scholarly journals Lessons from co-production of evidence and policy in Nigeria’s COVID-19 response

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e004793
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Abubakar ◽  
Sarah L Dalglish ◽  
Chikwe A Ihekweazu ◽  
Omotayo Bolu ◽  
Sani H Aliyu
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Multidisciplinary Teams ◽  
Multiple Introductions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Public Health Challenges ◽  
Key Aspects

In February 2020, Nigeria faced a potentially catastrophic COVID-19 outbreak due to multiple introductions, high population density in urban slums, prevalence of other infectious diseases and poor health infrastructure. As in other countries, Nigerian policymakers had to make rapid and consequential decisions with limited understanding of transmission dynamics and the efficacy of available control measures. We present an account of the Nigerian COVID-19 response based on co-production of evidence between political decision-makers, health policymakers and academics from Nigerian and foreign institutions, an approach that allowed a multidisciplinary group to collaborate on issues arising in real time. Key aspects of the process were the central role of policymakers in determining priority areas and the coordination of multiple, sometime conflicting inputs from stakeholders to write briefing papers and inform effective national decision making. However, the co-production approach met with some challenges, including limited transparency, bureaucratic obstacles and an overly epidemiological focus on numbers of cases and deaths, arguably to the detriment of addressing social and economic effects of response measures. Larger systemic obstacles included a complex multitiered health system, fragmented decision-making structures and limited funding for implementation. Going forward, Nigeria should strengthen the integration of the national response within existing health decision bodies and implement strategies to mitigate the social and economic impact, particularly on the poorest Nigerians. The co-production of evidence examining the broader public health impact, with synthesis by multidisciplinary teams, is essential to meeting the social and public health challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and other countries.

Governance failures stifle the Sahel

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Violent Conflict ◽  
Public Health Impact ◽  
Security Forces ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Constitutional Government ◽  
Governance Challenges ◽  
New Policies

Significance The region’s main challenges include lack of money and personnel, corruption, large geographies, escalating violent conflict and abuses by security forces -- deeply rooted problems that have no easy solutions. Impacts Although COVID-19’s public health impact has been less severe than seemed likely, the economic effects will compound other problems. Mali's transition back to a constitutional government (after an August 2020 coup) is unlikely to address deep governance challenges. Political continuity elsewhere in the region means imaginative new policies to improve governance do not appear to be in the offing.

Unpacking ‘the cloud’: a framework for implementing public health approaches to palliative care

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 160-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn A Pfaff ◽  
Lisa Dolovich ◽  
Michelle Howard ◽  
Deborah Sattler ◽  
Merrick Zwarenstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Population Health ◽  
Systems Of Care ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Public Health Approach ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Health Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
Development Evaluation

Summary Designing and implementing population-based systems of care that address the social determinants of health, take action on multiple levels, and are guided by evidence-based principles is a pressing priority, and an international challenge. Aging persons are a priority demographic whose health needs span physical, psychosocial and existential care domains, increase in the last year of life, are often poorly coordinated and therefore remain unmet. Compassionate communities (CCs) are an example of a public health approach that fully addresses the holistic healthcare needs of those who are aging and nearing end of life. The sharing of resources, tools, and innovations among implementers of CCs is occurring globally. Although this can increase impact, it also generates complexity that can complicate robust evaluation. When initiating population health level projects, it is important to clearly define and organize concepts and processes that are proposed to influence the health outcomes. The Health Impact Change Model (HICM) was developed to unpack the complexities associated with the implementation and evaluation of a Canadian CC intervention. The HICM offers utility for citizens, leaders and decision-makers who are engaged in the implementation of population health level strategies or other social approaches to care, such as compassionate cities and age or dementia-friendly communities. The HICM’s concepts can be adapted to address a community’s healthcare context, needs, and goals for change. We share examples of how the model’s major concepts have been applied in the development, evaluation and spread of a complex CC approach.

Interactive Media for Diabetes Self-Management: Issues in Maximizing Public Health Impact

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 745-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell E. Glasgow
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Shared Decision Making ◽  
Interactive Media ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Public Health Impact ◽  
Shared Decision

Background . Diabetes self-management presents a series of challenging tasks, and primary care, where the majority of cases of adult diabetes are treated, is hard-pressed to address these issues given competing demands. This article discusses how interactive media (IM) can be used to support diabetes self-management. Methods . Following a brief review of the literature, the 5 As framework for enhancing the effectiveness of health behavior counseling and the RE-AIM model for estimating and enhancing public health impact are used to frame discussion of the strengths and limitations of IM for diabetes shared decision making and self-management support. Results . Data and lessons learned from a series of randomized trials of IM for diabetes self-management education are summarized around 2 key issues. The first is enhancing patient engagement in decision making and includes enhancing user experience and engagement, improving quality of care, and promoting collaborative action planning and follow-up. The second is getting such resources into place and sustaining them in real-world primary care settings and involves enhancing participation at patient, clinician, and health care system levels and enhancing the generalizability of results. Conclusions . Key opportunities for IM to support diabetes self-management include assessment of information for shared decision making, assistance with problem-solving self-management challenges, and provision of follow-up support. A key current challenge is the linkage of IM supports to the rest of the patient’s care, and collection of cost-effectiveness data is a key need for future research.

scholarly journals The Intervention of the Social Service in the Multidisciplinary Teams to Combat COVID-19. The Case of the Municipality of Amadora (Portugal)

2022 ◽  
pp. 127-151
Author(s):  
Nelsón Ramalho ◽  
◽  
Ana Moreno ◽  
Sandra Neves ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Multidisciplinary Teams ◽  
Intervention Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
Vulnerable Households

The creation of Multidisciplinary Teams to monitor patients with COVID-19 and those infected with SARS-CoV-2 in a situation of home confinement was one of the measures established by the Portuguese government to help stop the spreading of the infection in the parishes of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area more affected by the pandemic. To know its way of functioning and acting, as well as the role of social workers in the context of crisis and public health emergency, a qualitative study was developed based on interviews by focus groups and document analysis. It was found that the Multidisciplinary Teams and the intervention model carried out were fundamental in helping to break the transmission chains and prevent the growth of new contamination, with social workers having a crucial role in supporting the most vulnerable households in a containment situation.

scholarly journals 9.K. Workshop: Public health monitoring and reporting – Examples of how to fill the gaps of health inequalities

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
Health Monitoring ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Public Health Monitoring ◽  
Public Health Challenges ◽  
Common Agenda

Abstract There is a need for cross national border exchange of experience by sharing best practices for monitoring and reporting on public health with a sustained driving force, to ensure that evidence-based approaches are continuously improving and informing best practices for reducing inequality and inequity gaps. By doing this, the emerging field of evidence based public health programming, covering different aspects of inequalities and unequal distribution of determinants of health, is improved. The workshop intends to introduce a global and intercontinental collaborative approach to jointly identify necessary tools and understand the mechanisms of monitoring and reporting on public health, to combat health inequalities. The workshop will encourage the building of practical culture and community of public health professionals to share lessons, evidence and best practices. It will also enable the support of ongoing assessment, communication of gaps in health that are emerging and caused by barriers at different levels of societies. There is need for an increased understanding of the emerging public health threats in contexts, such as increasing inequalities in health and social determinants of health, climate change disasters, disease outbreaks, influx of migration and political popularism threatening evidence informed decision making and policies. Despite being high-income countries with universal health coverage Australia, Canada and Sweden share similar public health challenges. The interactive workshop intends to contribute to an exchange of experiences from countries that are geographically located far from each other with differently organized health systems but united with a common agenda to act on health inequalities. The exchange of shared knowledge and experiences between the participating countries will shed light and focus on functionality of public health monitoring and reporting mechanisms and tools used in the above-mentioned countries. This will be a way of identifying areas of improvement in addressing inequality gaps. Evidence based interventions in public health depend on solid monitoring, analysis and reporting frameworks. With continuous changes in the public health environment, improvements on what and how public health is analysed is needed to identify existing gaps. To further address equity, with a focus on vulnerable groups for improved public health, solid public health monitoring and reporting mechanisms are vital to supporting credible advocacy and policy actions. Key messages Monitoring and reporting health and social determinants of health are imperative ingredients of decision-making. A joint approach to use monitoring tools to improve global public health is needed. Countries geographically located far from each other, with differently organized health systems but similar public health challenges are united with a common agenda to act on health inequalities.

Pandemics, Publics, and Narrative

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Davis ◽  
Davina Lohm
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Narrative Medicine ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Expert Advice ◽  
Swine Flu ◽  
Public Health Approach ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health Advice ◽  
Insight Into

Pandemics, Publics, and Narrative explores how members of the general public experienced the 2009 swine flu pandemic. It examines the stories related to us by individuals about what happened to them in 2009, their reflections on news and expert advice given to them, and how they considered vaccination, social isolation, and other infection control measures. The book charts also the storytelling of public life, including the “be alert, not alarmed” messages from the beginning of the outbreak through to the “boy who cried wolf” problem that emerged later in the outbreak when the virus turned out to be less serious than first thought for most people. Key themes of the book are the significance of personal immunity for people as they reflected on how to respond to the threat of an influenza virus and the ways in which universal public health advice was interpreted quite differently by people according to their medical and biographical situation. The book provides unprecedented insight into the lives of ordinary people during 2009, some affected profoundly and others hardly affected at all. By drawing on currents in sociocultural scholarship of narrative, illness narrative, and narrative medicine, it develops a novel “narrative public health” approach that bridges health communications and narrative. The book provides therefore important new insights for health communicators and researchers across the social and health sciences.

scholarly journals Public health principles to inform testing and build trust in automated vehicles

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 494-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johnathon P Ehsani ◽  
Jeffrey Michael ◽  
Takeru Igusa
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Risk Exposure ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Slowing Down ◽  
The Social ◽  
Reduce Risk

Highly publicised crashes involving self-driving or autonomous vehicles (AVs) have raised questions about safety and eroded public trust in the technology. In this State of the Art Review, we draw on previous successes in injury prevention and public health to focus attention on three strategies to reduce risk and build public confidence as AVs are being tested on public roads. Data pooling, a graduated approach to risk exposure, and harm reduction principles each offer practical lessons for AV testing. The review points out how the eventual deployment of AV technology could have a substantial impact on public health. In this regard, inclusive testing, public education and smart policy could extend the social value of AVs by improving access to mobility and by directing deployments towards scenarios with the greatest population health impact. The application of these strategies does not imply slowing down progress; rather, their implementation could accelerate adoption and result in realising the benefits of AVs more quickly and comprehensively while minimising risks.

scholarly journals Local Decision Making for Implementing Social Distancing in Response to Outbreaks

2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Katz ◽  
Andrea Vaught ◽  
Samuel J. Simmens
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Local Decision ◽  
Population Demographic

Objectives: Social distancing is the practice of restricting contact among persons to prevent the spread of infection. This study sought to (1) identify key features of preparedness and the primary concerns of local public health officials in deciding to implement social distancing measures and (2) determine whether any particular factor could explain the widespread variation among health departments in responses to past outbreaks. Methods: We conducted an online survey of health departments in the United States in 2015 to understand factors influencing health departments’ decision making when choosing whether to implement social distancing measures. We paired survey results with data on area population demographic characteristics and analyzed them with a focus on broad trends. Results: Of 600 health departments contacted, 150 (25%) responded. Of these 150 health departments, 63 (42%) indicated that they had implemented social distancing in the past 10 years. Only 10 (7%) health departments had a line-item budget for isolation or quarantine. The most common concern about social distancing was public health impact (n = 62, 41%). Concerns about law, politics, finances, vulnerable populations, and sociocultural issues were each identified by 7% to 10% of health departments. We were unable to clearly predict which factors would influence these decisions. Conclusions: Variations in the decision to implement social distancing are likely the result of differences in organizational authority and resources and in the primary concerns about implementing social distancing. Research and current social distancing guidelines for health departments should address these factors.

scholarly journals Building Healthy Community Environments: A Public Health Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 133 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 35S-43S ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Koehler ◽  
Megan Latshaw ◽  
Thomas Matte ◽  
Daniel Kass ◽  
Howard Frumkin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Burden Of Disease ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Health Practitioners

Environmental quality has a profound effect on health and the burden of disease. In the United States, the environment-related burden of disease is increasingly dominated by chronic diseases. At the local level, public health practitioners realize that many policy decisions affecting environmental quality and health transcend the authorities of traditional health department programs. Healthy decisions about the built environment, including housing, transportation, and energy, require broad collaborative efforts. Environmental health professionals have an opportunity to address the shift in public health burden toward chronic diseases and play an important role in the design of healthy communities by bringing data and tools to decision makers. This article provides a guide for community leaders to consider the public health effects of decisions about the built environment. We present a conceptual framework that represents a shift from compartmentalized solutions toward an inclusive systems approach that encourages partnership across disciplines and sectors. We discuss practical tools to assist with environmental decision making, such as Health Impact Assessments, environmental public health tracking, and cumulative risk assessment. We also identify priorities in research, practice, and education to advance the role of public health in decision making to improve health, such as the Health Impact Assessment, as a core competency for environmental health practitioners. We encourage cross-disciplinary communication, research, and education that bring the fields of planning, transportation, and energy in closer collaboration with public health to jointly advance the systems approach to today’s environmental challenges.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document