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Vanhamel J, Reyniers T, Vuylsteke B, Callens S, Nöstlinger C, Huis in ’t Veld D, Kenyon C, Van Praet J, Libois A, Vincent A, Demeester R, Henrard S, Messiaen P, Allard SD, Rotsaert A, Kielmann K. Understanding adaptive responses in PrEP service delivery in Belgian HIV clinics: a multiple case study using an implementation science framework. J Int AIDS Soc 2024; 27 Suppl 1:e26260. [PMID: 38965986 PMCID: PMC11224588 DOI: 10.1002/jia2.26260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In Belgium, oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is primarily provided in specialized clinical settings. Optimal implementation of PrEP services can help to substantially reduce HIV transmission. However, insights into implementation processes, and their complex interactions with local context, are limited. This study examined factors that influence providers' adaptive responses in the implementation of PrEP services in Belgian HIV clinics. METHODS We conducted a qualitative multiple case study on PrEP care implementation in eight HIV clinics. Thirty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted between January 2021 and May 2022 with a purposive sample of PrEP care providers (e.g. physicians, nurses, psychologists), supplemented by 50 hours of observations of healthcare settings and clinical interactions. Field notes from observations and verbatim interview transcripts were thematically analysed guided by a refined iteration of extended Normalisation Process Theory. RESULTS Implementing PrEP care in a centralized service delivery system required considerable adaptive capacity of providers to balance the increasing workload with an adequate response to PrEP users' individual care needs. As a result, clinic structures were re-organized to allow for more efficient PrEP care processes, compatible with other clinic-level priorities. Providers adapted clinical and policy norms on PrEP care (e.g. related to PrEP prescribing practices and which providers can deliver PrEP services), to flexibly tailor care to individual clients' situations. Interprofessional relationships were reconfigured in line with organizational and clinical adaptations; these included task-shifting from physicians to nurses, leading them to become increasingly trained and specialized in PrEP care. As nurse involvement grew, they adopted a crucial role in responding to PrEP users' non-medical needs (e.g. providing psychosocial support). Moreover, clinicians' growing collaboration with sexologists and psychologists, and interactions with PrEP users' family physician, became crucial in addressing complex psychosocial needs of PrEP clients, while also alleviating the burden of care on busy HIV clinics. CONCLUSIONS Our study in Belgian HIV clinics reveals that the implementation of PrEP care presents a complex-multifaceted-undertaking that requires substantial adaptive work to ensure seamless integration within existing health services. To optimize integration in different settings, policies and guidelines governing PrEP care implementation should allow for sufficient flexibility and tailoring according to respective local health systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jef Vanhamel
- Department of Public HealthInstitute of Tropical MedicineAntwerpBelgium
| | - Thijs Reyniers
- Department of Public HealthInstitute of Tropical MedicineAntwerpBelgium
| | - Bea Vuylsteke
- Department of Public HealthInstitute of Tropical MedicineAntwerpBelgium
| | - Steven Callens
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Infectious DiseasesGhent University HospitalGhentBelgium
| | | | - Diana Huis in ’t Veld
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Infectious DiseasesGhent University HospitalGhentBelgium
| | - Chris Kenyon
- Department of Clinical SciencesInstitute of Tropical MedicineAntwerpBelgium
| | - Jens Van Praet
- Department of Nephrology and Infectious DiseasesAZ Sint‐Jan Brugge‐Oostende AVBruggeBelgium
| | - Agnes Libois
- Department of Infectious DiseasesSaint Pierre University HospitalUniversité Libre de BruxellesBrusselsBelgium
| | - Anne Vincent
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious DiseasesCliniques Universitaires Saint‐LucBrusselsBelgium
| | - Rémy Demeester
- HIV Reference CentreUniversity Hospital of CharleroiCharleroiBelgium
| | - Sophie Henrard
- HIV Reference Centre and Internal MedicineErasme HospitalUniversité Libre de BruxellesBrusselsBelgium
| | - Peter Messiaen
- Department of Infectious Diseases and ImmunityJessa HospitalHasseltBelgium
- Faculty of Medicine and Life SciencesLCRCHasselt UniversityHasseltBelgium
| | - Sabine D. Allard
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious DiseasesUniversitair Ziekenhuis BrusselVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
| | - Anke Rotsaert
- Department of Public HealthInstitute of Tropical MedicineAntwerpBelgium
| | - Karina Kielmann
- Department of Public HealthInstitute of Tropical MedicineAntwerpBelgium
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Sammut D, Lees-Deutsch L, Ali L, Imasogie J, Nkundo L, Hallett N. Exploring staff experiences and perceptions of patient-perpetrated violence in hospital settings: A qualitative study. J Clin Nurs 2024. [PMID: 38764225 DOI: 10.1111/jocn.17218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
AIMS To explore hospital staff experiences and perceptions of patient-perpetrated violence. DESIGN Descriptive qualitative study. METHODS Twelve semi-structured interviews (June-August 2022) were held with a diverse sample of hospital nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, security and a non-clinical manager. The framework approach was used to organise and analyse data, using Attribution Theory as a theoretical lens. RESULTS Three themes were identified: violence as (un)predictable, violence as (un)preventable and the cumulative toll of violence. In making sense of why patients become violent, participants described different 'types' of aggressive patients and variably attributed behaviours to situation, disposition or a combination of both. Regardless of perceived causal factors, staff overwhelmingly appeared to view violence as predictable. Participants also reflected on the wider structural problems underpinning violence, frequently alluding to their sense of relative powerlessness to initiate change. The cumulative toll of violence was a common thread, with staff describing their acquisition of 'resilience' and reflecting on its role in their responses to escalating situations. CONCLUSIONS Many hospital staff are resigned to the inevitability of violence. The concept of staff 'resilience' following violence is not unproblematic, having the potential to serve as a guise for acceptance and as an additional variable for which staff are held accountable. When designing strategies, organisations should ensure that accountability for violence reduction is distributed across multiple levels. This study makes a novel contribution by exploring the perspectives of multiple staff groups working across diverse hospital settings, and adds to a sparse literature on this subject in the UK. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION Efforts to address violence against healthcare staff need to be power-conscious, ensuring that accountability is distributed across multiple levels. REPORTING METHOD This study is reported in line with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ). PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION No patient or public contribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Sammut
- Centre for Healthcare and Communities, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Liz Lees-Deutsch
- Centre for Healthcare and Communities, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
- Centre for Care Excellence, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry, UK
| | - Luul Ali
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jennifer Imasogie
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Lavinia Nkundo
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Nutmeg Hallett
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Fulop NJ, Walton H, Crellin N, Georghiou T, Herlitz L, Litchfield I, Massou E, Sherlaw-Johnson C, Sidhu M, Tomini SM, Vindrola-Padros C, Ellins J, Morris S, Ng PL. A rapid mixed-methods evaluation of remote home monitoring models during the COVID-19 pandemic in England. HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE DELIVERY RESEARCH 2023; 11:1-151. [PMID: 37800997 DOI: 10.3310/fvqw4410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Background Remote home monitoring services were developed and implemented for patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic. Patients monitored blood oxygen saturation and other readings (e.g. temperature) at home and were escalated as necessary. Objective To evaluate effectiveness, costs, implementation, and staff and patient experiences (including disparities and mode) of COVID-19 remote home monitoring services in England during the COVID-19 pandemic (waves 1 and 2). Methods A rapid mixed-methods evaluation, conducted in two phases. Phase 1 (July-August 2020) comprised a rapid systematic review, implementation and economic analysis study (in eight sites). Phase 2 (January-June 2021) comprised a large-scale, multisite, mixed-methods study of effectiveness, costs, implementation and patient/staff experience, using national data sets, surveys (28 sites) and interviews (17 sites). Results Phase 1 Findings from the review and empirical study indicated that these services have been implemented worldwide and vary substantially. Empirical findings highlighted that communication, appropriate information and multiple modes of monitoring facilitated implementation; barriers included unclear referral processes, workforce availability and lack of administrative support. Phase 2 We received surveys from 292 staff (39% response rate) and 1069 patients/carers (18% response rate). We conducted interviews with 58 staff, 62 patients/carers and 5 national leads. Despite national roll-out, enrolment to services was lower than expected (average enrolment across 37 clinical commissioning groups judged to have completed data was 8.7%). There was large variability in implementation of services, influenced by patient (e.g. local population needs), workforce (e.g. workload), organisational (e.g. collaboration) and resource (e.g. software) factors. We found that for every 10% increase in enrolment to the programme, mortality was reduced by 2% (95% confidence interval: 4% reduction to 1% increase), admissions increased by 3% (-1% to 7%), in-hospital mortality fell by 3% (-8% to 3%) and lengths of stay increased by 1.8% (-1.2% to 4.9%). None of these results are statistically significant. We found slightly longer hospital lengths of stay associated with virtual ward services (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 1.09), and no statistically significant impact on subsequent COVID-19 readmissions (adjusted odds ratio 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.89 to 1.02). Low patient enrolment rates and incomplete data may have affected chances of detecting possible impact. The mean running cost per patient varied for different types of service and mode; and was driven by the number and grade of staff. Staff, patients and carers generally reported positive experiences of services. Services were easy to deliver but staff needed additional training. Staff knowledge/confidence, NHS resources/workload, dynamics between multidisciplinary team members and patients' engagement with the service (e.g. using the oximeter to record and submit readings) influenced delivery. Patients and carers felt services and human contact received reassured them and were easy to engage with. Engagement was conditional on patient, support, resource and service factors. Many sites designed services to suit the needs of their local population. Despite adaptations, disparities were reported across some patient groups. For example, older adults and patients from ethnic minorities reported more difficulties engaging with the service. Tech-enabled models helped to manage large patient groups but did not completely replace phone calls. Limitations Limitations included data completeness, inability to link data on service use to outcomes at a patient level, low survey response rates and under-representation of some patient groups. Future work Further research should consider the long-term impact and cost-effectiveness of these services and the appropriateness of different models for different groups of patients. Conclusions We were not able to find quantitative evidence that COVID-19 remote home monitoring services have been effective. However, low enrolment rates, incomplete data and varied implementation reduced our chances of detecting any impact that may have existed. While services were viewed positively by staff and patients, barriers to implementation, delivery and engagement should be considered. Study registration This study is registered with the ISRCTN (14962466). Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (RSET: 16/138/17; BRACE: 16/138/31) and NHSEI and will be published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 11, No. 13. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Institute for Health and Care Research or the Department of Health and Social Care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi J Fulop
- Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, UK
| | - Holly Walton
- Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, UK
| | | | | | - Lauren Herlitz
- Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, UK
| | - Ian Litchfield
- Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Efthalia Massou
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Manbinder Sidhu
- Health Services Management Centre, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Sonila M Tomini
- Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, UK
| | | | - Jo Ellins
- Health Services Management Centre, School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephen Morris
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Pei Li Ng
- Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, UK
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Srivastava S, Bertone MP, Basu S, De Allegri M, Brenner S. Implementation of PM-JAY in India: a qualitative study exploring the role of competency, organizational and leadership drivers shaping early roll-out of publicly funded health insurance in three Indian states. Health Res Policy Syst 2023; 21:65. [PMID: 37370159 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-023-01012-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), a publicly funded health insurance scheme, was launched in India in September 2018 to provide financial access to health services for poor Indians. PM-JAY design enables state-level program adaptations to facilitate implementation in a decentralized health implementation space. This study examines the competency, organizational, and leadership approaches affecting PM-JAY implementation in three contextually different Indian states. METHODS We used a framework on implementation drivers (competency, organizational, and leadership) to understand factors facilitating or hampering implementation experiences in three PM-JAY models: third-party administrator in Uttar Pradesh, insurance in Chhattisgarh, and hybrid in Tamil Nadu. We adopted a qualitative exploratory approach and conducted 92 interviews with national, state, district, and hospital stakeholders involved in program design and implementation in Delhi, three state capitals, and two anonymized districts in each state, between February and April 2019. We used a deductive approach to content analysis and interpreted coded material to identify linkages between organizational features, drivers, and contextual elements affecting implementation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION PM-JAY guideline flexibilities enabled implementation in very different states through state-adapted implementation models. These models utilized contextually relevant adaptations for staff and facility competencies and organizational and facilitative administration, which had considerable scope for improvement in terms of recruitment, competency development, programmatic implementation support, and rationalizing the joint needs of the program and implementers. Adaptations also created structural barriers in staff interactions and challenged implicit power asymmetries and organizational culture, indicating a need for aligning staff hierarchies and incentive structures. At the same time, specific adaptations such as decentralizing staff selection and task shifting (all models); sharing of claims processing between the insurer and state agency (insurance and hybrid model); and using stringent empanelment, accreditation, monitoring, and benchmarking criteria for performance assessment, and reserving secondary care benefit packages for public hospitals (both in the hybrid model) contributed to successful implementation. Contextual elements such as institutional memory of previous schemes and underlying state capacities influenced all aspects of implementation, including leadership styles and autonomy. These variations make comparisons across models difficult, yet highlight constraints and opportunities for cross-learning and optimizing implementation to achieve universal health coverage in decentralized contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati Srivastava
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Maria Paola Bertone
- Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, EH21 6UU, United Kingdom
| | - Sharmishtha Basu
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, B - 5/1 & 5/2 Ground Floor, Safdurjung Enclave, 110029, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Manuela De Allegri
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stephan Brenner
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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Ratliff GA, Harvey TL, Jeffcoat N, Sarabia R, Yang JO, Lightfoot M, Adams S, Lund I, Auerswald CL. The deployment of discretionary power in the prevention and enactment of structural violence against young people experiencing homelessness. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2023; 141:106237. [PMID: 37187143 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Young people experiencing homelessness (YEH) interact with, and are reliant on, multiple social systems in their daily efforts to meet their basic needs. Criminalization of homelessness contributes to victimization, and social service providers can act as gatekeepers for access to services, yet little is known about how criminalization and social service policies impact access to food, housing, and other basic needs resources. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore how YEH access safety and basic needs resources and how they interface with social systems and systems agents while attempting to meet their basic needs. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Forty-five YEH participated in youth-led interviews across San Francisco. METHODS We conducted a qualitative Youth Participatory Action Research study utilizing Participatory Photo Mapping to interview YEH on their experiences of violence, safety, and accessing basic needs. A grounded theory analysis identified patterns of youth victimization and barriers to meeting their basic needs. RESULTS Analysis revealed the role of decision-making power of authority figures (e.g., social service providers, law enforcement officers, other gatekeepers) in enacting or preventing structural violence against YEH. When authority figures utilized their discretionary power to allow access to services, YEH were able to meet their basic needs. Discretionary power enacted to limit movement, prevent access, or cause physical harm limited the ability of YEH to meet their basic needs. CONCLUSIONS The discretionary power of authority figures can contribute to structural violence when their discretion is used to interpret laws and policies in ways that prevent access to limited basic needs resources for YEH.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Allen Ratliff
- School of Social Work, University of Nevada, Reno, United States of America.
| | - Taylor L Harvey
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, United States of America
| | - Nathan Jeffcoat
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, United States of America
| | - Richard Sarabia
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, United States of America
| | - Jessica O Yang
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Sherilyn Adams
- Larkin Street Youth Services, San Francisco, United States of America
| | - Ilsa Lund
- Larkin Street Youth Services, San Francisco, United States of America
| | - Colette L Auerswald
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, United States of America
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Witter S, Sheikh K, Schleiff M. Learning health systems in low-income and middle-income countries: exploring evidence and expert insights. BMJ Glob Health 2022; 7:bmjgh-2021-008115. [PMID: 36130793 PMCID: PMC9490579 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-008115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Learning health systems (LHS) is a multifaceted subject. This paper reviewed current concepts as well as real-world experiences of LHS, drawing on published and unpublished knowledge in order to identify and describe important principles and practices that characterise LHS in low/middle-income country (LMIC) settings. Methods We adopted an exploratory approach to the literature review, recognising there are limited studies that focus specifically on system-wide learning in LMICs, but a vast set of connected bodies of literature. 116 studies were included, drawn from an electronic literature search of published and grey literature. In addition, 17 interviews were conducted with health policy and research experts to gain experiential knowledge. Results The findings were structured by eight domains on learning enablers. All of these interact with one another and influence actors from community to international levels. We found that learning comes from the connection between information, deliberation, and action. Moreover, these processes occur at different levels. It is therefore important to consider experiential knowledge from multiple levels and experiences. Creating spaces and providing resources for communities, staff and managers to deliberate on their challenges and find solutions has political implications, however, and is challenging, particularly when resources are constrained, funding and accountability are fragmented and the focus is short-term and narrow. Nevertheless, we can learn from countries that have managed to develop institutional mechanisms and human capacities which help health systems respond to changing environments with ‘best fit’ solutions. Conclusion Health systems are knowledge producers, but learning is not automatic. It needs to be valued and facilitated. Everyday governance of health systems can create spaces for reflective practice and learning within routine processes at different levels. This article highlights important enablers, but there remains much work to be done on developing this field of knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Witter
- Institute for Global Health and Development & ReBUILD Consortium, Queen Margaret University Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kabir Sheikh
- Alliance For Health Policy and System Research, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Meike Schleiff
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Schuele E, MacDougall C. The missing bit in the middle: Implementation of the Nationals Health Services Standards for Papua New Guinea. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266931. [PMID: 35749442 PMCID: PMC9231790 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective
This case study examined implementation of the National Health Services Standards (NHSSs) as a continuous quality improvement (CQI) process at three church-based health facilities in Papua New Guinea. This process was designed to improve quality of care and accredit the level three health centers to level four as district hospitals to provide a higher level of care. The aims of the paper are to critically examine driving and restraining forces in CQI implementation and analyses how power influences agenda setting for change.
Methods
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine managers and eight health workers as well as three focus group discussions with health workers from three rural church-based health facilities in Morobe and Madang provinces. They included senior, mid-level and frontline managers and medical doctors, health extension officers, nursing officers and community health workers. Thematic analysis was used as an inductive and deductive process in which applied force field analysis, leadership-member exchange (LMX) theory and agenda setting was applied.
Results
Qualitative analysis showed how internal and external factors created urgency for change. The CQI process was designed as a collective process. Power relations operated at and between various levels: the facilities, which supported or undermined the change process; between management whereby the national management supported the quality improvement agenda, but the regional management exercised positional power in form of inaction. Theoretical analysis identified the ‘missing bit in the middle’ shaped by policy actors who exercise power over policy formulation and constrained financial and technical resources. Analysis revealed how to reduce restraining forces and build on driving forces to establish a new equilibrium.
Conclusion
Multiple theories contributed to the analysis showing how to resolve problematic power relations by building high-quality, effective communication of senior leadership with mid-level management and reactivated broad collaborative processes at the health facilities. Addressing the ‘missing bit in the middle’ by agenda setting can improve implementation of the NHSSs as a quality improvement process. The paper concludes with learning for policy makers, managers and health workers by highlighting to pay close attention to institutional power dynamics and practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Schuele
- Department of Public Health Leadership and Training, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Divine Word University, Madang, Papua New Guinea
- * E-mail:
| | - Colin MacDougall
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
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8
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Schneider H, Mukinda F, Tabana H, George A. Expressions of actor power in implementation: a qualitative case study of a health service intervention in South Africa. BMC Health Serv Res 2022; 22:207. [PMID: 35168625 PMCID: PMC8848975 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-022-07589-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Implementation frameworks and theories acknowledge the role of power as a factor in the adoption (or not) of interventions in health services. Despite this recognition, there is a paucity of evidence on how interventions at the front line of health systems confront or shape existing power relations. This paper reports on a study of actor power in the implementation of an intervention to improve maternal, neonatal and child health care quality and outcomes in a rural district of South Africa. Methods A retrospective qualitative case study based on interviews with 34 actors in three ‘implementation units’ – a district hospital and surrounding primary health care services – of the district, selected as purposefully representing full, moderate and low implementation of the intervention, some three years after it was first introduced. Data are analysed using Veneklasen and Miller’s typology of the forms of power – namely ‘power over’, ‘power to’, ‘power within’ and ‘power with’. Results Multiple expressions of actor power were evident during implementation and played a plausible role in shaping variable implementation, while the intervention itself acted to change power relations. As expected, a degree of buy-in of managers (with power over) in implementation units was necessary for the intervention to proceed. Beyond this, the ability to mobilise collective action (power with), combined with support from champions with agency (power within) were key to successful implementation. However, local empowerment may pose a threat to hierarchical power (power over) at higher levels (district and provincial) of the system, potentially affecting sustainability. Conclusions A systematic approach to the analysis of power in implementation research may provide insights into the fate of interventions. Intervention designs need to consider how they shape power relations, especially where interventions seek to widen participation and responsiveness in local health systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Schneider
- School of Public Health/SAMRC Health Services To Systems Research Unit, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Fidele Mukinda
- School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Hanani Tabana
- School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Asha George
- School of Public Health/SAMRC Health Services To Systems Research Unit, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
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Mwamba C, Mukamba N, Sharma A, Lumbo K, Foloko M, Nyirenda H, Simbeza S, Sikombe K, Holmes CB, Sikazwe I, Moore CB, Mody A, Geng E, Beres LK. "Provider discretionary power practices to support implementation of patient-centered HIV care in Lusaka, Zambia". FRONTIERS IN HEALTH SERVICES 2022; 2:918874. [PMID: 36925865 PMCID: PMC10012689 DOI: 10.3389/frhs.2022.918874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Traditional patient-provider relationships privilege the providers, as they possess the formal authority and clinical knowledge applied to address illness, but providers also have discretion over how they exercise their power to influence patients' services, benefits, and sanctions. In this study, we assessed providers' exercise of discretionary power in implementing patient-centered care (PCC) practices in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods HIV clinical encounters between patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and providers across 24 public health facilities in Lusaka Province were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using qualitative content analysis, we identified practices of discretionary power (DP) employed in the implementation of PCC and instances of withholding DP. A codebook of DP practices was inductively and iteratively developed. We compared outcomes across provider cadres and within sites over time. Results We captured 194 patient-provider interactions at 24 study sites involving 11 Medical Officers, 58 Clinical Officers and 10 Nurses between August 2019 to May 2021. Median interaction length was 7.5 min. In a hierarchy where providers dominate patients and interactions are rapid, some providers invited patients to ask questions and responded at length with information that could increase patient understanding and agency. Others used inclusive language, welcomed patients, conducted introductions, and apologized for delayed services, narrowing the hierarchical distance between patient and provider, and facilitating recognition of the patient as a partner in care. Although less common, providers shared their decision-making powers, allowing patients to choose appointment dates and influence regimens. They also facilitated resource access, including access to services and providers outside of scheduled appointment times. Application of DP was not universal and missed opportunities were identified. Conclusion Supporting providers to recognize their power and intentionally share it is both inherent to the practice of PCC (e.g., making a patient a partner), and a way to implement improved patient support. More research is needed to understand the application of DP practices in improving the patient-centeredness of care in non-ART settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanda Mwamba
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Njekwa Mukamba
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Anjali Sharma
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Kasapo Lumbo
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Marksman Foloko
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Herbert Nyirenda
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Sandra Simbeza
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Kombatende Sikombe
- Department of Public Health Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Charles B Holmes
- Department of Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Centre, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Izukanji Sikazwe
- Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | | | - Aaloke Mody
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Elvin Geng
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Laura K Beres
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
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10
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Kayesa NK, Shung-King M. The role of document analysis in health policy analysis studies in low and middle-income countries: Lessons for HPA researchers from a qualitative systematic review. HEALTH POLICY OPEN 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.hpopen.2020.100024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
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11
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Belrhiti Z, Van Belle S, Criel B. How medical dominance and interprofessional conflicts undermine patient-centred care in hospitals: historical analysis and multiple embedded case study in Morocco. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:bmjgh-2021-006140. [PMID: 34261759 PMCID: PMC8280911 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In Morocco’s health systems, reforms were accompanied by increased tensions among doctors, nurses and health managers, poor interprofessional collaboration and counterproductive power struggles. However, little attention has focused on the processes underlying these interprofessional conflicts and their nature. Here, we explored the perspective of health workers and managers in four Moroccan hospitals. Methods We adopted a multiple embedded case study design and conducted 68 interviews, 8 focus group discussions and 11 group discussions with doctors, nurses, administrators and health managers at different organisational levels. We analysed what health workers (doctors and nurses) and health managers said about their sources of power, perceived roles and relationships with other healthcare professions. For our iterative qualitative data analysis, we coded all data sources using NVivo V.11 software and carried out thematic analysis using the concepts of ‘negotiated order’ and the four worldviews. For context, we used historical analysis to trace the development of medical and nursing professions during the colonial and postcolonial eras in Morocco. Results Our findings highlight professional hierarchies that counterbalance the power of formal hierarchies. Interprofessional interactions in Moroccan hospitals are marked by conflicts, power struggles and daily negotiated orders that may not serve the best interests of patients. The results confirm the dominance of medical specialists occupying the top of the professional hierarchy pyramid, as perceived at all levels in the four hospitals. In addition, health managers, lacking institutional backing, resources and decision spaces, often must rely on soft power when dealing with health workers to ensure smooth collaboration in care. Conclusion The stratified order of care professions creates hierarchical professional boundaries in Moroccan hospitals, leading to partitioning of care and poor interprofessional collaboration. More attention should be placed on empowering health workers in delivering quality care by ensuring smooth interprofessional collaboration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara Van Belle
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bart Criel
- Unit of Equity and Health, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
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12
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Tumwine G, Agardh A, Gummesson C, Okong P, Östergren PO. Predictors of health care practitioners' normative attitudes and practices towards sexual and reproductive health and rights: a cross-sectional study of participants from low-income countries enrolled in a capacity-building program. Glob Health Action 2021; 13:1829827. [PMID: 33076795 PMCID: PMC7594875 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2020.1829827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) is a concept of human rights applied to sexuality and reproduction. Suboptimal access to SRHR services in many low-income countries results in poor health outcomes. Sustainable development goals (3.7 and 5.6) give a new impetus to the aspiration of universal access to high-quality SRHR services. Indispensable stakeholders in this process are healthcare practitioners who, through their actions or inactions, determine a population’s health choices. Often times, healthcare practitioners’ SRHR decisions are rooted in religious and cultural influences. We seek to understand whether religious and cultural influences differ significantly according to individuals’ characteristics and work environment. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of healthcare practitioners’ individual characteristics and their work environment in predicting normative SRHR attitudes and behaviours (practices). We hypothesized that religion and culture could be significant predictors of SRHR attitudes and practices. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study of 115 participants from ten low-income countries attending a capacity-building programme at Lund University Sweden was conducted. Linear regression models were used to assess for the predictive values of different individual characteristics and workplace environment factors for normative SRHR attitudes and SRHR practices. Results: Self-rated SRHR knowledge was the strongest predictor for both normative SRHR attitudes and normative SRHR practices. However, when adjusted for other individual characteristics, self-rated knowledge lost its significant association with SRHR practices, instead normative SRHR attitudes and active knowledge-seeking behaviour independently predicted normative SRHR practices. Contrary to our hypothesis, importance of religion or culture in an individual’s life was not correlated with the measured SRHR attitudes and practices. Conclusion: Healthcare practitioners’ cultural and religious beliefs, which are often depicted as barriers for implementing full coverage of SRHR services, seem to be modified by active knowledge-seeking behaviour and accumulated working experience with SRHR over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilbert Tumwine
- Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University , Malmö, Sweden.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Francis Hospital Nsambya , Kampala city, Uganda
| | - Anette Agardh
- Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University , Malmö, Sweden
| | - Christina Gummesson
- Centre for Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University , Lund, Sweden
| | - Pius Okong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Francis Hospital Nsambya , Kampala city, Uganda
| | - Per-Olof Östergren
- Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University , Malmö, Sweden
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13
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Strengthening health policy development and management systems in low- and middle- income countries: South Africa's approach. HEALTH POLICY OPEN 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.hpopen.2020.100010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
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14
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Parashar R, Gawde N, Gupt A, Gilson L. Unpacking the implementation blackbox using 'actor interface analysis': how did actor relations and practices of power influence delivery of a free entitlement health policy in India? Health Policy Plan 2020; 35:ii74-ii83. [PMID: 33156935 PMCID: PMC7646725 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czaa125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Exploring the implementation blackbox from a perspective that considers embedded practices of power is critical to understand the policy process. However, the literature is scarce on this subject. To address the paucity of explicit analyses of everyday politics and power in health policy implementation, this article presents the experience of implementing a flagship health policy in India. Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), launched in the year 2011, has not been able to fully deliver its promises of providing free maternal and child health services in public hospitals. To examine how power practices, influence implementation, we undertook a qualitative analysis of JSSK implementation in one state of India. We drew on an actor-oriented perspective of development and used 'actor interface analysis' to guide the study design and analysis. Data collection included in-depth interviews of implementing actors and JSSK service recipients, document review and observations of actor interactions. A framework analysis method was used for analysing data, and the framework used was founded on the constructs of actor lifeworlds, which help understand the often neglected and lived realities of policy actors. The findings illustrate that implementation was both strengthened and constrained by practices of power at various interface encounters. The implementation decisions and actions were influenced by power struggles such as domination, control, resistance, contestation, facilitation and collaboration. Such practices were rooted in: Social and organizational power relationships like organizational hierarchies and social positions; personal concerns or characteristics like interests, attitudes and previous experiences and the worldviews of actors constructed by social and ideological paradigms like their values and beliefs. Application of 'actor interface analysis' and further nuancing of the concept of 'actor lifeworlds' to understand the origin of practices of power can be useful for understanding the influence of everyday power and politics on the policy process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakesh Parashar
- School of Health Systems Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai , India and Health Systems, Oxford Policy Management Limited, India
| | - Nilesh Gawde
- School of Health Systems Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India
| | - Anadi Gupt
- National Health Mission, Government of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla, India
| | - Lucy Gilson
- Division of Health Policy and Systems, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa and Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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15
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Mayhew SH, Warren CE, Ndwiga C, Narasimhan M, Wilcher R, Mutemwa R, Abuya T, Colombini M. Health systems software factors and their effect on the integration of sexual and reproductive health and HIV services. Lancet HIV 2020; 7:e711-e720. [PMID: 33010243 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3018(20)30201-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite a large and growing body of literature on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV integration, the drivers of integration of SRH and HIV services, from a health systems perspective, are not well understood. These drivers include complex so-called hardware (structural and resource) and software (values and norms, and human relations and interactions) factors. Two groups of software factors emerge as essential enablers of effective integration of SRH and HIV services that often interact with systems hardware: (1) leadership, management, and governance processes and (2) provider motivation, agency, and relationships. Evidence suggests the potential for software elements that are essential enablers to overcome some of the obstacles posed by the non-integration of health system hardware elements (eg, financing, guidelines, and commodity supplies). These enabling factors include flexible decision making, inclusive management, and support in motivating frontline staff who can work with agency as a team. Improved software, even within constrained hardware (especially in low-income and middle-income countries), can directly contribute to improved SRH and HIV service delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susannah H Mayhew
- Department of Global Health and Development, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | | | | | - Manjulaa Narasimhan
- Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Rose Wilcher
- Knowledge Management and Structural Interventions, HIV Unit, FHI 360, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Richard Mutemwa
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Lusaka, Lusaka, Zambia
| | | | - Manuela Colombini
- Department of Global Health and Development, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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16
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Tumwine G, Palmieri J, Larsson M, Gummesson C, Okong P, Östergren PO, Agardh A. 'One-size doesn't fit all': Understanding healthcare practitioners' perceptions, attitudes and behaviours towards sexual and reproductive health and rights in low resource settings: An exploratory qualitative study. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234658. [PMID: 32584840 PMCID: PMC7316327 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although progress has been made to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services globally in the past two decades, in many low-income countries, improvements have been slow. Discrimination against vulnerable groups and failure to address health inequities openly and comprehensively play a role in this stagnation. Healthcare practitioners are important actors who, often alone, decide who accesses services and how. This study explores how health care practitioners perceive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and how background factors influence them during service delivery. Participants were a purposefully selected sample of health practitioners from five low income countries attending a training in at Lund University, Sweden. Semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis were used. Three themes emerged. The first theme, "one-size doesn't fit all' in SRHR" reflects health practitioners' perception of SRHR. Although they perceived rights as fundamental to sexual and reproductive health, exercising of these rights was perceived to be context-specific. The second theme, "aligning a pathway to service delivery", illustrates a reflective balancing act between their personal values and societal norms in service delivery, while the third theme, "health practitioners acting as gatekeepers", describes how this balancing act oscillates between enabling and blocking behaviours. The findings suggest that, even though health care practitioners perceive SRHR as fundamental rights, their preparedness to ensure that these rights were upheld in service delivery is influenced by personal values and society norms. This could lead to actions that enable or block service delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilbert Tumwine
- Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
- St. Francis Hospital Nsambya, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Jack Palmieri
- Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Markus Larsson
- Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Christina Gummesson
- Centre for Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Pius Okong
- Health Service Commission, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Per-Olof Östergren
- Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Anette Agardh
- Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
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17
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Adoyo MA. Landscape analysis of healthcare policy: the instrumental role of governance in HIV/AIDS services integration framework. Pan Afr Med J 2020; 36:27. [PMID: 32774604 PMCID: PMC7388594 DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2020.36.27.22795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Low and middle-income countries HIV/AIDS interventions are yet to achieve the desired levels of health outcome due to lack of effectiveness and efficiency in programming, a challenge associated with resource limitations, fragmented services, complexities in population and disease characteristics including political landscape. The objective of this study was to establish the instrumental role of governance in the implementation of HIV/AIDS services integration policy framework, with focus on organization structure, participation in decision making, collaboration, stakeholder engagement, political commitment as study variables. Methods Using a mixed method design, a total number of 30 health workers, 5 county AIDS services coordinators (CASCOs), 8 sub-CASCOs and 3 representatives of inter coordinating committee were interviewed in compliance with ethical protocols. Multi-stage sampling techniques was used to select counties in Kenya, health institutions and respondents. Quantitative and qualitative data was generated by administering semi structured questionnaire and key informant interview guide. Results Generated from excel sheet and NVivo software indicate that organization structures existed and clarity and ease of work varied across the different levels of care. Collaboration efforts, however varied, created synergy in policy framework implementation and political commitment complemented the various leadership actions for successful implementation of integration policy framework. Conclusion Governance role is indispensable in the implementation of health policy framework. Policy makers need accurate epidemiological and demographic information to implement contextualized policy framework necessary for sustained improvement in health outcomes.
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18
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Accoe K, Marchal B, Gnokane Y, Abdellahi D, Bossyns P, Criel B. Action research and health system strengthening: the case of the health sector support programme in Mauritania, West Africa. Health Res Policy Syst 2020; 18:25. [PMID: 32075648 PMCID: PMC7031916 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-020-0531-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Access to qualitative and equitable healthcare is a major challenge in Mauritania. In order to support the country’s efforts, a health sector strengthening programme was set up with participatory action research at its core. Reinforcing a health system requires a customised and comprehensive approach to face the complexity inherent to health systems. Yet, limited knowledge is available on how policies could enhance the performance of the system and how multi-stakeholder efforts could give rise to changes in health policy. We aimed to analyse the ongoing participatory action research and, more specifically, see in how far action research as an embedded research approach could contribute to strengthening health systems. Methods We adopted a single-case study design, based on two subunits of analysis, i.e., two selected districts. Qualitative data were collected by analysing country and programme documents, conducting 12 semi-structured interviews and performing participatory observations. Interviewees were selected based on their current position and participation in the programme. The data analysis was designed to address the objectives of the study, but evolved according to emerging insights and through triangulation and identification of emergent and/or recurrent themes along the process. Results An evaluation of the progress made in the two districts indicates that continuous capacity-building and empowerment efforts through a participative approach have been key elements to enhance dialogue between, and ownership of, the actors at the local health system level. However, the strong hierarchical structure of the Mauritanian health system and its low level of decentralisation constituted substantial barriers to innovation. Other constraints were sociocultural and organisational in nature. Poor work ethics due to a weak environmental support system played an important role. While aiming for an alignment between the flexible iterative approach of action research and the prevailing national linear planning process is quite challenging, effects on policy formulation and implementation were not observed. An adequate time frame, the engagement of proactive leaders, maintenance of a sustained dialogue and a pragmatic, flexible approach could further facilitate the process of change. Conclusion Our study showcases that the action research approach used in Mauritania can usher local and national actors towards change within the health system strengthening programme when certain conditions are met. An inclusive, participatory approach generates dynamics of engagement that can facilitate ownership and strengthen capacity. Continuous evaluation is needed to measure how these processes can further develop and presume a possible effect at policy level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Accoe
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Bruno Marchal
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Yahya Gnokane
- AI-PASS Programme (Institutional Support for Health Sector Strengthening), Enabel - Belgian Development Agency, Nouakchott, Mauritania
| | - Dieng Abdellahi
- AI-PASS Programme (Institutional Support for Health Sector Strengthening), Enabel - Belgian Development Agency, Nouakchott, Mauritania
| | - Paul Bossyns
- Department of Health, Enabel - Belgian Development Agency, Rue Haute 147, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bart Criel
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
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19
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Place V, Wells MB. Facilitators and barriers when implementing a new clinical visit for fathers at Stockholm County child health centres: A qualitative study of nurse-managers at top-performing centres. Appl Nurs Res 2020; 67:151242. [PMID: 32127239 DOI: 10.1016/j.apnr.2020.151242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Revised: 01/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In 2017, a new clinical visit for non-birthing parents (e.g. fathers) of three-to-five month old infants was implemented in Stockholm County. In 2018, 19 out of 134 child health centres (CHCs) saw 62% of all fathers at the father visit and these CHCs had the highest fidelity scores. The aim of the current study was to assess nurse-managers' perceptions of facilitators and barriers to implementating the father visit. METHODOLOGY Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurse-managers from seven CHCs. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and then analysed using systematic text condensation. Hasson's modified version of the Conceptual Framework for Implementation Fidelity was used to interpret the findings. RESULTS Six themes emerged during the analysis, which were sorted into perceived facilitators and barriers regarding the implementation of the father visit. Facilitators included: 1) nurses are facilitators of change, 2) fathers are worthy of change, 3) a child has two parents and 4) effective cooperation. The barriers included: 5) money talks and 6) nurses under pressure. CONCLUSION These findings provide insight into factors that moderated the implementation fidelity of the father visits at CHCs with some of the highest levels of father attendance. This provides a model of good practice that can be applied to other settings to maximise fidelity, as well as increase attendance at father visits. Findings also provide insight into the relationship between potential moderators and implementation fidelity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Place
- Department of Global Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| | - Michael B Wells
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
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Abstract
This special issue of Global Public Health presents a collection of articles that analyse power and its mechanisms in health systems and health policy processes. Researchers have long noted that the influence of power is implicated throughout the global health field, yet theories and methods for examining power-its sources, workings, and effects-are rarely applied in health policy and systems research. By engaging with the social sciences and humanities, contributors to this collection aim to analytically sharpen and thematically broaden the study of power and politics in global health. Contributors analyse the exercise of power by actors typically considered powerful on the global stage as well as actors across the health system who may be powerful in national or local contexts. Additionally, the papers draw attention to actors, interest groups, and practices not usually viewed as politically salient in health policy and systems research in low- and middle-income countries. The papers not only analyse power but also identify ways to counteract it, such as by using human rights-based frameworks to investigate and challenge power asymmetries. Collectively, they show how researchers working on global health issues can theorise power and deepen political analysis of health policy and systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radhika Gore
- a Department of Population Health , NYU School of Medicine , New York , USA
| | - Richard Parker
- b Institute for the Study of Collective Health (IESC) , Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.,c Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association (ABIA) , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.,d Department of Sociomedical Sciences , Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University , New York , USA
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Munshi S, Christofides NJ, Eyles J. Sub-national perspectives on the implementation of a national community health worker programme in Gauteng Province, South Africa. BMJ Glob Health 2019; 4:e001564. [PMID: 31908881 PMCID: PMC6936536 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In 2011, in line with principles for Universal Health Coverage, South Africa formalised community health workers (CHWs) into the national health system in order to strengthen primary healthcare. The national policy proposed that teams of CHWs, called Ward-based Primary Healthcare Outreach Teams (WBPHCOTs), supervised by a professional nurse were implemented. This paper explores WBPHCOTs' and managers' perspectives on the implementation of the CHW programme in one district in South Africa at the early stages of implementation guided by the Implementation Stages Framework. METHODS We conducted a qualitative study consisting of five focus group discussions and 14 in-depth interviews with CHWs, team leaders and managers. A content analysis of data was conducted. RESULTS There were significant weaknesses in early implementation resulting from a vague national policy and a rushed implementation plan. During the installation stage, adaptations were made to address gaps including the appointment of subdistrict managers and enrolled nurses as team leaders. Staff preparation of CHWs and team leaders to perform their roles was inadequate. To compensate, team members supported each another and assisted with technical skills where they could. Structural issues, such as CHWs receiving a stipend rather than being employed, were an ongoing implementation challenge. Another challenge was that facility managers were employed by the local government authority while the CHW programme was perceived to be a provincial programme. CONCLUSION The implementation of complex programmes requires a shared vision held by all stakeholders. Adaptations occur at different implementation stages, which require a feedback mechanism to inform the implementation in other settings. The CHW programme represented a policy advance but lacked detail with respect to human resources, budget, supervision, training and sustainability, which made it a difficult furrow to plough. This study points to how progressive reform remains fraught without due attention to the minutiae of practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shehnaz Munshi
- Centre for Health Policy, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Nicola J Christofides
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - John Eyles
- Centre for Health Policy, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
- School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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22
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Smith SL. Factoring civil society actors into health policy processes in low- and middle-income countries: a review of research articles, 2007-16. Health Policy Plan 2019; 34:67-77. [PMID: 30668676 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czy109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Civil society actors have substantially increased their participation in global and national health policymaking processes since the 1970s. Civil society roles in shaping such significant global health milestones as the Doha Declaration on Intellectual Property Rights, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the recently adopted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are well documented, but knowledge of civil society actor influence on health policy processes in low- and middle-income countries remains fragmented. This study analyses 24 peer-reviewed research articles published between 2007 and 2016 to identify factors affecting civil society influence in the pre-implementation stages of the policy process. The articles reviewed span 13 health issues and more than 50 countries in four regions of the world. This body of work focuses on civil society as represented by formal groups, primarily domestic and to some extent international non-governmental organizations, but also social movements, professional associations and faith-based organizations, among others. The studies document several actor-centred and contextual factors that affect civil society actor power, commonly across stages of the policy process. Crucially, civil society actors were challenged to impact the process in countries that lacked participative norms and governing structures. When repressive conditions existed, regime changes and donors sometimes helped to open doors to participation. The power of civil society actors was enhanced when they joined strong epistemic networks and broader coalitions of stakeholders, were resourced, and framed issues in ways that resonated with national policies and political priorities. The synthesis offers guidance to practitioners on factors to consider in strategy development and points to several issues for further investigation by health policy analysis scholars, including the implications of issue (non)adoption by civil society actors and contestation dynamics among those with differing perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L Smith
- School of Public Administration, The University of New Mexico, Social Sciences Building, Room 3008, MSC05-3100, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
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Kavanagh MM, Dubula-Majola V. Policy change and micro-politics in global health aid: HIV in South Africa. Health Policy Plan 2019; 34:1-11. [PMID: 30629158 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czy103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Efforts to improve the effectiveness of global health aid rarely take full account of the micro-politics of policy change and implementation. South Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic is a case in point, where the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has provided essential support to the national AIDS response. With changing political context, PEPFAR has shifted focus several times-most recently reversing the policy of 'transition' out of direct aid to a policy of re-investing in front-line services in priority districts to improve aid effectiveness. However, this policy shift has not led to the expected impact on health services. This paper reports the findings of a study on the implementation of the recent policy through interviews at randomly selected sites in high HIV-burden districts of South Africa that capture the experiences of public-sector health leaders. We find little evidence to support the explanation that the new aid policy displaced government staff and resources. Instead, our findings suggest that legacies of the previous policy remained as local aid managers did not shift funding and practice at sufficient scale to drive the planned service delivery expansion. Human resource support, the main PEPFAR contribution to service delivery at front-line facilities, was not adequate or distributed based on the size of the HIV programme, leaving notable gaps in outreach, defaulter tracing, and community service delivery. Instead, services that better fit the previous policy paradigm, like training and data-sharing, are common at site-level but provide diminishing returns. Together, our findings suggest opportunities for PEPFAR South Africa to revisit its model and increase service delivery intensity, in particular through community-based services. More broadly, this case illustrates the need for greater attention to the multiple actors with discretion in the policy system of health aid and the mechanisms through which political priority is translated into programming as policy shifts are made.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M Kavanagh
- O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University, 600 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Vuyiseka Dubula-Majola
- Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Blystad A, Haukanes H, Tadele G, Haaland MES, Sambaiga R, Zulu JM, Moland KM. The access paradox: abortion law, policy and practice in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia. Int J Equity Health 2019; 18:126. [PMID: 31558147 PMCID: PMC6764131 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-019-1024-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Unsafe abortion is a major contributor to the continued high global maternal mortality and morbidity rates. Legal abortion frameworks and access to sexuality education and contraception have been pointed out as vital to reduce unsafe abortion rates. This paper explores the relationship between abortion law, policy and women's access to safe abortion services within the different legal and political contexts of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia. The research is inspired by recent calls for contextualized policy research. METHODS The research was based in Addis Ababa (Ethiopa), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Lusaka (Zambia) and had a qualitative exploratory research design. The project involved studying the three countries' abortion laws and policies. It moreover targeted formal organizations as implementers of policy as well as stakeholders in support of, or in opposition to the existing abortion laws. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with study participants (79) differently situated vis-à-vis abortion, exploring their views on abortion-related legal- and policy frames and their perceived implications for access. RESULTS The abortion laws have been classified as 'liberal' in Zambia, 'semi-liberal' in Ethiopia and 'restrictive' in Tanzania, but what we encountered in the three study contexts was a seeming paradoxical relationship between national abortion laws, abortion policy and women's actual access to safe abortion services. The study findings moreover reveal that the texts that make up the three national abortion laws are highly ambiguous. The on-paper liberal Zambian and semi-liberal Ethiopian laws in no way ensure access, while the strict Tanzanian law is hardly sufficient to prevent young women from seeking and obtaining abortion. In line with Walt and Gilson's call to move beyond a narrow focus on the content of policy, our study demonstrates that the connection between law, health policy and access to health services is complex and critically dependent on the socio-economic and political context of implementation. CONCLUSIONS Legal frameworks are vital instruments for securing the right to health, but broad contextualized studies rather than classifications of law along a liberal-restrictive continuum are demanded in order to enhance existing knowledge on access to safe abortion services in a given context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Blystad
- Global Health Anthropology Group, Centre for International Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Haldis Haukanes
- Department of Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Getnet Tadele
- Department of Sociology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Marte E. S. Haaland
- Global Health Anthropology Group, Centre for International Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Richard Sambaiga
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | | | - Karen Marie Moland
- Global Health Anthropology Group, Centre for International Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Zulu JM, Blystad A, Haaland MES, Michelo C, Haukanes H, Moland KM. Why teach sexuality education in school? Teacher discretion in implementing comprehensive sexuality education in rural Zambia. Int J Equity Health 2019; 18:116. [PMID: 31558168 PMCID: PMC6764121 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-019-1023-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reproductive health problems such as HIV, unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion among adolescents are closely linked to insufficient knowledge about sexuality and reproduction and lack of access to contraceptives. Supported by international agencies, Zambia has introduced an ambitious nation-wide program for comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) to be implemented into ordinary school activities by teachers. The curriculum is firmly based in a discourse of sexual and reproductive rights, not commonly found in the public debate on sexuality in Zambia. This paper explores how teachers perceive the curriculum and practice discretion when implementing the CSE in mid-level schools in Nyimba district in Zambia. METHODS Using a case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 18 teachers and analyzed thematically drawing upon theories of discretion and policy implementation. RESULTS Individual teachers make decisions on their own regarding what and when to teach CSE. This discretion implies holding back information from the learners, teaching abstinence as the only way of preventing pregnancy or cancelling sexuality education sessions altogether. Teachers' choices about the CSE program were linked to lack of guidance on teaching of the curriculum, especially with regards to how to integrate sexuality education into existing subjects. Limited prioritization of CSE in the educational sector was observed. The incompatibility of CSE with local norms and understandings about adolescent sexuality combined with teacher-parent role dilemmas emerged as problematic in implementing the policy. Limited ownership of the new curriculum further undermined teachers' motivation to actively include CSE in daily teaching activities. Use of discretion has resulted in arbitrary teaching thus affecting the acquisition of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health knowledge among learners. CONCLUSION The CSE had limited legitimacy in the community and was met with resistance from teachers tasked with its' implementation. In order to enhance ownership to the CSE program, local concerns about the contents of the curriculum and the parent-teacher role dilemma must be taken into consideration. Not addressing these challenges may undermine the policy's intention of increasing knowledge about sexuality and reproduction and empowering adolescents to access contraceptive services and avoid unwanted pregnancies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Astrid Blystad
- Centre for international Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Marte E. S. Haaland
- Centre for international Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Charles Michelo
- School of Public Health, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Haldis Haukanes
- Department of Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Karen Marie Moland
- Centre for international Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Doshmangir L, Moshiri E, Mostafavi H, Sakha MA, Assan A. Policy analysis of the Iranian Health Transformation Plan in primary healthcare. BMC Health Serv Res 2019; 19:670. [PMID: 31533710 PMCID: PMC6751681 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-019-4505-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Health systems reform is inevitable due to the never-ending changing nature of societal health needs and policy dynamism. Today, the Health Transformation Plan (HTP) remains the major tool to facilitate the achievements of universal health coverage (UHC) in Iran. It was initially implemented in hospital-based setting and later expanded to primary health care (PHC). This study aimed to analyze the HTP at the PHC level in Iran. Methods Qualitative data were collected through document analysis, round-table discussion, and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders at the micro, meso and macro levels of the health system. A tailored version of Walt & Gilson’s policy triangle model incorporating the stages heuristic model was used to guide data analysis. Results The HTP emerged through a political process. Although the initiative aimed to facilitate the achievements of UHC by improving the entire health system of Iran, little attention was given to PHC especially during the first phases of policy development – a gap that occurred because politicians were in a great haste to fulfil a campaign promise. Conclusions Health reforms targeting UHC and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals require the political will to improve PHC through engagements of all stakeholders of the health system, plus improved fiscal capacity of the country and financial commitments to implement evidence-informed initiatives. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-019-4505-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Doshmangir
- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Iranian Center of Excellence in Health Management, Health Management and Safety Promotion Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. .,Department of Health Services Management, Tabriz Health Services Management Research Centre, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Daneshgah St, Tabriz, 5165665811, Iran.
| | - Esmaeil Moshiri
- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Hakimeh Mostafavi
- Health Economy, Standard and Health Technology Office, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Minoo Alipouri Sakha
- Department of Global Health and Public Policy, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abraham Assan
- Global Policy and Advocacy Network (GLOOPLAN), Accra, Ghana.,Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM), Accra, Ghana
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Nunes J, Lotta G. Discretion, power and the reproduction of inequality in health policy implementation: Practices, discursive styles and classifications of Brazil's community health workers. Soc Sci Med 2019; 242:112551. [PMID: 31622914 PMCID: PMC6853157 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
This article explores the mobilization of power by health workers during policy implementation, showing how in a context of discretion and resource scarcity they can reproduce inequalities in access to health services. The argument innovates theoretically by supplementing the ‘street-level bureaucracy’ literature, which emphasizes frontline worker discretion, with a conceptualization of power as domination encompassing the shaping of behavior, the constitution of subjects and the reproduction of inequality. Empirically, the article focuses on Brazilian community health workers (agentes comunitários desaúde, CHWs). CHWs are a neglected but highly important segment of the health workforce that traditionally functions as a link between the health system and disadvantaged groups. The article examines how Brazilian CHWs act as street-level bureaucrats mobilizing power in their interactions with users. They operate within a severely under-resourced public health system, the Sistema Único de Saúde, which places constraints upon their action and forces them to make allocation decisions with little training and support. The article highlights the ways in which inequalities in access to health services are reproduced (inadvertently or not) through the practices, discursive styles and classifications of CHWs. Methodologically, the paper is based on ethnography with 24 CHWs and interviews with 77 other CHWs in Brazil. Develops a novel framework for analysing health worker discretion and power. Supplements the street-level bureaucracy approach with the concept of domination. Explores the mobilization of power by Brazilian community health workers. Shows how policy implementation can reproduce inequality in access to healthcare.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Nunes
- Department of Politics, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Gabriela Lotta
- Department of Public Management, Getúlio Vargas Foundation, Av Nove de Julho, 2029, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Scott K, Jessani N, Qiu M, Bennett S. Developing more participatory and accountable institutions for health: identifying health system research priorities for the Sustainable Development Goal-era. Health Policy Plan 2019; 33:975-987. [PMID: 30247610 PMCID: PMC6263024 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czy079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Health policy and systems research (HPSR) is vital to guiding global institutions, funders, policymakers, activists and implementers in developing and enacting strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We undertook a multi-stage participatory process to identify priority research questions relevant to improving accountability within health systems. We conducted interviews (n = 54) and focus group discussions (n = 2) with policymakers from international and national bodies (ministries of health, other government agencies and technical support institutions) across the WHO regions. Respondents were asked to reflect on challenges and current policy discussions related to health systems accountability, and to identify their pressing research needs. We also conducted an overview of reviews (n = 34) to determine the current status of knowledge on health systems accountability and to identify any gaps. We extracted research questions from the policymaker interviews and focus groups (70 questions) and from the overview of reviews (112 questions), and synthesized these into 36 overarching questions. Using the online platform Co-Digital, we invited researchers from around the world to refine and then rank the questions according to research importance. The questions that emerged amongst the top priorities focused on political factors that mediate the adoption or effectiveness of accountability initiatives, processes and incentives that facilitate the acceptability of accountability mechanisms among frontline healthcare providers, and the national governance reforms and contexts that enhance provider accountability. The process revealed different underlying conceptions of social accountability and how best to promote it, with some researchers and policymakers focusing on specific interventions and others embracing a more systems-oriented approach to understanding accountability, the multiple forms that it can take, how these interact with each other and the importance of power and underlying social relations. The findings from this exercise identify HPSR funding priorities and future areas for evidence production and policy engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Scott
- Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolf Street, Baltimore, MA, USA
| | - N Jessani
- Department of Health Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolf Street, Baltimore, MA, USA
| | - M Qiu
- Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolf Street, Baltimore, MA, USA
| | - S Bennett
- Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolf Street, Baltimore, MA, USA
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Brooke-Sumner C, Petersen-Williams P, Kruger J, Mahomed H, Myers B. 'Doing more with less': a qualitative investigation of perceptions of South African health service managers on implementation of health innovations. Health Policy Plan 2019; 34:132-140. [PMID: 30863845 PMCID: PMC6481285 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czz017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Building resilience in health systems is an imperative for low- and middle- income countries. Health service managers' ability to implement health innovations may be a key aspect of resilience in primary healthcare facilities, promoting adaptability and functionality. This study investigated health service managers' perceptions and experiences of adopting health innovations. We aimed to identify perceptions of constraints to adoption and emergent behaviours in response to these constraints. A convenience sample of 34 facility, clinical service and sub-district level managers was invited to participate. Six did not respond and were not contactable. In-depth individual interviews in a private space at participants' place of work were conducted with 28 participants. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. NVivo 11 was used to store data and facilitate framework analysis. Study participants described constraints to innovation adoption including: staff lack of understanding of potential benefits; staff personalities, attitudes and behaviours which lead to resistance to change; high workload related to resource constraints and frequent policy changes inducing resistance to change; and suboptimal communication through health system structures. Managers reported employing various strategies to mitigate these constraints. These comprised (1) technical skills including participatory management skills, communication skills, community engagement skills and programme monitoring and evaluation skills, and (2) non-technical skills including role modelling positive attitudes, understanding staff personalities, influencing perceptions of innovations, influencing organizational climate and building trusting relationships. Managers have a vital role in the embedding of service innovations into routine practice. We present a framework of technical and non-technical skills that managers need to facilitate the adoption of health innovations. Future efforts to build managers' capacity to implement health innovations should target these competencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie Brooke-Sumner
- Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Francie Van Zijl Drive, Parow Valley, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Petal Petersen-Williams
- Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Francie Van Zijl Drive, Parow Valley, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - James Kruger
- Western Cape Government: Health, Norton Rose House, 8 Riebeeck Street, Cape Town, South Africa and
| | - Hassan Mahomed
- Western Cape Government: Health, Norton Rose House, 8 Riebeeck Street, Cape Town, South Africa and
- Division of Health Systems and Public Health, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Francie van Zijl Drive, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Bronwyn Myers
- Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Francie Van Zijl Drive, Parow Valley, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa
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Mbau R, Gilson L. Influence of organisational culture on the implementation of health sector reforms in low- and middle-income countries: a qualitative interpretive review. Glob Health Action 2018; 11:1462579. [PMID: 29747550 PMCID: PMC5954479 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2018.1462579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, are commonly plagued by poor access, poor performance, inefficient use and inequitable distribution of resources. To improve health system efficiency, equity and effectiveness, the World Development Report of 1993 proposed a first wave of health sector reforms, which has been followed by further waves. Various authors, however, suggest that the early reforms did not lead to the anticipated improvements. They offer, as one plausible explanation for this gap, the limited consideration given to the influence over implementation of the software aspects of the health system, such as organisational culture - which has not previously been fully investigated. OBJECTIVE To identify, interpret and synthesise existing literature for evidence on organisational culture and how it influences implementation of health sector reforms in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS We conducted a systematic search of eight databases: PubMed; Africa-Wide Information, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Econlit, PsycINFO, SocINDEX with full text, Emerald and Scopus. Eight papers were identified. We analysed and synthesised these papers using thematic synthesis. RESULTS This review indicates the potential influence of dimensions of organisational culture such as power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and in-group and institutional collectivism over the implementation of health sector reforms. This influence is mediated through organisational practices such as communication and feedback, management styles, commitment and participation in decision-making. CONCLUSION This interpretive review highlights the dearth of empirical literature around organisational culture and therefore its findings can only be tentative. There is a need for health policymakers and health system researchers to conduct further analysis of organisational culture and change within the health system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahab Mbau
- a School of Public Health and Family Medicine , University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa
| | - Lucy Gilson
- b Health Policy and Systems Division, School of Public Health and Family Medicine , University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa.,c Department of Global Health and Development, Faculty of Public Health and Policy , London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine , London , UK
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Freedman LP, Kujawski SA, Mbuyita S, Kuwawenaruwa A, Kruk ME, Ramsey K, Mbaruku G. Eye of the beholder? Observation versus self-report in the measurement of disrespect and abuse during facility-based childbirth. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH MATTERS 2018; 26:107-122. [PMID: 30199353 DOI: 10.1080/09688080.2018.1502024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Human rights has been a vital tool in the global movement to reduce maternal mortality and to expose the disrespect and abuse that women experience during childbirth in facilities around the world. Yet to truly transform the relationship between women and providers, human rights-based approaches (HRBAs) will need to go beyond articulation, dissemination and even legal enforcement of formal norms of respectful maternity care. HRBAs must also develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of how power operates in health systems under particular social, cultural and political conditions, if they are to effectively challenge settled patterns of behaviour and health systems structures that marginalise and abuse. In this paper, we report results from a mixed methods study in two hospitals in the Tanga region of Tanzania, comparing the prevalence of disrespect and abuse during childbirth as measured through observation by trained nurses stationed in maternity wards to prevalence as measured by the self-report upon discharge of the same women who had been observed. The huge disparity between these two measures (baseline: 69.83% observation vs. 9.91% self-report; endline: 32.91% observation vs. 7.59% self-report) suggests that disrespect and abuse is both internalised and normalised by users and providers alike. Building on qualitative research conducted in the study sites, we explore the mechanisms by which hidden and invisible power enforces internalisation and normalisation, and describe the implications for the development of HRBAs in maternal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn P Freedman
- a Professor of Population and Family Health and Director, Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program , Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health , New York , NY , USA
| | - Stephanie A Kujawski
- b Researcher, Department of Epidemiology , Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health , New York , NY , USA
| | - Selemani Mbuyita
- c Research Scientist , Ifakara Health Institute , Dar es Salaam , Tanzania
| | | | - Margaret E Kruk
- e Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management , Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health , New York , NY , USA
| | - Kate Ramsey
- f Senior Research Officer, Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program , Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health , New York , NY , USA
| | - Godfrey Mbaruku
- g Chief Research Scientist , Ifakara Health Institute , Dar es Salaam , Tanzania
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Maurya D, Ramesh M. Program design, implementation and performance: the case of social health insurance in India. HEALTH ECONOMICS, POLICY, AND LAW 2018; 14:1-22. [PMID: 30049293 DOI: 10.1017/s1744133118000257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Published works on health insurance tend to focus on program design and its impact, neglecting the implementation process that links the two and affects outcomes. This paper examines the National Health Insurance [Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)] in India with the objective of assessing the role of implementation structures and processes in shaping performance. The central question that the paper addresses is: why does the performance of RSBY vary across states despite similar program design? Using a comparative case study approach analyzing the program's functioning in three states, it finds the answer in the differences in governance of implementation. The unavoidable gaps in design of health care program allow abundant scope for opportunistic behavior on the part of different stakeholders. The study finds that the performance of the program, as a result, depends on the extent to which the governance mechanism is able to contain and channel opportunistic behavior during implementation. By opening up the black box of implementation, the paper contributes to improving the performance of national health insurance in India and elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayashankar Maurya
- 1Chairperson Healthcare Management,T.A. Pai Management Institute,Karnataka,India
| | - M Ramesh
- 2UNESCO Chair on Social Policy Design in Asia,Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy,National University of Singapore,Bukit Timah,Singapore
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George AS, LeFevre AE, Schleiff M, Mancuso A, Sacks E, Sarriot E. Hubris, humility and humanity: expanding evidence approaches for improving and sustaining community health programmes. BMJ Glob Health 2018; 3:e000811. [PMID: 29946489 PMCID: PMC6014224 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Community-based approaches are a critical foundation for many health outcomes, including reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH). Evidence is a vital part of strengthening that foundation, but largely focuses on the technical content of what must be done, rather than on how disparate community actors continuously interpret, implement and adapt interventions in dynamic and varied community health systems. We argue that efforts to strengthen evidence for community programmes must guard against the hubris of relying on a single approach or hierarchy of evidence for the range of research questions that arise when sustaining community programmes at scale. Moving forward we need a broader evidence agenda that better addresses the implementation realities influencing the scale and sustainability of community programmes and the partnerships underpinning them if future gains in community RMNCH are to be realised. This will require humility in understanding communities as social systems, the complexity of the interventions they engage with and the heterogeneity of evidence needs that address the implementation challenges faced. It also entails building common ground across epistemological word views to strengthen the robustness of implementation research by improving the use of conceptual frameworks, addressing uncertainty and fostering collaboration. Given the complexity of scaling up and sustaining community RMNCH, ensuring that evidence translates into action will require the ongoing brokering of relationships to support the human creativity, scepticism and scaffolding that together build layers of evidence, critical thinking and collaborative learning to effect change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asha S George
- School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Amnesty E LeFevre
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | - Emma Sacks
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Maternal and Child Survival Program, USAID, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Eric Sarriot
- Maternal and Child Survival Program, USAID, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,Save the Children, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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Abstract
Studies of power in health care settings in low- and middle-income countries largely describe providers' exercise of discretionary power in frontline roles, leaving under-specified the macro-institutions and mechanisms of power that drive health care outcomes. In this study I conceptualise providers' actions not in terms of discretionary power but as obligatory responses to 'authority' over them. Authority denotes an actor's rightfully held social power over others, who accept to follow that actor's directives. Explaining authority's workings entails studying how it operates from its subjects' perspectives. I analyse in particular the authority of popular opinion-which derives from citizens' claims to state services-over primary care doctors in municipal health facilities in Pune, India. Through year-long ethnographic fieldwork, I examine doctors' experience of popular opinion, social relations between doctors and communities, and the institutional history of state-provided urban primary care. Findings show that doctors routinely confront popular disregard for their services. But under conditions of long-standing neglect of municipal services, tenuous state-society relations, and an avid, widely preferred private sector, doctors appear unable and wary to deliver more than minimum clinical care. Their circumscribed response reflects mechanisms by which the power of popular opinion, under policy neglect, impels them to maintain a deficient status quo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radhika Gore
- a Department of Population Health , NYU School of Medicine , New York , USA
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Tomokawa S, Kaewviset S, Saito J, Akiyama T, Waikugul J, Okada K, Kobayashi J, Jimba M. Key factors for school health policy implementation in Thailand. HEALTH EDUCATION RESEARCH 2018; 33:186-195. [PMID: 29509891 DOI: 10.1093/her/cyy008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Thailand formulated a National School Health Policy (NSHP) in 1998, and it has been widely implemented but has not been evaluated. This case study aimed to identify factors that have influenced the implementation of NSHP in Thailand. For this purpose, we conducted a document review and key informant interviews. We selected key interviewees, from NSHP implementers at national, provincial and school levels in four geographical areas. We adopted a content analysis method, using a framework of 12 influential components of successful policy implementation and triangular policy framework. This study showed that NSHP was well-disseminated and implemented at whole country. We identified seven positive factors influencing NSHP implementation, namely matching with ongoing educational strategy, competition and encouragement by an awarding system, sustainable human capacity building at school level, participation of multiple stakeholders, sufficient understanding and acceptance of school health concepts, sharing information and collaboration among schools in the same clusters and functional fund raising activities. In addition, we identified three negative factors, namely lack of institutional sustainability, vague role of provincial officers and diverse health problems among Thai children. The government should clarify the role of provincial level and set up institutionalized capacity-building system as measures to strengthen monitoring and evaluation activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Tomokawa
- Department of Sports and Health Sciences, Faculty of Education, Shinshu University, 6-Ro Nishi Nagano, Nagano City, Nagano 380-8544, Japan
- Japanese Consortium for Global School Health and Research, Japan
| | - S Kaewviset
- Office of International Cooperation Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, 272 Rama 6 Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - J Saito
- Japanese Consortium for Global School Health and Research, Japan
- Department of Health and Social Behavior/Health Education and Health Sociology, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - T Akiyama
- Japanese Consortium for Global School Health and Research, Japan
- Department of Health Science, Nagano College of Nursing, 1694 Akaho, Komagane, Nagano 399-4117, Japan
| | - J Waikugul
- School Health Promotion Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Ratchawithi Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - K Okada
- Japanese Consortium for Global School Health and Research, Japan
- Department of School Health Nursing, Faculty of Education, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - J Kobayashi
- Japanese Consortium for Global School Health and Research, Japan
- Department of Global Health, School of Health Sciences, University of the Ryukyus, 207 Uehara, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan
| | - M Jimba
- Japanese Consortium for Global School Health and Research, Japan
- Department of Community and Global Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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Erasmus E, Gilson L, Govender V, Nkosi M. Organisational culture and trust as influences over the implementation of equity-oriented policy in two South African case study hospitals. Int J Equity Health 2017; 16:164. [PMID: 28911338 PMCID: PMC5599896 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-017-0659-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This paper uses the concepts of organisational culture and organisational trust to explore the implementation of equity-oriented policies - the Uniform Patient Fee Schedule (UPFS) and Patients' Rights Charter (PRC) - in two South African district hospitals. It contributes to the small literatures on organisational culture and trust in low- and middle-income country health systems, and broader work on health systems' people-centeredness and "software". METHODS The research entailed semi-structured interviews (Hospital A n = 115, Hospital B n = 80) with provincial, regional, district and hospital managers, as well as clinical and non-clinical hospital staff, hospital board members, and patients; observations of policy implementation, organisational functioning, staff interactions and patient-provider interactions; and structured surveys operationalising the Competing Values Framework for measuring organisational culture (Hospital A n = 155, Hospital B n = 77) and Organisational Trust Inventory (Hospital A n = 185, Hospital B n = 92) for assessing staff-manager trust. RESULTS Regarding the UPFS, the hospitals' implementation approaches were similar in that both primarily understood it to be about revenue generation, granting fee exemptions was not a major focus, and considerable activity, facility management support, and provincial support was mobilised behind the UPFS. The hospitals' PRC paths diverged quite significantly, as Hospital A was more explicit in communicating and implementing the PRC, while the policy also enjoyed stronger managerial support in Hospital A than Hospital B. Beneath these experiences lie differences in how people's values, decisions and relationships influence health system functioning and in how the nature of policies, culture, trust and power dynamics can combine to create enabling or disabling micro-level implementation environments. CONCLUSIONS Achieving equity in practice requires managers to take account of "unseen" but important factors such as organisational culture and trust, which are key aspects of the organisational context that can profoundly influence policies. In addition to implementation "hardware" such as putting in place necessary staff and resources, it emphasises "software" implementation tasks such as relationship management and the negotiation of values, where equity-oriented policies might be interpreted as challenging health workers' status and values, and paying careful attention to how policies are practically framed and translated into practice, to ensure key equity aspects are not neglected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ermin Erasmus
- Health Policy and Systems Division, School of Public Health and Family Medicine University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Lucy Gilson
- Health Policy and Systems Division, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
- Department of Global Health and Development, Faculty of Public Health and Policy London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Veloshnee Govender
- Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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The influence of power and actor relations on priority setting and resource allocation practices at the hospital level in Kenya: a case study. BMC Health Serv Res 2016; 16:536. [PMID: 27716185 PMCID: PMC5045638 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-016-1796-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Priority setting and resource allocation in healthcare organizations often involves the balancing of competing interests and values in the context of hierarchical and politically complex settings with multiple interacting actor relationships. Despite this, few studies have examined the influence of actor and power dynamics on priority setting practices in healthcare organizations. This paper examines the influence of power relations among different actors on the implementation of priority setting and resource allocation processes in public hospitals in Kenya. Methods We used a qualitative case study approach to examine priority setting and resource allocation practices in two public hospitals in coastal Kenya. We collected data by a combination of in-depth interviews of national level policy makers, hospital managers, and frontline practitioners in the case study hospitals (n = 72), review of documents such as hospital plans and budgets, minutes of meetings and accounting records, and non-participant observations in case study hospitals over a period of 7 months. We applied a combination of two frameworks, Norman Long’s actor interface analysis and VeneKlasen and Miller’s expressions of power framework to examine and interpret our findings Results The interactions of actors in the case study hospitals resulted in socially constructed interfaces between: 1) senior managers and middle level managers 2) non-clinical managers and clinicians, and 3) hospital managers and the community. Power imbalances resulted in the exclusion of middle level managers (in one of the hospitals) and clinicians and the community (in both hospitals) from decision making processes. This resulted in, amongst others, perceptions of unfairness, and reduced motivation in hospital staff. It also puts to question the legitimacy of priority setting processes in these hospitals. Conclusions Designing hospital decision making structures to strengthen participation and inclusion of relevant stakeholders could improve priority setting practices. This should however, be accompanied by measures to empower stakeholders to contribute to decision making. Strengthening soft leadership skills of hospital managers could also contribute to managing the power dynamics among actors in hospital priority setting processes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1796-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Abstract
This article aims to prompt reflection about the everyday politics of health systems, their importance to health policy implementation, and what sort of leadership, provided by whom, is required to address them. It is founded on insights drawn from empirical and theoretical literature, combined with practical experience developed through relevant research and teaching. Ultimately it argues that the everyday politics of the health system represent the multiple actors, interests, and choices that frontline leaders routinely address and that influence the collective action taken through the system in pursuit of public value. Leadership to address these everyday politics entails the practice of power and support for collective sense-making. Nurturing these political leadership skills through new forms of leadership development is therefore a vital component of health system development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Gilson
- School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa.,Department of Global Health and Development , London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine , London , UK
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Byers V. The challenges of leading change in health-care delivery from the front-line. J Nurs Manag 2015; 25:449-456. [DOI: 10.1111/jonm.12342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vivienne Byers
- Health Policy & Management; Dublin Institute of Technology; Dublin Ireland
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