How do we design and evaluate health system strengthening? Collaborative development of a set of health system process goals

Conditions for health system resilience in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mauritania

INTRODUCTION

A country's ability to manage a crisis depends on its level of resilience. Efforts are made to clarify the concept of health system resilience, but its operationalisation remains little studied. In the present research, we described the capacity of the local healthcare system in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, in West Africa, to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We used a single case study with two health districts as units of analysis. A context analysis, a literature review and 33 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were analysed using a resilience conceptual framework.

RESULTS

The analysis indicates a certain capacity to manage the crisis, but significant gaps and challenges remain. The management of many uncertainties is largely dependent on the quality of the alignment of decision-makers at district level with the national level. Local management of COVID-19 in the context of Mauritania's fragile healthcare system has been skewed to awareness-raising and a surveillance system. Three other elements appear to be particularly important in building a resilient healthcare system: leadership capacity, community dynamics and the existence of a learning culture.

CONCLUSION

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a great deal of pressure on healthcare systems. Our study has shown the relevance of an in-depth contextual analysis to better identify the enabling environment and the capacities required to develop a certain level of resilience. The translation into practice of the skills required to build a resilient healthcare system remains to be further developed.

Provision of mental health and psychosocial support services to health workers and community members in conflict-affected Northwest Syria: a mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND

Northwest Syria (NWS) is a conflict area with challenging political, economic, demographic and social dynamics. The region has a high number of internally displaced persons with increasingly disrupted delivery of basic services, including healthcare. Mental health needs have been increasing in the region while the infrastructure and capacity of the health sector has been negatively affected by the conflict. This study aimed to explore the provision of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services to communities in NWS (including healthcare workers) and to assess the experiences of beneficiaries with MHPSS services.

METHODS

The study followed a mixed-methods research design that included qualitative and participatory methods (44 semi-structured interviews and a group model building workshop with 15 participants) as well as a survey with 462 beneficiaries.

RESULTS

Findings suggested an improvement of MHPSS services in the region over the last few years due to the creation of a specific Technical Working Group for MHPSS that contributed to assessment of community needs and support of the MHPSS response. The key elements of this response were: (1) training non-specialized health workers to address the shortage in specialized providers; (2) securing funding and coordination of services between different organizations; and (3) addressing gaps in the availability and geographical distribution of other needed resources, such as medicines. While those elements contributed to improving access to services and the quality of services-especially among health workers seeking MHPSS services-findings suggested gaps in the sustainability of services and a need to scale up those interventions in an integrated approach.

CONCLUSION

The study findings add to the evidence base on the challenges in scaling up MHPSS interventions and their long-term sustainability concerns. Priority actions should address the intermittent funding of the MHPSS response, incorporate MHPSS outputs and outcomes in the reimbursement of routine services, improve coordination between health partners and non-health actors in order to expand the scope of MHPSS response, and address the inequitable availability of resources in the region.

Measuring National Immunization System Performance: A Systematic Assessment of Available Resources

BACKGROUND

Vaccination coverage is widely used to assess immunization performance but, on its own, provides insufficient information to drive improvements. Assessing the performance of underlying components of immunization systems is less clear, with several monitoring and evaluation (M&E) resources available for use in different operational settings and for different purposes. We studied these resources to understand how immunization system performance is measured.

METHODS

We reviewed peer-reviewed and gray literature published since 2000 to identify M&E resources that include national-level indicators measuring the performance of immunization systems or their components (governance, financing, regulation, information systems, vaccine logistics, workforce, service delivery, and demand generation). We summarize indicators by the system components or outcomes measured and describe findings narratively.

RESULTS

We identified 20 resources to monitor immunization program objectives and guide national strategic decision-making, encompassing 631 distinct indicators. Indicators for immunization program outcomes comprised the majority (124/631 [19.7%]), largely vaccination coverage (110/124 [88.7%]). Almost all resources (19/20 [95%]) included indicators for vaccine logistics (83/631 [13.2%]), and those for regulation (19/631 [3.0%]) and demand generation (28/631 [4.4%]) were least common. There was heterogeneity in how information systems (92/563 [14.6%]) and workforce (47/631 [7.4%]) were assessed across resources. Indicators for vaccination coverage in adults, data use in decision-making, equity and diversity, effectiveness of safety surveillance, and availability of a public health workforce were notably lacking.

CONCLUSIONS

Between the resources identified in this review, we identified considerable variability and gaps in indicators assessing the performance of some immunization system components. Given the multitude of indicators, policymakers may be better served by tailoring evaluation resources to their specific context to gain useful insight into health system performance and improve data use in decision-making for immunization programs.