMRO) and School of Public health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (SPH-TUMS) and designed for medical officers, senior technicians and managers involved in leishmaniasis control. Prior to initiate the course, pre-test evaluations including different subjects on leishmaniasis and its control were carried out. The examinations include multiple choice questions. The duration of the course was 3 weeks. A total of 206 contact hours were taught. The main subjects were Basic epidemiology, Leishmaniasis parasitology, Leishmaniasis entomology, control of vectors and reservoirs, principles of integrated pest management, Field work and Planning. Different methods of teaching including lecture, laboratory, workshop, team work, field exercise and presentation were used. Requirement for achievement of the course was to have at least 60% of the total mark for awarding the diploma certificate. Results: A total of 45 participants from Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran graduated from this course. Conclusion: The course is providing the skill for managers, how to combat against disease in their country and is parallel to the policy of the leishmaniasis control for capacity building in endemic areas of their countries.

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A concise overview of national nutrition action plans in the European Union Member States

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1079/phn2004691 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 266-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Carl Lachat ◽

John Van Camp ◽

Stefaan De Henauw ◽

Christophe Matthys ◽

Yvan Larondelle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

European Union ◽

Action Plan ◽

Stakeholder Involvement ◽

Nutrition Policy ◽

Global Strategy ◽

World Health ◽

Action Plans ◽

The European Union ◽

Member States

AbstractObjectiveThis study presents an overview of national nutrition action plans in the member states of the European Union (EU), before its enlargement in 2004. In addition, their compliance with key recommendations of the World Health Organization, as documented in the First Action Plan for Food and Nutrition Policy and the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, has tentatively been evaluated on the basis of the policy documents published.DesignLiterature review of publicly available policy national plans on nutrition and physical activity.SettingMember states of the EU before enlargement in May 2004.ResultsThe development of national nutrition action plans is gaining momentum. Six of the 15 EU member states – namely, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, France, The Netherlands and the UK – have an operational nutrition policy and four of them have published an elaborated description of their nutrition policy in English. By the end of 2004, another four countries are expected to have their plan finalised. The available nutrition action plans generally seem to comply with international recommendations, although large variations are observed between the member states in terms of terminology, nutritional recommendations, institutional framework, nutritional scope, social groups targeted and monitoring and evaluation structures.ConclusionsAlthough the importance of nutritional surveillance, a comprehensive approach to nutritional problems and stakeholder involvement is recognised by the action plans, the justification for it is vaguely described. This paper advocates for proper evaluation and documentation of interventions in public health nutrition and nutrition policies.

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Response measures to COVID-19 in prisons and other detention centers

International Journal of Prisoner Health ◽

10.1108/ijph-10-2020-0080 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Filipa Alves da Costa ◽

Maria Neufeld ◽

Mohamed Hamad ◽

Eric Carlin ◽

Carina Ferreira-Borges

Keyword(s):

World Health ◽

Regional Office ◽

Data Set ◽

Member States ◽

Content Type ◽

Country Level ◽

Response Measures ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Right ◽

And Control

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to summarize activities being undertaken by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe to prevent and control COVID-19 in and beyond prisons, activities specifically designed to increase information sharing and to support Member States, to comment on potential impacts of these initiatives at country-level responses and to underline the need for a rights-based approach to managing the pandemic, including the right to vaccination. Design/methodology/approach The Health in Prisons Programme (HIPP) of the WHO Regional Office for Europe worked with partner organizations to review regularly the evidence on best practices in prison health and use it to inform policy recommendations at the global level. HIPP issued overarching guidance and specific tools to support implementation of measures to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and other custodial settings. Moreover, to monitor the emergence of outbreaks, the HIPP developed a minimum data set for countries voluntarily to report COVID-19 cases and identify situations in need of direct support. Findings Since May 2020, the WHO has periodically received data from Member States, leading to the development of country-specific bulletins to support countries and, whenever appropriate, to organize virtual missions to further support ministries and public health bodies responsible for managing COVID-19 in prisons. Originality/value The development of a specific set of indicators for prisons enables exploring data in a disaggregated manner. Monitoring response measures developed in prison enables judging their appropriateness to minimize the spread of SARS-CoV2 in prisons and alignment with guidance issued by the WHO.

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