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Estimating inequalities in ownership of insecticide treated nets: does the choice of socio-economic status measure matter?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - October 21, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Chuma, J., Molyneux, C. Tags: Corrigendum Source Type: journals

10 best resources on ... health workers in developing countriesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - October 21, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Grepin, K. A, Savedoff, W. D Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Informal sector providers in Bangladesh: how equipped are they to provide rational health care?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In Bangladesh, there is a lack of knowledge about the large body of informal sector practitioners, who are the major providers of health care to the poor, especially in rural areas, knowledge which is essential for designing a need-based, pro-poor health system. This paper addresses this gap by presenting descriptive data on their professional background including knowledge and practices on common illnesses and conditions from a nationwide, population-based health-care provider survey undertaken in 2007. The traditional healers (43%), traditional birth attendants (TBAs, 22%), and unqualified allopathic providers (village d...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - October 21, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Ahmed, S. M., Hossain, Md. A., Chowdhury, M. R. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Quality of tuberculosis care and its association with patient adherence to treatment in eight Ethiopian districtsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion Better training of TB care providers and district supervisory support could be important interventions to improve the quality of care delivery and patient adherence to treatment. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - October 21, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Mesfin, M. M, Newell, J. N, Walley, J. D, Gessessew, A., Tesfaye, T., Lemma, F., Madeley, R. J Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Incidence and correlates of 'catastrophic' maternal health care expenditure in IndiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Using data from the 60th round of the National Sample Survey of India (2004), the study investigates the incidence and correlates of ‘catastrophic’ maternal expenditure (ME) in India. Data on ME come from 6879 births that took place during 365 days prior to the survey. The study adapts earlier definitions and methods for catastrophic total health care expenditure to measure ‘catastrophic’ ME as: (i) maternal health care expenditure more than 10% of the annual normative household consumption expenditure (ME-1), and (ii) maternal health care expenditure more than 40% of the annual ‘capacity to p...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - October 21, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Bonu, S., Bhushan, I., Rani, M., Anderson, I. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Cost-effectiveness analysis of active management of third-stage labour in VietnamEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Active management of the third stage of labour (AMTSL) using oxytocin substantially reduces postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), a leading cause of maternal mortality. An economic analysis of the use of AMTSL was conducted as part of an intervention study in Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. A spreadsheet was used to calculate various scenarios and estimate the costs and outcomes of the routine use of AMTSL with oxytocin in Uniject compared with oxytocin in ampoules, and AMTSL compared with no AMTSL. We estimated the health outcomes from probabilities that were generated from the effectiveness portion of the AMTSL intervention project...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - October 21, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Tsu, V. D, Levin, C., Tran, M. P T, Hoang, M. V, Luu, H. T T Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Knowledge and practices for preventing severe malaria in Yemen: the importance of gender in planning policyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions Some beliefs were potential barriers to malaria prevention strategies. The different beliefs and roles identified between men and women need to be taken into account in health promotion messages. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - October 21, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: al-Taiar, A., Chandler, C., Al Eryani, S., Whitty, C. J M Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

The value of hygiene promotion: cost-effectiveness analysis of interventions in developing countriesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article argues that objectively measured reductions of key sanitation and hygiene risks are better than DALYs for evaluating hygiene and sanitation promotion programmes. It presents a framework for the cost-effectiveness analysis of such programmes, which is used to analyse six field programmes. At costs ranging from US$1.05 to US$1.74 per person per year in 1999 US$ values, they achieved (almost) complete abandonment of open defecation and considerable improvements in keeping toilets free from faecal soiling, safe disposal of child faeces, and/or washing hands with soap after defecation, before eating and after clean...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - October 21, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Sijbesma, C., Christoffers, T. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Global health funding: how much, where it comes from and where it goesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Global health funding has increased in recent years. This has been accompanied by a proliferation in the number of global health actors and initiatives. This paper describes the state of global heath finance, taking into account government and private sources of finance, and raises and discusses a number of policy issues related to global health governance. A schematic describing the different actors and three global health finance functions is used to organize the data presented, most of which are secondary data from the published literature and annual reports of relevant actors. In two cases, we also refer to currently u...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - October 21, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: McCoy, D., Chand, S., Sridhar, D. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Open accounting in self-financing hospital managementEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - August 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Lederer, W. Tags: Letter to the editor Source Type: journals

Formal and informal payments in health care facilities in two Russian cities, Tyumen and LipetskEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Informal payments for health care services are common in many transition countries, including Russia. While the Russian government proclaims its policy goal of improving access to and quality of free-of-charge health services, it has approved regulations that give local authorities the right to provide services against payment. This paper reports the results of a population-based survey (n = 2001) examining the prevalence of the use of medical services for which people pay formally or informally in two regional capitals of different economic status. The purpose of the study was to reveal any differences in the forms of and...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - August 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Aarva, P., Ilchenko, I., Gorobets, P., Rogacheva, A. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Health needs and health-care-seeking behaviour of street-dwellers in Dhaka, BangladeshEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The study objective was to ascertain the extent to which the need for primary health care services among street-dwellers is being met through existing facilities. This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Dhaka city over a 12-month period from June 2007 to May 2008. The study population included ever-married females and males aged 15–49 years. Data for the study were collected through a community survey and exit interviews. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were done. Seventy-two per cent of female and 48% of male street-dwellers interviewed were sick at the time of data collection. Twenty-...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - August 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Uddin, M. J., Koehlmoos, T. L., Ashraf, A., Khan, A I, Saha, N. C., Hossain, M. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Assessing access barriers to maternal health care: measuring bypassing to identify health centre needs in rural UgandaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions Simple and easily replicable tools are essential to assist health managers to identify communities and facilities needing improvements in access to delivery care. The methods developed in this paper could be utilized by local officials in other areas to assist planning and improvement of both maternal care and other health services. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - August 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Parkhurst, J. O, Ssengooba, F. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Providing information on pregnancy complications during antenatal visits: unmet educational needs in sub-Saharan AfricaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion There is a high level of unmet need for information on pregnancy complications in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly among those who face significant barriers to accessing care if complications occur. Educational interventions are critical to safe motherhood initiatives; health providers must fully use the educational opportunity in antenatal care. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - August 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Nikiema, B., Beninguisse, G., Haggerty, J. L Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Tackling HIV and gender-based violence in South Africa: how has PEPFAR responded and what are the implications for implementing organizations?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
South Africa has some of the highest levels of both HIV and gender-based violence (GBV) worldwide. The international literature has highlighted the importance of tackling GBV in the fight against AIDS. Although the link between these epidemics is acknowledged by South Africa's medical and NGO communities, government response has largely dealt with them separately. PEPFAR is South Africa's largest HIV/AIDS donor, representing significant funding potential for programmes seeking to tackle these twin epidemics. Using a combination of policy document analysis and key informant interviews at national and provincial level (West...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - August 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Ghanotakis, E., Mayhew, S., Watts, C. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Mental health policy in South Africa: development process and contentEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion These findings highlight the importance of national leadership in the development of new mental health policy, communication between national and provincial levels, the need for provincial structures to take responsibility for implementation, and capacity building to enable policy makers and planners to develop, monitor and implement policy. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - August 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Draper, C. E, Lund, C., Kleintjes, S., Funk, M., Omar, M., Flisher, A. J, the MHaPP Research Programme Consortium Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Augmenting frameworks for appraising the practices of community-based health interventionsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This paper aims at augmenting the frameworks proposed by Rifkin in 1996 to distinguish between target-oriented and empowerment approaches to participation in community-based health interventions. In her paper, Rifkin defined three criteria: who makes decisions on resource allocation, expected outcome and outcome assessment. We propose five additional criteria: the definition of community, the characteristics of the capacity-building process, the leadership characteristics, the documentation process, and ethical issues regarding participation. Derived from our analysis of a community-based project, the proposed criteria are...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - August 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Perez, D., Lefevre, P., Romero, M. I., Sanchez, L., De Vos, P., Van der Stuyft, P. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Determinants of health care demand in poor, rural China: the case of Gansu ProvinceEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This paper examines the determinants that influence health care demand decisions in rural areas of Gansu province, China. This represents the first effort to identify and quantify the effect of price of care on choice of provider in China, and is the first quantitative examination of this topic focusing on poor rural areas in China. In the three-tier health care system in rural China, we further distinguish the public village clinics and private village clinics using a mixed multinomial logit model. The results show that price and distance play significant roles in choice of health care provider. The price elasticity of de...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - August 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Qian, D., Pong, R. W, Yin, A., Nagarajan, K V, Meng, Q. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

The High Level Taskforce on Innovative International Financing for Health SystemsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - August 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: McCoy, D. Tags: Editorial Source Type: journals

Health services utilization during terminal illness in Addis Ababa, EthiopiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions The contact rate of adults with modern medical facilities in terminal illness is almost universal, but their usage intensity is rather low. Alternative curative options are less commonly used, and do not exclude modern health services use. This suggests that both types of services are considered complements rather than alternatives for each other. Because the contact rate with health service providers is greatest for TB/AIDS patients, it is unlikely that HIV/AIDS-related stigma is an impediment to seeking care. We cannot exclude, however, that it delays health-seeking behaviour. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - June 18, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Reniers, G., Tesfai, R. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

An experiment with community health funds in AfghanistanEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
As Afghanistan rebuilds its health system, it faces key challenges in financing health services. To reduce dependence on donor funds, it is important to develop sustainable local financing mechanisms. A second challenge is to reduce high levels of out-of-pocket payments. Community-based health insurance (CBHI) schemes offer the possibility of raising revenues from communities and at the same time providing financial protection. This paper describes the performance of one type of CBHI scheme, the Community Health Fund (CHF), which was piloted for the first time in five provinces of Afghanistan between June 2005 and October ...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - June 18, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Rao, K. D, Waters, H., Steinhardt, L., Alam, S., Hansen, P., Naeem, A. J. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Out-of-pocket costs for facility-based maternity care in three African countriesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Objective To estimate out-of-pocket medical expenses to women and families for maternity care at all levels of the health system in Burkina Faso, Kenya and Tanzania. Methods In a population-based survey in 2003, 6345 women who had given birth in the previous 24 months were interviewed about the costs incurred during childbirth. Three years later, in 2006, an additional 8302 women with recent deliveries were interviewed in the same districts to explore their maternity care-seeking experiences and associated costs. Findings The majority of women interviewed reported paying out-of-pocket costs for facility-based deliveries. O...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - June 18, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Perkins, M., Brazier, E., Themmen, E., Bassane, B., Diallo, D., Mutunga, A., Mwakajonga, T., Ngobola, O. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Bypassing primary care facilities for childbirth: a population-based study in rural TanzaniaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In an effort to reduce maternal mortality, developing countries have been investing in village-level primary care facilities to bring skilled delivery services closer to women. We explored the extent to which women in rural western Tanzania bypass their nearest primary care facilities to deliver at more distant health facilities, using a population-representative survey of households (N = 1204). Using a standardized instrument, we asked women who had a delivery within 5 years about the place of their most recent delivery. Information on all functioning health facilities in the area were obtained from the district health of...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - June 18, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Kruk, M. E, Mbaruku, G., McCord, C. W, Moran, M., Rockers, P. C, Galea, S. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Did professional attendance at home births improve early neonatal survival in Indonesia?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions Decreasing newborn death rates in Indonesia are encouraging, but it is not clear that these decreases are associated with greater uptake of professional delivery care at home or in health facilities. This may suggest a need for improved training in immediate newborn care, strengthened emergency referral, and continued support for family planning policies. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - June 18, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Hatt, L., Stanton, C., Ronsmans, C., Makowiecka, K., Adisasmita, A. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Achieving measles control: lessons from the 2002-06 measles control strategy for UgandaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion The integrated routine and campaign approach to providing a second opportunity for measles vaccination is effective in interrupting indigenous measles transmission and can be used to deliver other child survival interventions. Measles control can be sustained and the inter-epidemic interval lengthened by offering an early second opportunity for measles vaccination through other health delivery strategies. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - June 18, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Mbabazi, W. B, Nanyunja, M., Makumbi, I., Braka, F., Baliraine, F. N, Kisakye, A., Bwogi, J., Mugyenyi, P., Kabwongera, E., Lewis, R. F Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Pandemic influenza preparedness in Latin America: analysis of national strategic plansEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The threat of a human pandemic of influenza has prompted the development of national influenza pandemic preparedness plans over the last 4 years. Analyses have been carried out to assess preparedness in Europe, Asia and Africa. We assessed plans to evaluate the national strategic pandemic influenza preparedness in the countries of Latin America. Published national pandemic influenza preparedness plans from Latin American countries were evaluated against criteria drawn from the World Health Organization checklist. Plans were eligible for inclusion if formally published before 16 November 2007. Fifteen national plans were id...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - June 18, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Mensua, A., Mounier-Jack, S., Coker, R. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

The effects of global health initiatives on country health systems: a review of the evidence from HIV/AIDS controlEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This paper reviews country-level evidence about the impact of global health initiatives (GHIs), which have had profound effects on recipient country health systems in middle and low income countries. We have selected three initiatives that account for an estimated two-thirds of external funding earmarked for HIV/AIDS control in resource-poor countries: the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, the World Bank Multi-country AIDS Program (MAP) and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This paper draws on 31 original country-specific and cross-country articles and reports, based on country-level fiel...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - June 18, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Biesma, R. G, Brugha, R., Harmer, A., Walsh, A., Spicer, N., Walt, G. Tags: Review Source Type: journals

The effect of wealth status on care seeking and health expenditures in AfghanistanEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - April 20, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Steinhardt, L. C, Waters, H., Rao, K. D., Naeem, A. J., Hansen, P., Peters, D. H Tags: Erratum Source Type: journals

Trends and geographical inequalities of the main health indicators for rural IranEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion Our findings indicate a remarkable improvement in most of the health indicators in rural areas. On the other hand, there is still considerable inequality among the rural population at a provincial level. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - April 20, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Movahedi, M., Hajarizadeh, B., Rahimi, A., Arshinchi, M., Amirhosseini, K., Haghdoost, A. A. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

PRISM framework: a paradigm shift for designing, strengthening and evaluating routine health information systemsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The utility and effectiveness of routine health information systems (RHIS) in improving health system performance in developing countries has been questioned. This paper argues that the health system needs internal mechanisms to develop performance targets, track progress, and create and manage knowledge for continuous improvement. Based on documented RHIS weaknesses, we have developed the Performance of Routine Information System Management (PRISM) framework, an innovative approach to design, strengthen and evaluate RHIS. The PRISM framework offers a paradigm shift by putting emphasis on RHIS performance and incorporating...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - April 20, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Aqil, A., Lippeveld, T., Hozumi, D. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Equity in community health insurance schemes: evidence and lessons from ArmeniaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This paper demonstrates that the distribution of benefits among members of this community-financing scheme is equitable, and that such a degree of equity in community insurance can be achieved in such settings, possibly through an emphasis on accountability and local management. Such a scheme presents a workable model for investing in primary health care in resource-poor settings. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - April 20, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Polonsky, J., Balabanova, D., McPake, B., Poletti, T., Vyas, S., Ghazaryan, O., Yanni, M. K. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Strategies for gender-equitable HIV services in rural IndiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The emergence of HIV in rural India has the potential to heighten gender inequity in a context where women already suffer significant health disparities. Recent Indian health policies provide new opportunities to identify and implement gender-equitable rural HIV services. In this review, we adapt Mosley and Chen's conceptual framework of health to outline determinants for HIV health services utilization and outcomes. Examining the framework through a gender lens, we conduct a comprehensive literature review for gender-related gaps in HIV clinical services in rural India, focusing on patient access and outcomes, provider pr...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - April 20, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Sinha, G., Peters, D. H, Bollinger, R. C Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Determinants of non-adherence to subsidized anti-retroviral treatment in southeast NigeriaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study examined the factors responsible for non-adherence to free/subsidized ARV treatment in south-east Nigeria. The study was cross-sectional and descriptive. Information was collected from 174 patients selected by simple random sampling from the register of all patients who had been on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for at least 12 months at the beginning of the study period. Patients were identified during their clinic visits. Information on their socio-demographic profile, ARV treatment and determinants of non-adherence to ARV treatment was obtained from those who gave consent, using pre-tested interviewer-adminis...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - April 20, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Uzochukwu, B S C, Onwujekwe, O E, Onoka, A C, Okoli, C, Uguru, N P, Chukwuogo, O I Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Prenatal care effectiveness and utilization in BrazilEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study assessed the effects of various measures of prenatal care use on birth weight (BW) and gestational age outcomes using samples of infants born without and with common birth defects from Brazil, and evaluated the demand for prenatal care. Prenatal visits improved BW in the group without birth defects through increasing both fetal growth rate and gestational age, but prenatal care visits had an insignificant effect on BW in the group with birth defects when adjusting for gestational age. Prenatal care delay had no effects on BW in both infant groups but increased preterm birth risk in the group without birth defect...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - April 20, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Wehby, G. L, Murray, J. C, Castilla, E. E, Lopez-Camelo, J. S, Ohsfeldt, R. L Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

A novel method for measuring health care system performance: experience from QIDS in the PhilippinesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion Q* appears to be an achievable assessment tool that is a comprehensive and responsive measure of system level quality at a limited cost in resource-poor settings. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - April 20, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Solon, O., Woo, K., Quimbo, S. A, Shimkhada, R., Florentino, J., Peabody, J. W Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Performance-based payment: some reflections on the discourse, evidence and unanswered questionsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study conducted a systematic review of the current literature on this topic and found that while it is a popular term, there was little consensus about the meaning or the use of the concept of PBP. Significant weaknesses in the current evidence base on the success of PBP initiatives were also found. The literature would be strengthened by multi-disciplinary case studies that present both the advantages and disadvantages of PBP, influential factors for success, and more details about the projects from which this evidence is drawn. Where possible, data from control facilities where PBP is not being implemented would be ...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - April 20, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Eldridge, C., Palmer, N. Tags: Review Source Type: journals

EditorialEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
(Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - April 20, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Bennett, S., Coker, R. Tags: Editorial Source Type: journals

How to do (or not to do) ... Designing a discrete choice experiment for application in a low-income countryEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Understanding the preferences of patients and health professionals is useful for health policy and planning. Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are a quantitative technique for eliciting preferences that can be used in the absence of revealed preference data. The method involves asking individuals to state their preference over hypothetical alternative scenarios, goods or services. Each alternative is described by several attributes and the responses are used to determine whether preferences are significantly influenced by the attributes and also their relative importance. DCEs are widely used in high-income contexts and a...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - February 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Mangham, L. J, Hanson, K., McPake, B. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Planning for district mental health services in South Africa: a situational analysis of a rural district siteEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study sought to assess progress in South Africa with respect to deinstitutionalization and the integration of mental health into primary health care, with a view to understanding the resource implications of these processes at district level. A situational analysis in one district site, typical of rural areas in South Africa, was conducted, based on qualitative interviews with key stakeholders and the World Health Organization's Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO-AIMS). The findings suggest that the decentralization process remains largely limited to emergency management of psychiatric patients and o...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - February 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Petersen, I., Bhana, A., Campbell-Hall, V., Mjadu, S., Lund, C., Kleintjies, S., Hosegood, V., Flisher, A. J, the Mental Health and Poverty Research Programme Consortium Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Paying for hospital-based care of Kala-azar in Nepal: assessing catastrophic, impoverishment and economic consequencesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Households obtaining health care services in developing countries incur substantial costs, despite services generally being provided free of charge by public health institutions. This constitutes an economic burden on low-income households, and contributes to deepening their level of poverty. In addition to the economic burden of obtaining health care, the method of financing these payments has implications for the distribution of household assets. This effect on resource-poor households is amplified since they have decreased access to health insurance. Recent literature, however, ignores the importance of the method of fi...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - February 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Adhikari, S. R, Maskay, N. M, Sharma, B. P Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Reducing out-of-pocket expenditures to reduce poverty: a disaggregated analysis at rural-urban and state level in IndiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure on health care has significant implications for poverty in many developing countries. This paper aims to assess the differential impact of OOP expenditure and its components, such as expenditure on inpatient care, outpatient care and on drugs, across different income quintiles, between developed and less developed regions in India. It also attempts to measure poverty at disaggregated rural-urban and state levels. Based on Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) data from the National Sample Survey (NSS), conducted in 1999–2000, the share of households’ expenditure on health services an...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - February 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Garg, C. C, Karan, A. K Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

The public sector's role in infertility management in IndiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This objective of this paper is to explore the public sector's role in infertility management in India. It focuses on services available in the public sector, problems faced by and critiques of public sector providers. A postal survey was conducted with a sample of 6000 gynaecologists and in-depth interviews were conducted with 39 gynaecologists in four cities. The role of the public sector in infertility management is weak as even basic investigations and services were limited or incomplete. Inadequate infrastructure, inappropriate management including time management, lack of information and training, absence of clear pr...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - February 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Widge, A., Cleland, J. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Impact of a community-based integrated management of childhood illnesses (IMCI) programme in Gegharkunik, ArmeniaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions This evaluation documented the significant and substantial impact of the community IMCI programme on both knowledge and practice in rural areas of Armenia. Consideration should be given to continuing and expanding this project as a complement to health sector development activities in this region. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - February 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Thompson, M. E, Harutyunyan, T. L Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

The effect of interrupted 5-day training on Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness on the knowledge and skills of primary health care workersEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The conventional 8-day Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness (IMNCI) training package poses several operational constraints, particularly due to its long duration. A 5-day training package was developed and administered in an interrupted mode of 3 days and 2 days duration with a break of 4 days in-between, in a district of Haryana state in northern India. Improvement in the knowledge and skills of 50 primary health care workers following the interrupted 5-day training was compared with that of 35 primary health care workers after the conventional 8-day IMNCI training package. The average score increased s...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - February 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Kumar, D., Aggarwal, A. K, Kumar, R. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Estimating inequalities in ownership of insecticide treated nets: does the choice of socio-economic status measure matter?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Research on the impact of socio-economic status (SES) on access to health care services and on health status is important for allocating resources and designing pro-poor policies. Socio-economic differences are increasingly assessed using asset indices as proxy measures for SES. For example, several studies use asset indices to estimate inequities in ownership and use of insecticide treated nets as a way of monitoring progress towards meeting the Abuja targets. The validity of different SES measures has only been tested in a limited number of settings, however, and there is little information on how choice of welfare measu...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - February 13, 2009 Category: Health Management Authors: Chuma, J., Molyneux, C. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Health care financing and health outcomes in Pacific Island countriesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This paper provides empirical evidence on the relationship between per capita public health expenditure and three measures of health outcomes (infant and under-five mortality rates and crude death rates) using cross-country data from seven Pacific Island countries for selected years between 1990 and 2002. The results of the fixed-effects estimation procedure, correcting for AR(1) errors, provide strong evidence that per capita health expenditure is an important factor in determining health outcomes. The elasticity of the infant mortality rate with respect to per capita health expenditure is –0.66. Based on this elast...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - December 24, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Gani, A. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Thirty years of national health insurance in South Korea: lessons for achieving universal health care coverageEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
South Korea introduced mandatory social health insurance for industrial workers in large corporations in 1977, and extended it incrementally to the self-employed until it covered the entire population in 1989. Thirty years of national health insurance in Korea can provide valuable lessons on key issues in health care financing policy which now face many low- and middle-income countries aiming to achieve universal health care coverage, such as: tax versus social health insurance; population and benefit coverage; single scheme versus multiple schemes; purchasing and provider payment method; and the role of politics and polit...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - December 24, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Kwon, S. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Reforming tuberculosis control in Ukraine: results of pilot projects and implications for the national scale-up of DOTSEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The period of economic transition has had severe consequences for health and health systems in Ukraine. The tuberculosis (TB) situation illustrates this. The strategy recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for TB, directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS), has the potential to provide real improvements in TB services, forming the basis of the response to the growing epidemic. In 2002, Ukraine, financially supported by USAID and the European Community (EC), began to introduce DOTS through pilot projects in Mariupol and Kyiv City. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility, effectiveness, health ser...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - December 24, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Vassall, A, Chechulin, Y, Raykhert, I, Osalenko, N, Svetlichnaya, S, Kovalyova, A, van der Werf, M., Turchenko, L., Hasker, E, Miskinis, K, Veen, J, Zaleskis, R Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

Navigating the health system: diabetes care in GeorgiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions Improving diabetes outcomes will involve simplifying pathways to care and drugs, reassessing staff roles and insulin distribution systems. This would require better co-ordination of the inputs into the system and development of an integrated and patient-centred model. (Source: Health Policy and Planning)
Source: Health Policy and Planning - December 24, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Balabanova, D., McKee, M., Koroleva, N., Chikovani, I., Goguadze, K., Kobaladze, T., Adeyi, O., Robles, S. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals

The persistence and challenges of homebirths: perspectives of traditional birth attendants in urban KenyaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Through an analysis of focus group discussion data, we examine Kenyan traditional birth attendants’ (TBAs) accounts of the persistence of homebirths and the key challenges they present. TBAs associated the continued demand for homebirths with the wide-ranging character and quality of their services. They did not consider their lack of formal training on matters of pregnancy and birthing to be a particular challenge to their work. Rather, they identified the non-cooperative and disrespectful attitudes of their counterparts in hospital settings as the most important issue. Further efforts are needed to make TBAs realiz...
Source: Health Policy and Planning - December 24, 2008 Category: Health Management Authors: Izugbara, C., Ezeh, A., Fotso, J.-C. Tags: Original articles Source Type: journals