scholarly journals A national survey of hospital readiness during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257567
Author(s):  
Dimie Ogoina ◽  
Dalhat Mahmood ◽  
Abisoye Sunday Oyeyemi ◽  
Ogochukwu Chinedum Okoye ◽  
Vivian Kwaghe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
National Survey ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Surge Capacity ◽  
Hospital Preparedness ◽  
Hospital Readiness ◽  
Isolation Facilities

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic continues to overwhelm health systems across the globe. We aimed to assess the readiness of hospitals in Nigeria to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Method Between April and October 2020, hospital representatives completed a modified World Health Organisation (WHO) COVID-19 hospital readiness checklist consisting of 13 components and 124 indicators. Readiness scores were classified as adequate (score ≥80%), moderate (score 50–79.9%) and not ready (score <50%). Results Among 20 (17 tertiary and three secondary) hospitals from all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, readiness score ranged from 28.2% to 88.7% (median 68.4%), and only three (15%) hospitals had adequate readiness. There was a median of 15 isolation beds, four ICU beds and four ventilators per hospital, but over 45% of hospitals established isolation facilities and procured ventilators after the onset of COVID-19. Of the 13 readiness components, the lowest readiness scores were reported for surge capacity (61.1%), human resources (59.1%), staff welfare (50%) and availability of critical items (47.7%). Conclusion Most hospitals in Nigeria were not adequately prepared to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Current efforts to strengthen hospital preparedness should prioritize challenges related to surge capacity, critical care for COVID-19 patients, and staff welfare and protection.

scholarly journals EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Rebooting pharmacy education in resource-limited settings

2021 ◽  
pp. 67-70
Author(s):  
Jennie Lates ◽  
Dan Kibuule
Keyword(s):  
Health Systems ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Pharmacy Education ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
High Burden ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Sub Saharan

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated inequalities in access to quality pharmacy education, particularly in resource-limited settings in Africa (Engle, 2020; Fuller et al., 2020). This is a serious concern for Africa especially, given that sub-Saharan Africa ranks lowest on the global pharmaceutical workforce index and has a disproportionately high burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases, combined with weak health systems (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2013; Bates et al., 2018).

scholarly journals Do health policies address the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of human resources for health? Analysis over three decades of National Health Policy of India

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sweta Dubey ◽  
Jeel Vasa ◽  
Siddhesh Zadey
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
National Health ◽  
Human Resources For Health ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Status ◽  
Policy Priority ◽  
Almost All ◽  
National Health Policies

Abstract Background Human Resources for Health (HRH) are crucial for improving health services coverage and population health outcomes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) promotes countries to formulate holistic policies that focus on four HRH dimensions—availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality (AAAQ). The status of these dimensions and their incorporation in the National Health Policies of India (NHPIs) are not well known. Methods We created a multilevel framework of strategies and actions directed to improve AAAQ HRH dimensions. HRH-related recommendations of NHPI—1983, 2002, and 2017 were classified according to targeted dimensions and cadres using the framework. We identified the dimensions and cadres focussed by NHPIs using the number of mentions. Furthermore, we introduce a family of dimensionwise deficit indices formulated to assess situational HRH deficiencies for census years (1981, 2001, and 2011) and over-year trends. Finally, we evaluated whether or not the HRH recommendations in NHPIs addressed the deficient cadres and dimensions of the pre-NHPI census years. Results NHPIs focused more on HRH availability and quality compared to accessibility and acceptability. Doctors were prioritized over auxiliary nurses-midwives and pharmacists in terms of total recommendations. AAAQ indices showed deficits in all dimensions for almost all HRH cadres over the years. All deficit indices show a general decreasing trend from 1981 to 2011 except for the accessibility deficit. The recommendations in NHPIs did not correspond to the situational deficits in many instances indicating a policy priority mismatch. Conclusion India needs to incorporate AAAQ dimensions in its policies and monitor their progress. The framework and indices-based approach can help identify the gaps between targeted and needed dimensions and cadres for effective HRH strengthening. At the global level, the application of framework and indices will allow a comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of HRH-related policies of various nations.

scholarly journals SARS CoV2 Second Wave Onslaught in India and Mass Vaccination Prospects

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Mass Vaccination ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
Care Capacity ◽  
Second Wave

In little over a year, in March 2020 the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic and on March 24, India went into the longest lockdown. On March 25, 2020, the number of new cases stood 121 and deaths were two. Contrast to that, in corresponding month this year, there are more than 53,000 cases daily and more than 250 deaths. It is still rising, doubling every 12-14 days. India is now the country with the highest number of daily infections and casualties. Unlike the first wave, the cases are currently much more widespread and has severely strained the country’s critical care capacity. This paper attempts to note the virus onslaught during Covid-19 second wave and India’s prospect at navigating the pandemic and foster for citizens early and reliable access to vaccines.

scholarly journals Do health policies address the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of human resources for health?: Analysis of three decades of National Health Policy of India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sweta Dubey ◽  
Jeel Vasa ◽  
Siddhesh Zadey
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
National Health ◽  
Human Resources For Health ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
National Health Policy ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Almost All

Abstract Background: Human Resources for Health (HRH) are crucial to improve health services coverage and population health outcomes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) promotes four dimensions - availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality (AAAQ) for HRH strengthening. Integrating AAAQ dimensions in policymaking is essential to reduce the critical shortage of HRH in India. Methods: We created a multilevel framework to evaluate the incorporation of AAAQ dimensions along with strategies and actions that can improve them in HRH-related policies. HRH-related recommendations of all versions of the National Health Policy of India (NHPI) were classified according to targeted dimensions and cadres. We evaluated the extent to which NHPIs incorporated AAAQ dimensions over three decades. Furthermore, dimension-wise normalized indices were formulated to calculate HRH deficits for pre-NHPI years to assess situational deficiencies. Finally, we evaluated whether or not the HRH recommendations of NHPIs addressed the deficient cadres and dimensions for the corresponding year. Results: We observed that HRH availability and quality were focused more in NHPI compared to accessibility and acceptability. Doctors were prioritized over auxiliary nurses-midwives and health assistants. AAAQ indices showed deficits in all dimensions in almost all cadres over the years. The cadres focused by NHPI recommendations did not completely correspond to the deficient cadres. Conclusion: The framework and indices based method can help identify the gaps between targeted and needed dimensions and cadres for effective HRH strengthening in countries. At the global level, the application of framework and indices will allow a comparison of strengths and weaknesses of HRH-related policies of various nations.

Assessing hospital disaster preparedness in Shiraz, Iran 2011: Teaching versus private hospitals

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamideh Mahdaviazad, MD ◽  
Gholam Reza Abdolahifar, MD, MPH
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Case Management ◽  
Operating Room ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Supply Management ◽  
World Health ◽  
Operating Room Management ◽  
Private Hospitals ◽  
Surge Capacity ◽  
Incident Command

Background: In disasters, hospitals play a crucial role in supplying essential medical care to the society but there is no standardized checklist for assessing hospital disaster preparedness.Objectives: The objective of this study was to recognize and compare almost all the components of disaster preparedness between teaching and private hospitals in Shiraz, Iran, focusing on incident command systems (ICS), communications, surge capacity, human resources, supply management, logistic service, case management, surveillance, laboratory and operating room management.Methods: From May to August 2011, we assessed the preparedness of teaching and private hospitals in Shiraz, using the 10-key component World Health Organization checklist.Results: Twenty four out of 31 hospitals responded. The scores for preparedness of ICS, communication, surge capacity and human resources was 73.9 percent, 67.3 percent, 49 percent, and 52.6 percent respectively. The preparedness scores for supply management and logistic services were 68.5 percent and 61.8 percent. While the levels of preparedness of laboratory and operating room management were low, preparedness of the surveillance system and case management were 66.7 percent and 70.8 percent, respectively.The average total preparedness of all hospitals was 59.5 percent, with scores of 62.2 percent in teaching hospitals and 55 percent in private hospitals.Conclusion: At the time of our study, the total preparedness among hospitals was at the intermediate level, but in some key components such as operating room management, surge capacity, and human resources, the total preparedness was very limited and at an early stage of development, therefore, requiring urgent attention and improvement.

scholarly journals COVID-19: lessons for junior doctors redeployed to critical care

2020 ◽  
pp. postgradmedj-2020-138100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Coughlan ◽  
Chaitanya Nafde ◽  
Shaida Khodatars ◽  
Aimi Lara Jeanes ◽  
Sadia Habib ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Critical Care ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Moral Injury ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Surge Capacity ◽  
Relative Lack

Approximately 4% of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will require admission to an intensive care unit (ICU). Governments have cancelled elective procedures, ordered new ventilators and built new hospitals to meet this unprecedented challenge. However, intensive care ultimately relies on human resources. To enhance surge capacity, many junior doctors have been redeployed to ICU despite a relative lack of training and experience. The COVID-19 pandemic poses additional challenges to new ICU recruits, from the practicalities of using personal protective equipment to higher risks of burnout and moral injury. In this article, we describe lessons for junior doctors responsible for managing patients who are critically ill with COVID-19 based on our experiences at an urban teaching hospital.

scholarly journals Applying WHO COVID-19 Workforce Estimate Tools Remotely in an African Context: A Case Report From Mali and Kenya

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela A. McQuide ◽  
Amy Finnegan ◽  
Katherine M Terry ◽  
Andrew Nelson Brown ◽  
Cheick Oumar Toure ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Human Resources For Health ◽  
Human Resources Management ◽  
World Health ◽  
Local Context ◽  
African Countries ◽  
African Context

Abstract BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has increased the burden on health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where health systems already struggle. To meet health workforce planning needs during the pandemic, IntraHealth International used two tools created by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe. The Health Workforce Estimator (HWFE) allows the estimation of the quantity of health workers needed to treat patients during a surge, and the Adaptt Surge Planning Support Tool helps to predict the timing of a surge in cases and the number of health workers and beds needed for predicted caseload. These tools were adapted to fit the African context in a rapid implementation over five weeks in one region in Mali and one region in Kenya with the objective to test the feasibility of adapting these tools, which use a Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN)-inspired human resources management methodology, to obtain daily and surge projections of COVID-19 human resources for health needs.Case presentationUsing a remote team in the US and in-country teams in Mali and Kenya, IntraHealth enacted a phased plan to gather stakeholder support, collect data related to health systems and COVID-19 cases, populate data into the tools, verify modeled results with results on the ground, enact policy measures to meet projected needs, and conduct national training workshops for the ministries of health.ConclusionsThis phased implementation in Mali and Kenya demonstrated that the WISN approach applied to the Health Workforce Estimator and Adaptt tools can be readily adapted to the local context for African countries to rapidly estimate the number of health workers and beds needed to respond to the predicted COVID-19 pandemic caseload. The results may also be used to give a proxy estimate for needed health supplies—e.g., oxygen, medications, and ventilators. Challenges included accurate and timely data collection and updating data. The success of the pilot can be attributed to the adapted WHO tools, the team composition in both countries, access to human resources data, and early support of the ministries of health, with the expectation that this methodology can be applied to other country contexts.

scholarly journals Do health policies address the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of human resources for health?: Analysis of three decades of National Health Policy of India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sweta Dubey ◽  
Jeel Vasa ◽  
Siddhesh Zadey
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
National Health ◽  
Human Resources For Health ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
National Health Policy ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Almost All

Abstract Background Human Resources for Health (HRH) are crucial to improve health services coverage and population health outcomes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) promotes four dimensions - availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality (AAAQ) for HRH strengthening. Integrating AAAQ dimensions in policymaking is essential to reduce the critical shortage of HRH in India.Methods We created a multilevel framework to evaluate the incorporation of AAAQ dimensions along with strategies and actions that can improve them in HRH-related policies. HRH-related recommendations of all versions of the National Health Policy of India (NHPI) were classified according to targeted dimensions and cadres. We evaluated the extent to which NHPIs incorporated AAAQ dimensions over three decades. Furthermore, dimension-wise normalized indices were formulated to calculate HRH deficits for pre-NHPI years to assess situational deficiencies. Finally, we evaluated whether or not the HRH recommendations of NHPIs addressed the deficient cadres and dimensions for the corresponding year.Results We observed that HRH availability and quality were focused more in NHPI compared to accessibility and acceptability. Doctors were prioritized over auxiliary nurses-midwives and health assistants. AAAQ indices showed deficits in all dimensions in almost all cadres over the years. The cadres focused by NHPI recommendations did not completely correspond to the deficient cadres.Conclusion The framework and indices based method can help identify the gaps between targeted and needed dimensions and cadres for effective HRH strengthening in countries. At the global level, the application of framework and indices will allow a comparison of strengths and weaknesses of HRH-related policies of various nations.

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