scholarly journals Accreditation of private midwifery and nursing schools in Mali: a local sustainable solution to increasing the supply of qualified health workers

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheick Oumar Touré ◽  
Sujata Bijou ◽  
Melanie Joiner ◽  
Andrew Brown ◽  
Jeanne Tessougué ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Worker ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Human Resources For Health ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Nursing Schools ◽  
World Health ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Quality Of Education

Abstract Background The World Health Organization’s Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health (HRH) emphasizes the importance of dynamic and effective health worker regulation for achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals, with the establishment of education standards and quality assurance of education programs being critical. Governments in West Africa have struggled to address the problems within their higher education systems for health professionals, and it is now generally acknowledged that private institutions can play a crucial role in revitalizing the region’s outdated universities. However, the rapid expansion of private schools raises concerns about the quality of education and adequacy of regulatory mechanisms. The USAID-funded Mali HRH Strengthening Activity, led by IntraHealth International, assisted Mali’s Ministry of Health and Social Development to deliver targeted HRH interventions to improve the quality of education in private universities, better manage available health workers, and initiate a decentralized strategy for health worker recruitment and motivation. Case presentation In 2018, the HRH activity leveraged the West African Health Organization (WAHO)’s accreditation system to support 10 private nursing schools to introduce WAHO’s regionally accepted, competency-based curriculum in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health. The project undertook a 10-step process to work alongside private nursing and midwifery schools to assess their current status against WAHO regional standards, implement action plans to address identified gaps, and support the institutions toward accreditation. As a result, eight schools in Mali are now accredited compared to only three at project inception. Conclusions This case study underscores the importance of private school accreditation in Mali to improve the quality of health worker training through a standardized local curriculum. By supporting existing regulatory bodies that oversee accreditation, local capacity for initial accreditation of private nursing schools has been increased. Engaging universities in a partnership that shows the benefits of accreditation while maintaining a focus on the need to protect communities is critical to success. If the global community is to meet the WHO’s predicted health worker shortfall, then private education providers will need to be part of the solution. Robust and engaging health worker education accreditation systems are an essential part of that future.

scholarly journals Health labour markets: an overview of some human factors that influence demand and supply

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Dussault ◽  
P Zurn
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Human Resources For Health ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
World Health ◽  
Demand And Supply ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Labour Market

Abstract Background The global demand for health workers is expected to double by 2030 and it is estimated that if need is taken into account, there will be a deficit as high as 18 million according to the World Health Organization's Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030. Combined with inequities in the access to qualified health workers, this impedes progress towards the achievement of universal health coverage, global health security and the SDGs. This paper addresses health labour market deficiencies. It aims to provide guidance for a comprehensive analysis of health labour market dynamics, including the political and social factors that, in addition to economic ones influence the behaviour of health workers and of employers. Methods This paper uses the material of the WHO Health Labour Market Analysis Guidebook, which is based on the most recent literature on the demand and supply of health workers and on factors that affect them. It also draws from empirical analysis conducted recently by WHO in four regions of the world. Results On the supply side, the paper illustrates how social norms, such as those related to gender, influence the decision to become a health professional, the choice of a specialty, the choice of a practice location, and labour market participation. As to demand, examples are given of how professional interest groups' political actions (councils, trade unions) influence the division of tasks and which types of jobs will be offered. Conclusions The analysis of the dynamics of health labour markets must include human factors to achieve a better understanding of the forces that drive health worker shortages and surpluses, skills-mix and geographical imbalances, and suboptimal performance and to develop effective policies to address these issues.

scholarly journals A health worker knowledge, attitudes and practices survey of SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention and control in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saiendhra Vasudevan Moodley ◽  
Muzimkhulu Zungu ◽  
Molebogeng Malotle ◽  
Kuku Voyi ◽  
Nico Claassen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
World Health ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
And Control

Abstract Background Health workers are crucial to the successful implementation of infection prevention and control strategies to limit the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at healthcare facilities. The aim of our study was to determine SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention and control knowledge and attitudes of frontline health workers in four provinces of South Africa as well as explore some elements of health worker and health facility infection prevention and control practices. Methods A cross-sectional study design was utilised. The study population comprised both clinical and non-clinical staff working in casualty departments, outpatient departments, and entrance points of health facilities. A structured self-administered questionnaire was developed using the World Health Organization guidance as the basis for the knowledge questions. COVID-19 protocols were observed during data collection. Results A total of 286 health workers from 47 health facilities at different levels of care participated in the survey. The mean score on the 10 knowledge items was 6.3 (SD = 1.6). Approximately two-thirds of participants (67.4%) answered six or more questions correctly while less than a quarter of all participants (24.1%) managed to score eight or more. A knowledge score of 8 or more was significantly associated with occupational category (being either a medical doctor or nurse), age (< 40 years) and level of hospital (tertiary level). Only half of participants (50.7%) felt adequately prepared to deal with patients with COVD-19 at the time of the survey. The health workers displaying attitudes that would put themselves or others at risk were in the minority. Only 55.6% of participants had received infection prevention and control training. Some participants indicated they did not have access to medical masks (11.8%) and gloves (9.9%) in their departments. Conclusions The attitudes of participants reflected a willingness to engage in appropriate SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention and control practices as well as a commitment to be involved in COVID-19 patient care. Ensuring adequate infection prevention and control training for all staff and universal access to appropriate PPE were identified as key areas that needed to be addressed. Interim and final reports which identified key shortcomings that needed to be addressed were provided to the relevant provincial departments of health.

scholarly journals Human Resources in Healthcare and Health Outcomes in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-159
Author(s):  
Venkatanarayana Motkuri ◽  
Udaya S. Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Human Resources For Health ◽  
Size Composition ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
World Health ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Minimum Requirement

Human resources for health including health professionals and skilled health workers are crucial in shaping health outcomes. But the shortage of human resources in healthcare services is a reality and hence it has been a cause of concern in lower-middle income countries like India. The present exercise based on census data is a situation analysis of size, composition and distribution of human resources available in the Indian healthcare services. It also explores the relationship between educational development and health workers availability alongside the association between density of health workers and health outcomes across states of India. It is observed that despite the remarkable improvement in health workers density particularly during 2001–2011, the country is falling short of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) need-based minimum requirement (4.45 health workers per 1,000 population) of health workers. The exploratory verification asserts that there is a significant and strong positive relationship/association between the density of health workers and health outcomes.

Scarcity of Nurses in India

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 509-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reema Gill
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Human Resources For Health ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
World Health ◽  
Political Commitment ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Government ◽  
Population Ratio ◽  
Health Organization

The human resources for health (HRH), especially nurses, constitute an important part of health systems. It is difficult to ascertain comprehensive information on the availability of health workers globally due to irregular reporting of data from the countries. However, experts have proposed minimum thresholds for achieving certain health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These thresholds have been used as yardsticks by others for determining HRH shortages in their nations. As per the minimum threshold developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), not enough health workers are available in India, especially in the rural areas. The nurse to population ratio in India is even lower than some of the other developing countries in Asia. Various factors, such as low professional and socio-economic status, gender issues, lack of political will on part of the government and unregulated private sector, have led to scarcity of nurses in numbers as well as qualitatively in India. To overcome the dismal working and social conditions, many Indian nurses are migrating to developed nations, further exacerbating the nursing shortages in the country. Inclusive planning, adequate financing and political commitment on the part of all stakeholders are required for overcoming the shortage of health personnel existing in India.

scholarly journals Addressing the quality of paediatric primary care: Health worker and caregiver perspectives of PACK Child, a health systems intervention in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Leigh Curran ◽  
Jamie Murdoch ◽  
Max Bachmann ◽  
Eric Bateman ◽  
Ruth Cornick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Paediatric Primary Care ◽  
Child Intervention

Abstract Background: The WHO’s Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) has resulted in progress in addressing infant and child mortality. However, unmet needs of children continue to present a burden upon primary healthcare services. The capacity of services and quality of care offered require greater support to address these needs by extending and integrating curative and preventive care for the child with a long-term health condition and the child older than 5, not prioritised in IMCI. In response to these needs, the PACK Child intervention was developed, to expand the scope of integrated management and training programmes for paediatric primary care. We report health worker and caregiver perspectives of the existing paediatric primary care context as well as the extent to which PACK Child functions to address perceived problems within the current local healthcare system. Methods: This process evaluation involved 52 individual interviews with caregivers, 10 focus group discussions with health workers, 3 individual interviews with trainers, and 31 training observations. Interviews and focus groups explored participants’ experiences of paediatric primary care, perspectives of the PACK Child intervention, and tensions with implementation in each context. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse verbatim interview and discussion transcripts.Results: Perspectives of caregivers and health workers suggest an institutionalised focus of paediatric primary care to treating children’s symptoms as acute episodic conditions. Health workers’ reports imply that this focus is perpetuated by interactions between contextual features such as, IMCI policy, documentation-driven consultations, overcrowded clinics and verticalised care. Whilst these contextual conditions constrained health workers’ ability to translate skills developed within PACK Child training into practice, the intervention initiated expanded care of children 0-13 years and those with long-term health conditions, enhanced professional competence, improved teamwork and referrals, streamlined triaging, and facilitated probing for psychosocial risk.ConclusionPACK Child appears to be catalysing paediatric primary care to address the broader needs of children, including long-term health conditions and the identification of psychosocial problems. However, to maximise this requires primary care to re-orientate from risk minimisation on the day of attendance towards a view of the child beyond the day of presentation at clinics.

scholarly journals Mothers’ quality of life delivering kangaroo mother care at Malawian hospitals: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alinane Linda Nyondo-Mipando ◽  
Mai-Lei Woo Kinshella ◽  
Tamanda Hiwa ◽  
Sangwani Salimu ◽  
Mwai Banda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Kangaroo Mother Care ◽  
World Health ◽  
World Health Organization Quality ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Limited Health ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction Kangaroo mother care is known to help save the lives of preterm and low birthweight infants, particularly in resource-limited health settings, yet barriers to implementation have been documented. Mothers and their families are very involved in the process of providing kangaroo mother care and the impact on their well-being has not been well explored. The objective of this research was to investigate the perspectives and experiences of a mother’s quality of life while delivering facility-based kangaroo mother care. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of the qualitative data collected within the “Integrating a neonatal healthcare package for Malawi” project. Twenty-seven health workers and 24 caregivers engaged with kangaroo mother care at four hospitals in southern Malawi were interviewed between May–August 2019. All interviews were face-to-face and followed a topic guide. Content analysis was conducted on NVivo 12 (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia) based on the six World Health Organization Quality of Life domains (physical, psychological, level of independence, social relationships, environment, spirituality). Results Fifty-one interviews were conducted with 24 caregivers and 14 health workers. Mothers experienced multidimensional challenges to their quality of life while delivering facility-based KMC. Though kangaroo mother care was considered a simple intervention, participants highlighted that continuous kangaroo mother care was difficult to practice. Kangaroo mother care was an exhausting experience for mothers due to being in one position for prolonged periods, compromised sleep, restricted movement, boredom, and isolation during their stay at the hospital as well as poor support for daily living needs such as food. Discussion A heavy burden is placed on mothers who become the key person responsible for care during kangaroo mother care, especially in resource-limited health settings. More focus is needed on supporting caregivers during the delivery of kangaroo mother care through staff support, family inclusion, and conducive infrastructure.

scholarly journals Educational Quality and Labour Market Performance in Developing Countries: Some Evidence from Pakistan

2000 ◽  
Vol 39 (4II) ◽  
pp. 417-439
Author(s):  
Ather H. Akbari ◽  
Naeem Muhammed
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Student Teacher ◽  
Educational Quality ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Lower Priority ◽  
Quality Of Teaching

vSeveral studies have shown that investment in the quality of education has a higher payoff than investment in quantity alone.1 However, in many developing countries, investment in improving educational quality is still accorded a lower priority than investment in educational quantity. Countries which commit more resources towards education are generally observed to expand their enrolment ratios while paying little attention on improving such schooling inputs as student-teacher ratio that contribute towards improvement of educational quality (Table 1).2 There is also a tendency to allocate minimal resources towards upgrading existing schools by improving quality of teaching, facilities, and curricula. Greater emphasis is placed on rapid expansion of the number of educational institutions to reach out a large proportion of population.

Quality of Antenatal Care Services in a Developing Country: A Cross-Sectional Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. e25-e34
Author(s):  
Jacoline Sommer Albert ◽  
Ahtisham Younas ◽  
Gideon Victor
Keyword(s):  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Maternal Mortality ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
World Health ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Organization

The global adult lifetime risk of maternal mortality is 1 in 180; in Pakistan, it is 1 in 170; in developed regions, 1 in 4,900 (Alkema et al., 2016; Filippi, Chou, Ronsmans, Graham, & Say, 2016; World Health Organization [WHO], 2015). The differences in maternal mortality between developed and developing countries are mainly due to the quality of antenatal care (ANC) available in the two groups of countries. The purpose of this study was to assess the structural and procedural quality of ANC services provided and to assess satisfaction levels of women receiving ANC services in two large hospitals in Islamabad, Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the hospitals' outpatient maternal and child health clinics, with a random sample of 138 women. The overall quality of ANC was rated as good (61%), average (17.5%), or poor (17.5%). The findings suggest a need to cultivate quality of care at public health facilities, train health workers in communication skills, and build technical capacity by continuing education and supportive supervision to train health-care providers to follow standard protocols for provision of quality ANC services.

scholarly journals Current status and future trends in Cryptosporidium and Giardia epidemiology in Malaysia

2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. A. L. Lim ◽  
R. A. Ahmad ◽  
H. V. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
World Health ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Neglected Diseases ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Shared Resources ◽  
Public Health Professionals

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are major causes of diarrhoeal diseases of humans worldwide, and are included in the World Health Organisation's ‘Neglected Diseases Initiative’. Cryptosporidium and Giardia occur commonly in Malaysian human and non-human populations, but their impact on disease, morbidity and cost of illness is not known. The commonness of contributions from human (STW effluents, indiscriminate defaecation) and non-human (calving, lambing, muck spreading, slurry spraying, pasturing/grazing of domestic animals, infected wild animals) hosts indicate that many Malaysian environments, particularly water and soil, are sufficiently contaminated to act as potential vehicles for the transmission of disease. To gain insight into the morbidity and mortality caused by human cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis, they should be included into differential diagnoses, and routine laboratory testing should be performed and (as for many infectious diseases) reported to a centralised public health agency. To understand transmission routes and the significance of environmental contamination better will require further multidisciplinary approaches and shared resources, including raising national perceptions of the parasitological quality of drinking water. Here, the detection of Cryptosporidium and Giardia should be an integral part of the water quality requirement. A multidisciplinary approach among public health professionals in the water industry and other relevant health- and environment-associated agencies is also required in order to determine the significance of Cryptosporidium and Giardia contamination of Malaysian drinking water. Lastly, adoption of validated methods to determine the species, genotype and subgenotype of Cryptosporidium and Giardia present in Malaysia will assist in developing effective risk assessment, management and communication models.

scholarly journals Development of a tool for assessing quality of comprehensive care provided by community health workers in a community-based care programme in South Africa

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e030677
Author(s):  
Frances Griffiths ◽  
Olukemi Babalola ◽  
Celia Brown ◽  
Julia de Kadt ◽  
Hlologelo Malatji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Comprehensive Care ◽  
Household Visit

ObjectiveTo develop a tool for use by non-clinical fieldworkers for assessing the quality of care delivered by community health workers providing comprehensive care in households in low- and middle-income countries.DesignWe determined the content of the tool using multiple sources of information, including interactions with district managers, national training manuals and an exploratory study that included observations of 70 community health workers undertaking 518 household visits collected as part of a wider study. We also reviewed relevant literature, selecting relevant domains and quality markers. To refine the tool and manual we worked with the fieldworkers who had undertaken the observations. We constructed two scores summarising key aspects of care: (1) delivering messages and actions during household visit, and (2) communicating with the household; we also collected contextual data. The fieldworkers used the tool with community health workers in a different area to test feasibility.SettingSouth Africa, where community health workers have been brought into the public health system to address the shortage of healthcare workers and limited access to healthcare. It was embedded in an intervention study to improve quality of community health worker supervision.Primary and secondary outcomesOur primary outcome was the completion of a tool and user manual.ResultsThe tool consists of four sections, completed at different stages during community health worker household visits: before setting out, at entry to a household, during the household visit and after leaving the household. Following tool refinement, we found no problems on field-testing the tool.ConclusionsWe have developed a tool for assessing quality of care delivered by community health workers at home visits, often an unobserved part of their role. The tool was developed for evaluating an intervention but could also be used to support training and management of community health workers.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document