scholarly journals Eye health promotion-oriented policy statements in various national and provincial health policy documents in South Africa

2022 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hlupheka L. Sithole
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
National Guidelines ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Eye Health ◽  
Healthcare Needs

Background: There are many fragmented public health policies that give directives towards various aspects of healthcare needs and implementation. However, none of these policies make specific reference to eye health promotion (EHP) as an enabler for individuals to take control of the determinants of their eye health (EH) needs.Aim: The current study sought to identify EHP messages in the various available policy documents at both national and provincial health department levels with a view to assessing awareness on the available gaps for the development of an integrated EHP policy in South Africa.Setting: The study used documents provided by the National Department of Health and those that were available online from various other provincial Departments of Health in the country.Methods: Content analysis of EH policies requested from the Directorate of Chronic Diseases, Disabilities and Geriatrics was conducted. Various other health policies that were enacted post-1994 and endorsed by the National and Provincial Departments of Health were also considered for analysis.Results: Twenty-four documents were considered for content analysis. The national guidelines on eye healthcare made reference to EH activities such as immunisation of children, vision screening of the elderly, vitamin A supplementation and maternal services to detect sexually transmitted diseases, amongst others. Of the 20 national and provincial health documents analysed, only four made reference to EH. None of these documents made any specific reference to EHP.Conclusion: Although four national guidelines contain content related to EHP, the fragmentation and lack of integration with other health policy documents may lead to eye healthcare messages not being prioritised for dissemination even where they are highly required. Also, public eye healthcare services in general will continue to lag behind as is the case in most provinces in South Africa.

scholarly journals Levels of research evidence in health policy assessment in Malawi

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-250
Author(s):  
Patrick Mapulanga ◽  
Jaya Raju ◽  
Thomas Matingwina
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Services Research ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Systems

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine levels of health research evidence in health policies in Malawi. Design/methodology/approach The study selected a typology of health policies in Malawi from 2002 to 2017. The study adopted the SPIRIT conceptual framework and assessed the levels of research evidence in health policy, systems and services research using the revised SAGE policy assessment tool. Documentary analysis was used to assess levels of health research evidence in health policies in Malawi. Findings In 29 (96.7 per cent) of the health policies, policy formulators including healthcare directors and managers used generic search engines such as Google or Google Scholar to look for heath research evidence. In 28 (93.3 per cent) of the health policies, they searched for grey literature and other government documents. In only 6 (20 per cent) of the heath policy documents, they used academic literature in a form of journal articles and randomised controlled trials. No systematic reviews or policy briefs were consulted. Overall, in 23 (76.7 per cent) of the health policy documents, health research evidence played a minimal role and had very little influence on the policy documents or decision-making. Research limitations/implications The empirical evidence in the health policy documents are limited because of insufficient research citation, low retrievability of health research evidence in the policy documents and biased selectivity of what constitutes health research evidence. Practical implications The study indicates that unfiltered information (data from policy evaluations and registries) constitutes majority of the research evidence in health policies both in health policy, systems and services research. The study seeks to advocate for the use of filtered information (peer reviewed, clinical trials and data from systematic reviews) in formulating health policies. Originality/value There is dearth of literature on the levels of health research evidence in health policy-making both in health policy, systems and services research. This study seeks to bridge the gap with empirical evidence from a developing country perspective.

When health means illness: analysing mental health discourses and practices in Ireland

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Mental Health Policy ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Health Strategy ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
Mental Health Service User ◽  
Promotion Campaigns

This chapter focuses on the area of mental health policy as an arena in which expert systems, in the form of biomedical discourses and psychiatry, have played a central role in constituting mental health ‘subjects’. The analysis focuses on the discourses emerging from recent mental health policy documents, including Ireland’s main mental health strategy, A Vision for Change. Drawing on Dean’s ideas about fields of visibility and valued knowledge, this chapter suggests that despite a broadening of understanding of mental health beyond medicalised discourses, seen most recently in health promotion campaigns and suicide prevention strategies, in practice, the focus remains on the mental health service user, and the provision of services for those who are mentally ‘ill’. Attempts to reconfigure mental health as something which affects ‘all of us’, and moves beyond mental ‘illness’ – which, it is argued, may have the potential to open up less stigmatising modes of understanding about mental health – are hampered by the continuing dominance of the biomedical frameworks of understanding.

scholarly journals Eye health promotion in the South African primary health care system*

2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
H. L. Sithole ◽  
O. A. Oduntan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
South African ◽  
Primary Health Care System ◽  
The South ◽  
Promotion Policy ◽  
Eye Health ◽  
Primary Health

Objective: There is currently very little or no research being done in South Africa on eye health promotion. Also, there is no evidence of any existing eye health promotion policy in the South African primary health care system. The purpose of this paper therefore is to highlight the lack of an integrated eye health promotion policy in the South African primary health care system.Approach: A literature review of research databases was conducted to identify research done in the previous years pertinent to eye health promotion in South Africa. Also, documents were requested from the South African National Department of Health to ascertain claims of any existing guidelines on eye care. It was found that these documents included the national guidelines on prevention of blindness, refractive error screening for persons 60 years and older, cataract surgery in South Africa, management and control of eye conditions at primary level.Although there is currently no integrated eye health promotion policy in South Africa, the fragmented national guidelines represent the existing policies on eye health promotion.  The custodians of these policies are the eye care coordinators located in each of the nine provinces.Conclusion: Although there are eye care coordinators in each province, there is no evidence of any eye health promotion activities being done in those provinces. Also, only one province out of nine has dedicated health promotion personnel that are not only focusing on eye health matters. This greatly compromises the initiatives of eliminating avoidable blindness. It is therefore recommended that an integrated eye health promotion model be developed so that it may form part of the South African primary health care system. (S Afr Optom 201069(4) 200-206)

scholarly journals Ecological considerations for intervention strategy in the development of eye health promotion policy in South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hlupheka L. Sithole
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Contributory Factor ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Eye Health

Eye health promotion is an important component of public health. To realise the essential aspects of eye health promotion, the formulation and implementation of policy as an intervention strategy is a major contributory factor and can best be described by an ecological framework. Ecological perspectives assert that people’s health affairs cannot be neatly grouped into diagnoses, symptoms and risk factors to be targeted and eliminated; this is because the core concept of an ecological model is that behaviour has many levels of influence, often including intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational, physical environmental, and policy. Therefore, societal and personal issues can be directly linked to an ecological model that points to issues of numerous levels of influence on certain behaviours that affect the manner in which eye care services are utilised. These behaviours are therefore termed salient beliefs. Unfortunately, there is no study in South Africa that has identified the set of beliefs that are salient in any given population that might be responsible for influencing the uptake of eye care services. However, reorienting eye health care services through direct policy reforms and advocacy may change the landscape of eye health care services in South Africa.

scholarly journals Medical students’ involvement in health policy: current focus and trend

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Kaymaz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Student Organizations ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
The World ◽  
Abstract Submission

Abstract Background European Medical Students’ Association (EMSA) and International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) are two leading student organizations advocating for better health in Europe and the World. How student organizations support global public health policy and particularly which topics students place greater emphasis on are not documented, although it is crucial to understand their involvement and areas of interest. Methods Data on the valid policy documents of the last three years until April 2019 were retrieved from the official websites of EMSA and IFMSA. These documents were categorized using abstract submission tracks of the 12th European Public Health Conference. Results Twenty-nine policy documents were retrieved, ten of which were from EMSA and 19 from IFMSA. Fourteen of all 22 abstract submission tracks (63.6%) were covered by these policy documents. Of all policy documents, 20.7% fell under the track of ’infectious diseases, preparedness and vaccines’. Most commonly advocated topic in policy documents of IFMSA was infectious diseases and vaccines, whereas that of EMSA was healthy living and health promotion. Conclusions Medical students often take part in health policy by conveying their perspectives and calling other stakeholders to action via their policy documents. Policy documents of IFMSA were more related to global health challenges such as infectious diseases while special concerns in Europe such as healthy living and health promotion dominated EMSA’s policies. In the near future, more student advocacy work on climate change, noncommunicable diseases and primary health care would be expected in accordance with ’ten threats to global health in 2019’ announced by the World Health Organization. Key messages Medical student organizations, EMSA and IFMSA, are important stakeholders in health policy. The focus of their policy documents differs, and this trend is influenced by changing public health challenges in Europe and the World.

Theories of Indigenous and non-Indigenous wellbeing in Australian health policies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madison Shakespeare ◽  
Matthew Fisher ◽  
Tamara Mackean ◽  
Roland Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Policy Goal ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Australian Health ◽  
Effective Policy ◽  
Indigenous Theories

Summary Governments in Australia and internationally show growing interest in wellbeing as a policy goal; however, such interests raise questions about the theories or definitions of wellbeing they will apply. Choices about how wellbeing is defined for policy purposes are likely to delimit the strategies applied. Wholly individualized conceptualizations of wellbeing may lead to policy focused narrowly on ‘improving’ individuals rather than on creating favourable social conditions. Also, Indigenous theories of wellbeing may have much to offer policy for public wellbeing, but little research has examined whether this potential is considered in contemporary health policy. We report on research examining Indigenous and non-Indigenous theories of wellbeing in a representative sample of current Australian health policy documents. We examine what theories or definitions of wellbeing are present, whether policies recognize social determinants of health; if ‘lifestyle drift’ is present; how Indigenous and non-Indigenous theories of wellbeing are positioned; and whether policies propose strategies consistent with their definitions of wellbeing. We discuss implications of current approaches for effective policy to promote Indigenous and non-Indigenous wellbeing.

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