Indicators for routine monitoring of effective mental healthcare coverage in low- and middle-income settings: a Delphi study
This study provides data on how mental health service and financial coverage can be assessed in LMIC. This is an important element in the move to scale-up mental health care. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Jordans, M. J. D., Chisholm, D., Semrau, M., Upadhaya, N., Abdulmalik, J., Ahuja, S., Alem, A., Hanlon, C., Kigozi, F., Mugisha, J., Petersen, I., Shidhaye, R., Lund, C., Thornicroft, G., Gureje, O. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Urbanization and human health in urban India: institutional analysis of water-borne diseases in Ahmedabad
This study is based on household surveys of approximately 327 households in two case study wards and intermittent interviews with key informants over a period of 2 years. Principle component analysis is applied to reduce the data and convert a set of observations, which potentially correlate with each other, into components. Institutional analyses behind these components reveal the role of social actors in exploiting the deeply rooted inefficiencies affecting urban health. This has led to a vicious cycle; breaking this cycle requires understanding the political dynamics that underlie the exposure and prevalence of diseases...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Saravanan, V. S., Ayessa Idenal, M., Saiyed, S., Saxena, D., Gerke, S. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Introduction of pentavalent vaccine in Indonesia: a policy analysis
In this study, we analyzed the process that led to the decision to introduce pentavalent vaccine in Indonesia. Using process tracing and case comparison, we used qualitative data gathered through interviews with key informants and data extracted from written sources to identify four distinct but interrelated processes that were involved in the decision making: (a) pentavalent vaccine use policy process, (b) financing process, (c) domestic vaccine development process and (d) political process. We hypothesized that each process is associated with four necessary conditions that are jointly sufficient for the successful introd...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Hadisoemarto, P. F., Reich, M. R., Castro, M. C. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
How to do (or not to do)... gender analysis in health systems research
Gender—the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for males, females and other genders—affects how people live, work and relate to each other at all levels, including in relation to the health system. Health systems research (HSR) aims to inform more strategic, effective and equitable health systems interventions, programs and policies; and the inclusion of gender analysis into HSR is a core part of that endeavour. We outline what gender analysis is and how gender analysis can be incorporated into HSR content, process and outcomes. Starting w...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Morgan, R., George, A., Ssali, S., Hawkins, K., Molyneux, S., Theobald, S. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
The value of spatial analysis for tracking supply for family planning: the case of Kinshasa, DRC
This article examines how simple, open-source and interactive GIS tools have been used to locate family planning (FP) services delivery points in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) and to identify underserved areas, determining the potential location of new service points, and to support advocacy for FP programmes. Using smartphone-based data collection applications (OpenDataKit), we conducted two surveys of FP facilities supported by partner organizations in 2012 and 2013 and used the results to assess gaps in FP services coverage, using both ratio of facilities per population and distance-based accessibility criteri...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Hernandez, J. H., Akilimali, P., Kayembe, P., Dikamba, N., Bertrand, J. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Expanding HIV testing and counselling into communities: Feasibility, acceptability, and effects of an integrated family planning/HTC service delivery model by Village Health Teams in Uganda
This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number [NCT02244398]. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Brunie, A., Wamala-Mucheri, P., Akol, A., Mercer, S., Chen, M. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
A qualitative exploration of health workers and clients perceptions of barriers to completing four antenatal care visits in Morogoro Region, Tanzania
Antenatal care (ANC) remains an important contact point on the continuum of care for mothers and children in low- and middle-income countries. In Tanzania, the proportion of pregnant women completing at least four ANC visits (ANC-4) dropped from 70% to 43% between 1999 and 2010. To identify potential causes of the decline in the number of ANC visits, we conducted qualitative research at 18 health centres in Morogoro Region, exploring providers’ communication about ANC visits and clients’ and providers' perceptions of changes in ANC services and barriers to completing four visits. We also observed counselling me...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Callaghan-Koru, J. A., McMahon, S. A., Chebet, J. J., Kilewo, C., Frumence, G., Gupta, S., Stevenson, R., Lipingu, C., Baqui, A. H., Winch, P. J. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Using systematized tacit knowledge to prioritize implementation challenges in existing maternal health programs: implications for the post MDG era
This article highlights the feasibility and the advantages of using a systematized tacit knowledge approach, using data from maternal health program personnel, to identify local challenges to implementing policies and programs to inform the post MDG era. Communities of practice, conceived as groups of people sharing professional interests, experiences and knowledge, were formed with diverse health personnel implementing maternal health programs in Mexico and Nicaragua. Participants attended several workshops and developed different online activities aiming to strengthen their capacities to acquire, analyze, adapt and apply...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Becerril-Montekio, V., Alcalde-Rabanal, J., Darney, B. G., Orozco-Nunez, E. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
The cost of post-abortion care in developing countries: a comparative analysis of four studies
The objective of this study is to expand the research findings of these four studies, making use of their extensive datasets. These studies offer the most complete and consistent estimates of the cost of PAC to date, and comparing their findings not only provides generalizable implications for health policies and programs, but also allows an assessment of the PACCM methodology. We find that the labor cost component varies widely: in Ethiopia and Colombia doctors spend about 30–60% more time with PAC patients than do nurses; in Uganda and Rwanda an opposite pattern is found. Labor costs range from I$42.80 in Uganda to...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Vlassoff, M., Singh, S., Onda, T. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Sources, determinants and utilization of health workers revenues: evidence from Sierra Leone
Exploring the entire set of formal and informal payments available to health workers (HWs) is critical to understand the financial incentives they face and devise effective incentive packages to motivate them. We investigate this issue in the context of Sierra Leone by collecting quantitative data through a survey and daily logbooks on the incomes of 266 HWs in three districts, and carrying out 39 qualitative in-depth interviews. We find that, while earnings related to the HWs official jobs represent the largest share, their income is fragmented and composed of a variety of payments, and there is a large heterogeneity in t...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Bertone, M. P., Lagarde, M. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Does distrust in providers affect health-care utilization in China?
This article focuses on China, a middle-income country where low trust in health-care settings has become a prominent issue, but actual levels of distrust and their implications for utilization are unknown. We conducted a nationally representative survey of the Chinese population (November 2012 to January 2013), which resulted in a sample of 3680 adult men and women. Respondents rated their trust in different types of health-care providers. Using multivariate logistic and negative binomial regression models, we estimated the association between distrust in clinics and respondents’ hospital visits in the last year; wh...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Duckett, J., Hunt, K., Munro, N., Sutton, M. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
"Lives in the balance": The politics of integration in the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health
A decade ago, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) was established to combat the growing fragmentation of global health action into uncoordinated, issue-specific efforts. Inspired by dominant global public-private partnerships for health, the PMNCH brought together previously competing advocacy coalitions for safe motherhood and child survival and attracted support from major donors, foundations and professional bodies. Today, its founders highlight its achievements in generating priority for ‘MNCH’, encouraging integrated health systems thinking and demonstrating the value of collabor...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Storeng, K. T., Behague, D. P. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Use of traditional medicine in middle-income countries: a WHO-SAGE study
In conclusion, TM use is less frequent than commonly reported. It may be unnecessary, and perhaps futile, to seek to employ TM for population health needs when populations are increasingly using modern medicine. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Oyebode, O., Kandala, N.-B., Chilton, P. J., Lilford, R. J. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Patterns and determinants of out-of-pocket health care expenditure in Sri Lanka: evidence from household surveys
This article examines patterns and determinants of the likelihood and financial burden of encountering out-of-pocket healthcare expenses in Sri Lankan households as, on average, more than 60% of households incur such costs. This percentage varies substantially across household categories in demographic properties, sectors and ability-to-pay. Households comprising more than one elderly person, pre-school children, members with chronic illnesses, and literate household heads are at significant risk of incurring out-of-pocket payments and bearing a higher financial burden. Rural and estate sector households are more likely to...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Kumara, A. S., Samaratunge, R. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
10 Best resources on... intersectionality with an emphasis on low- and middle-income countries
Intersectionality has emerged as an important framework for understanding and responding to health inequities by making visible the fluid and interconnected structures of power that create them. It promotes an understanding of the dynamic nature of the privileges and disadvantages that permeate health systems and affect health. It considers the interaction of different social stratifiers (e.g. ‘race’/ethnicity, indigeneity, gender, class, sexuality, geography, age, disability/ability, migration status, religion) and the power structures that underpin them at multiple levels. In doing so, it is a departure from ...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - September 6, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Larson, E., George, A., Morgan, R., Poteat, T. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
