Providing skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care to the poor through partnership with private sector obstetricians in Gujarat, India

Problem

India has the world’s largest number of maternal deaths estimated at 117 000 per year. Past efforts to provide skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care in rural areas have not succeeded because obstetricians are not willing to be posted in government hospitals at subdistrict level.

Approach

We have documented an innovative public–private partnership scheme between the Government of Gujarat, in India, and private obstetricians practising in rural areas to provide delivery care to poor women.

Local setting

In April 2007, the majority of poor women delivered their babies at home without skilled care.

Relevant changes

More than 800 obstetricians joined the scheme and more than 176 000 poor women delivered in private facilities. We estimate that the coverage of deliveries among poor women under the scheme increased from 27% to 53% between April and October 2007. The programme is considered very successful and shows that these types of social health insurance programmes can be managed by the state health department without help from any insurance company or international donor.

Lessons learned

At least in some areas of India, it is possible to develop large-scale partnerships with the private sector to provide skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care to poor women at a relatively small cost. Poor women will take up the benefit of skilled delivery care rapidly, if they do not have to pay for it.     

Health workforce contributions to health system development: a platform for universal health coverage

Problem

In the 1970s, Thailand was a low-income country with poor health indicators and low health service coverage. The local health infrastructure was especially weak.

Approach

In the 1980s, measures were initiated to reduce geographical barriers to health service access, improve the health infrastructure at the district level, make essential medicines more widely available and develop a competent, committed health workforce willing to service rural areas. To ensure service accessibility, financial risk protection schemes were expanded.

Local setting

In Thailand, district hospitals were practically non-existent in the 1960s. Expansion of primary health care (PHC), especially in poor rural areas, was considered essential for attaining universal health coverage (UHC). Nationwide reforms led to important changes in a few decades.

Relevant changes

Over the past 30 years, the availability and distribution of health workers, as well as their skills and competencies, have greatly improved, along with national health indicators. Between 1980 and 2000 coverage with maternal and child health services increased substantially. By 2002, Thailand had attained UHC. Overall health system development, particularly an expanded health workforce, resulted in a functioning PHC system.

Lessons learnt

A competent, committed health workforce helped strengthen the PHC system at the district level. Keeping the policy focus on the development of human resources for health (HRH) for an extended period was essential, together with a holistic approach to the development of HRH, characterized by the integration of different kinds of HRH interventions and the linking of these interventions with broader efforts to strengthen other health system domains.     

The impact of an emergency hiring plan on the shortage and distribution of nurses in Kenya: the importance of information systems

Objective

To analyse the effect of Kenya’s Emergency Hiring Plan for nurses on their inequitable distribution in rural and underserved areas.

Methods

We used data from the Kenya Health Workforce Informatics System on the nursing workforce to determine the effect of the Emergency Hiring Plan on nurse shortages and maldistribution. The total number of nurses, the number of nurses per 100 000 population and the opening of previously closed or new heath facilities were recorded.

Findings

Of the 18 181 nurses employed in Kenya’s public sector in 2009, 1836 (10%) had been recruited since 2005 through the Emergency Hiring Plan. Nursing staff increased by 7% in hospitals, 13% in health centres and 15% in dispensaries. North Eastern province, which includes some of the most remote areas, benefited most: the number of nurses per 100 000 population increased by 37%. The next greatest increase was in Nyanza province, which has the highest prevalence of HIV infection in Kenya. Emergency Hiring Plan nurses enabled the number of functioning public health facilities to increase by 29%. By February 2010, 94% of the nurses hired under pre-recruitment absorption agreements had entered the civil service.

Conclusion

The Emergency Hiring Plan for nurses significantly increased health services in Kenya’s rural and underserved areas over the short term. Preliminary indicators of sustainability are promising, as most nurses hired are now civil servants. However, continued monitoring will be necessary over the long term to evaluate future nurse retention. The accurate workforce data provided by the Kenya Health Workforce Informatics System were essential for evaluating the effect of the Emergency Hiring Plan.     

Peer Reviewed: Assessing the Professional Development Needs of Public Health Educators in Light of Changing Competencies

Introduction

Because of the need for a well-trained public health workforce, professional competencies have been recently revised by the Institute of Medicine and the National Health Educator Competencies Update Project. This study compared the self-identified training needs of public health educators with the updated competencies and assessed employer support for continuing education.

Methods

A convenience sample of public health educators was recruited from an e-mail list of San Jose State University master of public health alumni. Respondents completed a Web-based survey that elicited information on emerging trends in public health education, training needs, and employer support for continuing education.

Results

Concerns about funding cuts and privatization of resources emerged as a theme. Key trends reported were an increase in information technology, the need for policy advocacy skills, and the importance of a lifespan approach to health issues. Primary areas for training were organization development, evaluation, and management. Although most employers were reported to support continuing education, less than two-thirds of respondents were reimbursed for expenses.

Conclusion

These findings have implications for both research and practice. Innovative technologies should be developed to address health education professionals'' training needs, and emerging themes should be incorporated into curricula for students.     

Assessment of universal health coverage for adults aged 50 years or older with chronic illness in six middle-income countries

Objective

To assess universal health coverage for adults aged 50 years or older with chronic illness in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, the Russian Federation and South Africa.

Methods

We obtained data on 16 631 participants aged 50 years or older who had at least one diagnosed chronic condition from the World Health Organization Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health. Access to basic chronic care and financial hardship were assessed and the influence of health insurance and rural or urban residence was determined by logistic regression analysis.

Findings

The weighted proportion of participants with access to basic chronic care ranged from 20.6% in Mexico to 47.6% in South Africa. Access rates were unequally distributed and disadvantaged poor people, except in South Africa where primary health care is free to all. Rural residence did not affect access. The proportion with catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure for the last outpatient visit ranged from 14.5% in China to 54.8% in Ghana. Financial hardship was more common among the poor in most countries but affected all income groups. Health insurance generally increased access to care but gave insufficient protection against financial hardship.

Conclusion

No country provided access to basic chronic care for more than half of the participants with chronic illness. The poor were less likely to receive care and more likely to face financial hardship in most countries. However, inequity of access was not fully determined by the level of economic development or insurance coverage. Future health reforms should aim to improve service quality and increase democratic oversight of health care.     

Public Private Partnerships for Emergency Obstetric Care: Lessons from Maharashtra

Background:

The National Rural Health Mission of India advocates public private partnerships (PPPs) to meet its “service guarantee” of Emergency obstetric care (EmOC) provision. The Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) has a provision of Rs. 1500 for contracting in obstetric specialists.

Objectives:

The study aimed to understand the issues in the design and implementation of the PPPs for EmOC under the JSY in Maharashtra and how they affect the availability of EmOC services to women.

Materials and Methods:

A cross-sectional study using the rapid assessment approach was conducted in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra spanning 1-year duration ending in June 2009. Primary data were obtained through interviews with women, providers, and administrators at various levels. Data were analyzed thematically.

Results:

The PPP scheme for EmOC is restricted to deliveries by Caesarean section.The administrators prefer subsidization of costs for services in private facilities to contracting in. There are no PPPs executed in the study district. This study identifies barriers to women in accessing the benefit and the difficulties faced by administrators in implementing the scheme.

Conclusion:

The PPPs for EmOC under the JSY have minimally influenced the out-of-pocket payments for EmOC. Infrastructural inadequacies and passive support of the implementers are major barriers to the implementation of contracting-in model of PPPs. Capacities in the public health system are inadequate to design and manage PPPs.     

Attracting Doctors to Rural Areas: A Case Study of the Post-Graduate Seat Reservation Scheme in Andhra Pradesh

Background:

Attracting doctors to rural posts is an ongoing challenge for health departments across different states in India. One strategy adopted by several states to make rural service attractive for medical graduates is to reserve post-graduate (PG) seats in medical colleges for doctors serving in the public sector.

Objective:

This study examines the PG reservation scheme in Andhra Pradesh to understand its role in improving rural recruitment of doctors and specialists, the challenges faced by the scheme and how it can be strengthened.

Materials and Methods:

Qualitative case study methodology was adopted in which a variety of stakeholders such as government officials, health systems managers and serving Medical Officers were interviewed. This was supplemented with quantitative data on the scheme obtained from the Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department in Andhra Pradesh.

Results:

The PG reservation scheme appears to have been one of the factors responsible in attracting doctors to the public sector and to rural posts, with a reduction in vacancies at both the Primary Health Centre and Community Health Centre levels. Expectedly, in-service candidates have a better chance of getting a PG seat than general candidates. However, problems such as the mismatch of the demand and supply of certain types of specialist doctors, poor academic performance of in-service candidates as well as quality of services and enforcement of the post-PG bond need to be resolved.

Conclusion:

The PG reservation scheme is a powerful incentive to attract doctors to rural areas. However, better monitoring of service quality, strategically aligning PG training through the scheme with the demand for specialists as well as stricter enforcement of the financial bond are required to improve the scheme''s effectiveness.     

Study of Rogi Kalyan Samitis in Strengthening Health Systems Under National Rural Health Mission,District Pune,Maharashtra

Background:

With objective of health systems strengthening, as visualized under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM); one key strategic intervention is up-gradation of health service delivery facilities so as to provide sustainable quality care with accountability and people''s participation, which required the development of a proper management structure called Rogi Kalyan Samitis (RKS). It is the State''s attempt to make health everyone''s business by de-mystifying health-care delivery at district and sub-district levels with reference to facility based health-care delivery by encouraging citizen''s participation in management bodies.

Objective:

The study was an attempt to define ‘functional Health Systems’ with a focus on strategic issues concerning RKS operations.

Materials and Methods:

A mixed-method, multi-site, collective case study approach was adopted. In-depth interviews of key-stakeholders were conducted. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically and coded inductively.

Results:

RKS is yet to bring out quality component to the health services being provided through facilities. This can be attributed to structural and managerial weakness in the system; however, certainly NRHM has been consistent in creating a road-map for benefitting local community and their participation through RKS.

Conclusion:

The progress of the RKS can further be enhanced by giving due priority to critical areas. Furthermore, the results emphasize an urgent need for devising strategies and actions to overcome significant systemic constraints as highlighted in the present study.     

A Health Department’s Collaborative Model for Disease Surveillance Capacity Building

Objective

Highlight one academic health department’s unique approach to optimizing collaborative opportunities for capacity development and document the implications for chronic disease surveillance and population health.

Introduction

Public Health departments are increasingly called upon to be innovative in quality service delivery under a dwindling resource climate as highlighted in several publications of the Institute of Medicine. Collaboration with other entities in the delivery of core public health services has emerged as a recurring theme. One model of this collaboration is an academic health department: a formal affiliation between a health professions school and a local health department. Initially targeted at workforce development, this model of collaboration has since yielded dividends in other core public health service areas including community assessment, program evaluation, community-based participatory research and data analysis.The Duval County Health Department (DCHD), Florida, presents a unique community-centered model of the academic health department. Prominence in local informatics infrastructure capacity building and hosting a CDC-CSTE applied public health informatics fellowship (APHIF) in the Institute for Public Health Informatics and Research (IPHIR) in partnership with the Center for Health Equity Research, University of Florida & Shands medical center are direct dividends of this collaborative model.

Methods

We examined the collaborative efforts of the DCHD and present the unique advantages these have brought in the areas of entrenched data-driven public health service culture, community assessments, program evaluation, community-based participatory research and health informatics projects.

Results

Advantages of the model include a data-driven culture with the balanced scorecard model in leadership and sub-departmental emphases on quality assurance in public health services. Activities in IPHIR include data-driven approaches to program planning and grant developments, program evaluations, data analyses and impact assessments for the DCHD and other community health stakeholders.Reports developed by IPHIR have impacted policy formulation by highlighting the need for sub county level data differentiation to address health disparities. Unique community-based mapping of Duval County into health zones based on health risk factors correlating with health outcome measures have been published. Other reports highlight chronic disease surveillance data and health scorecards in special populations.Partnerships with regional higher institutions (University of Florida, University of North Florida and Florida A&M University) increased public health service delivery and yielded rich community-based participatory research opportunities.Cutting edge participation in health IT policy implementation led to the hosting of the fledgling community HIE, the Jacksonville Health Information Network, as well as leadership in shaping the landscape of the state HIE. This has immense implications for public health surveillance activities as chronic disease surveillance and public health service research take center stage under new healthcare payment models amidst increasing calls for quality assurance in public health services.DCHD is currently hosting a CDC-funded fellowship in applied public health informatics. Some of the projects materializing from the fellowship are the mapping of the current public health informatics profile of the DCHD, a community based diabetes disease registry to aid population-based management and surveillance of diabetes, development of a proposal for a combined primary care/general preventive medicine residency in UF-Shands Medical Center, Jacksonville and mobilization of DCHD healthcare providers for the roll-out of the state-built electronic medical records system (Florida HMS-EHR).

Conclusions

Academic health centers provide a model of collaboration that directly impacts on their success in delivering core public health services. Disease surveillance is positively affected by the diverse community affiliations of an academic health department. The academic health department, as epitomized by DCHD, is also better positioned to seize up-coming opportunities for local public health capacity building.     

Challenges in Developing Competency-based Training Curriculum for Food Safety Regulators in India

Context:

The Food Safety and Standards Act have redefined the roles and responsibilities of food regulatory workforce and calls for highly skilled human resources as it involves complex management procedures.

Aims:

1) Identify the competencies needed among the food regulatory workforce in India. 2) Develop a competency-based training curriculum for food safety regulators in the country. 3) Develop training materials for use to train the food regulatory workforce.

Settings and Design:

The Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad, led the development of training curriculum on food safety with technical assistance from the Royal Society for Public Health, UK and the National Institute of Nutrition, India. The exercise was to facilitate the implementation of new Act by undertaking capacity building through a comprehensive training program.

Materials and Methods:

A competency-based training needs assessment was conducted before undertaking the development of the training materials.

Results:

The training program for Food Safety Officers was designed to comprise of five modules to include: Food science and technology, Food safety management systems, Food safety legislation, Enforcement of food safety regulations, and Administrative functions. Each module has a facilitator guide for the tutor and a handbook for the participant. Essentials of Food Hygiene-I (Basic level), II and III (Retail/ Catering/ Manufacturing) were primarily designed for training of food handlers and are part of essential reading for food safety regulators.

Conclusion:

The Food Safety and Standards Act calls for highly skilled human resources as it involves complex management procedures. Despite having developed a comprehensive competency-based training curriculum by joint efforts by the local, national, and international agencies, implementation remains a challenge in resource-limited setting.     

Implementation of information and communication technologies for health in Bangladesh

Problem

Bangladesh has yet to develop a fully integrated health information system infrastructure that is critical to guiding policy development and planning.

Approach

Initial pilot telemedicine and eHealth programmes were not coordinated at national level. However, in 2011, a national eHealth policy was implemented.

Local setting

Bangladesh has made substantial improvements to its health system. However, the country still faces public health challenges with limited and inequitable access to health services and lack of adequate resources to meet the demands of the population.

Relevant changes

In 2008, eHealth services were introduced, including computerization of health facilities at sub-district levels, internet connections, internet servers and an mHealth service for communicating with health-care providers. Health facilities at sub-district levels were provided with internet connections and servers. In 482 upazila health complexes and district hospitals, an mHealth service was set-up where an on-duty doctor is available for patients at all hours to provide consultations by mobile phone. A government operated telemedicine service was initiated and by 2014, 43 fully equipped centres were in service. These centres provide medical consultations by qualified physicians to patients visiting rural and remote community clinics and union health centres.

Lessons learnt

Despite early pilot interventions and successful implementation, progress in adopting eHealth strategies in Bangladesh has been slow. There is a lack of common standards on information technology for health, which causes difficulties in data management and sharing among different databases. Limited internet bandwidth and the high cost of infrastructure and software development are barriers to adoption of these technologies.     

International Collaboration for Improved Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response in India

Objective

This project aimed to contribute to ongoing efforts to improve the capability and capacity to undertake disease surveillance and Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) activities in India. The main outcome measure was to empower a cadre of trainers through the inter-related streams of training & education to enhance knowledge and skills and the development of collaborative networks in the regions.

Introduction

The International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005, provides a framework that supports efforts to improve global health security and requires that, member states develop and strengthen systems and capacity for disease surveillance and detection and response to public health threats. To contribute to this global agenda, an international collaborative comprising of personnel from the Health Protection Agency, West Midlands, United Kingdom (HPA); the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (AP) state, India and the Department of Community Medicine, Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital (RRMCH), Bangalore, Karnataka state, India was established with funding from the HPA Global Health Fund to deliver the objectives stated above.

Methods

In 2010, the project partners jointly developed training materials on applied Epidemiology & Disease Surveillance and EPR using existing HPA material as the foundation. Over a 2 year period, a total of two training courses per year were planned for each of the two locations in India. Courses were designed to be delivered through didactic lectures, simulation exercises, workshops and group discussions at the two locations, namely Bangalore and Hyderabad. The target audience included senior state level programme officers, District Medical and Health Officers, postgraduate students, academic and research staff from Community Medicine departments and staff from the collaborating institutions.Course modules were formally evaluated by participants using structured questionnaires and an external evaluator. Debrief sessions were also arranged after each course to review the key lessons and identify areas for improvement.In addition, staff exchanges of up to six weeks duration were planned during which public health specialists from both countries would spend time observing health protection systems/processes in their host country.

Results

During January 2010 to December 2011, a total of seven (n=7) training courses were delivered in Bangalore and Hyderabad with approximately 231 public health personnel in attendance over the period. Participants comprised of 128 personnel representing 74 organisations in 41 districts (22 districts from AP) at the Hyderabad location and 103 personnel from 14 organisations (30 districts) at the Bangalore location.Course participants evaluated the content of the courses favourably with the majority (92%) rating the course modules as excellent or good. External evaluation of the courses was also favourable with several aspects of the course rated as good or excellent. IIPH and RRMC continue to deliver the courses and in the state of Karnataka, some participants at the EPR course were chosen by the health ministry to be part of Rapid Response Teams at District levels.Two public health specialists from each of the Indian organisations spent six (6) weeks in the United Kingdom as part of the planned staff exchanges. The exchanges were assessed to have been successful with important areas for future collaboration identified including proposals to jointly develop an Emergency Preparedness and Response Manual for the Indian Public Health audience.

Conclusions

The implementation and maintenance of effective and sustainable systems to ensure global health security relies on a well-trained public health workforce in member states. This innovative collaborative project has gone some way towards meeting its objective of establishing and supporting a cadre of trainers to ensure sustainable improvement in public health capacity and capability in India. After the initial (training) phase of the project that was completely funded by the HPA, the partner organisations in India have worked to sustain and further develop the core objectives of this project. As a further step, course materials developed as part of this project will be used to provide a framework upon which e-learning material and postgraduate modules will be developed in each of these institutions in India.     

Pesticide exposure and suicidal ideation in rural communities in Zhejiang province, China

Objective

To investigate the association between pesticide exposure and suicidal ideation in rural areas of China.

Methods

The analysis involved data from a survey of a representative sample of 9811 rural residents in Zhejiang province who had been asked about the storage of pesticides at home and about whether or not they had considered suicide within the 2 years before the interview. The Chinese version of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was administered to screen for mental disorder.

Findings

The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for the association between pesticide storage at home and suicidal ideation over the prior 2 years was 2.12 (95% confidence interval, CI: 1.54–2.93). After adjusting for gender, age, education, socioeconomic status, marital status, physical health, family history of suicidal behaviour, GHQ caseness and study design effects, the OR was 1.63 (95% CI: 1.13–2.35).

Conclusion

A potential marker of chronic pesticide exposure was found to be associated with suicidal ideation, which supports findings from previous studies. Given the high level of pesticide exposure and the high suicide risk in rural China, clarification of the causal mechanisms underlying this association and the development of appropriate interventions are priorities for public health and health policy.     

Peer Reviewed: Starting School Healthy and Ready to Learn: Using Social Indicators to Improve School Readiness in Los Angeles County

Background

School readiness is an important public health outcome, determined by a set of interdependent health and developmental trajectories and influenced by a child''s family, school, and community environments. The same factors that influence school readiness also influence educational success and health throughout life.

Context

A California cigarette tax ballot initiative (Proposition 10) created new resources for children aged 0 to 5 years and their families statewide through county-level First 5 commissions, including First 5 LA in Los Angeles County. An opportunity to define and promote school readiness indicators was facilitated by collaborative relationships with a strong emphasis on data among First 5 LA, the Children''s Planning Council, and the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, and other child-serving organizations.

Methods

A workgroup developed school readiness goals and indicators based on recommendations of the National Education Goals Panel and five key domains of child well-being: 1) good health, 2) safety and survival, 3) economic well-being, 4) social and emotional well-being, and 5) education/workforce readiness.

Consequences

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and First 5 LA Commission adopted the school readiness indicators. First 5 LA incorporated the indicators into the results-based accountability framework for its strategic plan and developed a community-oriented report designed to educate and spur school readiness-oriented action. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a countywide consensus-building plan designed to engage key stakeholders in the use of the indicators for planning, evaluation, and community-building activities.

Interpretation

School readiness indicators in Los Angeles County represent an important step forward for public health practice, namely, the successful blending of an expanded role for assessment with the ecological model.     

Monitoring service delivery for universal health coverage: the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment

Objective

To describe the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) and the results of its implementation in six countries across three continents.

Methods

The SARA is a comprehensive approach for assessing and monitoring health service availability and the readiness of facilities to deliver health-care interventions, with a standardized set of indicators that cover all main programmes. Standardized data-collection instruments are used to gather information on a defined set of selected tracer items from public and private health facilities through a facility sample survey or census. Results from assessments in six countries are shown.

Findings

The results highlight important gaps in service delivery that are obstacles to universal access to health services. Considerable variation was found within and across countries in the distribution of health facility infrastructure and workforce and in the types of services offered. Weaknesses in laboratory diagnostic capacities and gaps in essential medicines and commodities were common across all countries.

Conclusion

The SARA fills an important information gap in monitoring health system performance and universal health coverage by providing objective and regular information on all major health programmes that feeds into country planning cycles.     

Cultural adaptation of birthing services in rural Ayacucho, Peru

Problem

Maternal mortality is particularly high among poor, indigenous women in rural Peru, and the use of facility care is low, partly due to cultural insensitivities of the health care system.

Approach

A culturally appropriate delivery care model was developed in poor and isolated rural communities, and implemented between 1999 and 2001 in cooperation with the Quechua indigenous communities and health professionals. Data on birth location and attendance in one health centre have been collected up to 2007.

Local setting

The international nongovernmental organization, Health Unlimited, and its Peruvian partner organization, Salud Sín Límites Perú, conducted the project in Santillana district in Ayacucho.

Relevant changes

The model involves features such as a rope and bench for vertical delivery position, inclusion of family and traditional birth attendants in the delivery process and use of the Quechua language. The proportion of births delivered in the health facility increased from 6% in 1999 to 83% in 2007 with high satisfaction levels.

Lessons learned

Implementing a model of skilled delivery attendance that integrates modern medical and traditional Andean elements is feasible and sustainable. Indigenous women with little formal education do use delivery services if their needs are met. This contradicts common victim-blaming attitudes that ascribe high levels of home births to “cultural preferences” or “ignorance”.     

Economic burden,impoverishment and coping mechanisms associated with out-of-pocket health expenditure: analysis of rural-urban differentials in India

Aim

This article aimed to study the burden, impact and coping mechanisms associated with out-of-pocket (OOP) health expenditure in rural and urban areas in India.

Methods

National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) data on ‘Health and Morbidity’ gathered in 2004 and 2014 were employed to measure the catastrophic burden, impoverishment impact and various coping strategies associated with out-of-pocket health in India.

Results

Results revealed that over the study period, considerable rural-urban differentials existed in the economic burden and impact of out-of-pocket health expenditure. As a coping strategy, borrowing and other distress sources were used in higher proportions by the rural population than their urban counterparts. Overall, our results demonstrated an alarming situation regarding health care financing in India.

Conclusion

Substantial investment in public health is needed, especially in rural areas as it is here that people are facing the real brunt of catastrophic OOP health expenditures in the form of impoverishment with more dependence on distress sources including borrowing and sale of assets as coping mechanisms.

     

Clinical Quality Performance in U.S. Health Centers

Objective

To describe current clinical quality among the nation''s community health centers and to examine health center characteristics associated with performance excellence.

Data Sources

National data from the 2009 Uniform Data System.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

Health centers reviewed patient records and reported aggregate data to the Uniform Data System.

Study Design

Six measures were examined: first-trimester prenatal care, childhood immunization completion, Pap tests, low birth weight, controlled hypertension, and controlled diabetes. The top 25 percent performing centers were compared with lower performing (bottom 75 percent) centers on these measures. Logistic regressions were utilized to assess the impact of patient, provider, and institutional characteristics on health center performance.

Principal Findings

Clinical care and outcomes among health centers were generally comparable to national averages. For instance, 67 percent of pregnant patients received timely prenatal care (national = 68 percent), 69 percent of children achieved immunization completion (national = 67 percent), and 63 percent of hypertensive patients had blood pressure under control (national = 48 percent). Depending on the measure, centers with more uninsured patients were less likely to do well, while centers with more physicians and enabling service providers were more likely to do well.

Conclusions

Health centers provide quality care at rates comparable to national averages. Performance may be improved by increasing insurance coverage among patients and increasing the ratios of physicians and enabling service providers to patients.     

Achieving success with family planning in rural Afghanistan

Problem

Afghan women have one of the world’s highest lifetime risks of maternal death. Years of conflict have devastated the country’s health infrastructure. Total fertility was one of the world’s highest, contraceptive use was low and there were no Afghan models of success for family planning.

Approach

We worked closely with communities, providing information about the safety and non-harmful side-effects of contraceptives and improving access to injectable contraceptives, pills and condoms. Regular interaction with community leaders, mullahs (religious leaders), clinicians, community health workers and couples led to culturally acceptable innovations. A positive view of birth spacing was created by the messages that contraceptive use is 300 times safer than pregnancy in Afghanistan and that the Quran (the holy book of Islam) promotes two years of breastfeeding. Community health workers initiated the use of injectable contraceptives for the first time.

Local setting

The non-for-profit organization, Management Sciences for Health, Afghan nongovernmental organizations and the Ministry of Public Health implemented the Accelerating Contraceptive Use project in three rural areas with different ethnic populations.

Relevant changes

The contraceptive prevalence rate increased by 24–27% in 8 months in the project areas. Men supported modern contraceptives once they understood contraceptive safety, effectiveness and non-harmful side-effects. Injectable contraceptives contributed most to increases in contraceptive use.

Lessons learnt

Community health workers can rapidly increase contraceptive use in rural areas when given responsibility and guidance. Project innovations were adopted as best practices for national scale-up.