Strengthening Health Systems Research Articles

Availability of resources for paediatric hearing care in a South African province.

Unavailability of healthcare resources can lead to poor patient outcomes. The latter is true for infants with hearing loss and require early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI). To determine the availability and distribution of resources for EHDI in state hospitals in the Eastern Cape (EC) province, South Africa. Sixteen state hospitals (nine district, four regional and three tertiary hospitals). Descriptive cross-sectional survey completed between July 2022 and October 2022. Thirteen hospitals had audiologists (n= 4) or speech therapists and audiologists (n= 9). Specific to equipment, 10 hospitals had a screening otoacoustic emissions or automated auditory brainstem response, 8 hospitals had diagnostic middle ear analysers and only 3 hospitals had diagnostic auditory brainstem response and/or auditory steady state response. Twelve hospitals did not have visual response audiometry (VRA) and 94% had no hearing aid verification systems. Budget allocations were uneven, with only 10 hospitals, i.e., 4 districts, all regional and 2 tertiary hospitals being allocated varying amounts. Subsequently, only 50% provided newborn hearing screening, 56% provided diagnostic evaluations and 14 hospitals fitted hearing aids. Results revealed a limited and uneven distribution of resources, which negatively impacted the provision of EHDI. Even distribution of healthcare resources and further research aimed at strengthening hearing health services is recommended as these could potentially improve equitable access to EHDI and the overall quality of healthcare provided.Contribution:This study highlights the need for even distribution of resources and strengthening of health systems, especially in the dawn of the National Health Insurance.

(092) Mental and Sexual Health Outcomes Associated with Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Africa: A Systematic Narrative Synthesis

Abstract Introduction There are gaps in evidence regarding mental and sexual outcomes and associated interventions for women with Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) living in Africa. Objective This study's objective was to collate evidence on mental and sexual health outcomes associated with female genital mutilation/cutting in Sub-Saharan Africa Methods The study employed a scoping review and narrative synthesis approach and conducted a systematic search of bibliographic databases and websites was performed using appropriate keywords and studies published in English from January 1, 2010 to March 25, 2022. 25 studies were retrieved and reported mental and sexual health complications associated with FGM/C. Results Most studies, n = 13 studies reported on sexual health outcomes including sexual pain, orgasm and sexual desire problems at sexual arousal and difficulties in lubrication. Mental health outcomes were reported in four studies including depression which was most prominent followed by somatisation and anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and sleep disorder. Studies did not highlight combined mental and sexual health interventions. Conclusions The findings of this narrative synthesis reveal the need to prioritise provision of mental and sexual health care services for women with FGM/C. The study recommends strengthening of health systems in Africa through awareness building, training and capacity building of primary health and specialist health workers in offering mental and sexual health care to women with FGM/C. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Amref International University and Aga Khan University Hospital.

Maternal and child health policy: A global review of current practices and future directions

Maternal and child health remains a paramount concern worldwide, with policy frameworks playing a pivotal role in shaping outcomes for mothers and children. This paper provides a concise overview of the global landscape of maternal and child health policies, encompassing current practices and outlining key directions for the future. Current practices in maternal and child health policies vary significantly across regions and nations. Successful policies often integrate evidence-based interventions that span the continuum of care, from preconception to postpartum and early childhood. Maternal health policies typically focus on ensuring access to quality antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, and postnatal support. Child health policies emphasize immunization, nutrition, and early childhood development programs. However, disparities persist, reflecting the need for targeted interventions to address specific regional challenges. Future directions in maternal and child health policies emphasize a holistic and integrated approach. The global community recognizes the importance of addressing social determinants, promoting gender equity, and strengthening health systems to ensure comprehensive care for mothers and children. Innovations in digital health, community engagement, and cross-sectoral collaborations are identified as crucial components for improving policy effectiveness. Additionally, a life-course perspective, extending beyond childbirth to adolescence and beyond, is gaining prominence to address the evolving health needs of women and children. This paper provides a snapshot of the intricate landscape of maternal and child health policies globally. By understanding current practices and identifying future directions, policymakers, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders can contribute to advancing maternal and child health outcomes on a global scale.

Cross-country analysis of contextual factors and implementation strategies in under-5 mortality reduction in six low- and middle-income countries 2000-2015.

The Exemplars in Under-5 Mortality (U5M) was a multiple cases study of how six low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda, and Senegal, implemented health system-delivered evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to reduce U5M between 2000 and 2015 more effectively than others in their regions or with similar economic growth. Using implementation research, we conducted a cross-country analysis to compare decision-making pathways for how these countries chose, implemented, and adapted strategies for health system-delivered EBIs that mitigated or leveraged contextual factors to improve implementation outcomes in reducing amenable U5M. The cross-country analysis was based on the hybrid mixed methods implementation research framework used to inform the country case studies. The framework included a common pathway of Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Adaptation, andSustainment (EPIAS). From the existing case studies, we extracted contextual factors which were barriers, facilitators, or determinants of strategic decisions; strategies to implement EBIs; and implementation outcomes including acceptability and coverage. We identified common factors and strategies shared by countries, and individual approaches used by countries reflecting differences in contextual factors and goals. We found the six countries implemented many of the same EBIs, often using similar strategies with adaptations to local context and disease burden. Common implementation strategies included use of data by decision-makers to identify problems and prioritize EBIs, determine implementation strategies and their adaptation, and measure outcomes; leveraging existing primary healthcare systems; and community and stakeholder engagement. We also found common facilitators included culture of donor and partner coordination and culture and capacity of data use, while common barriers included geography and culture and beliefs. We found evidence for achieving implementation outcomes in many countries and EBIs including acceptability, coverage, equity, and sustainability. We found all six countries used a common pathway to implementation with a number of strategies common across EBIs and countries which contributed to progress, either despite contextual barriers or by leveraging facilitators. The transferable knowledge from this cross-country study can be used by other countries to more effectively implement EBIs known to reduce amenable U5M and contribute to strengthening health system delivery now and in the future.

Leveraging global investments forpolio eradication to strengthen health systems' resilience through transition.

Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, more than US$20 billion has been invested globally in polio eradication. The World Health Organization and its partners are currently supporting Member States to transition the functions used to eradicate polio to strengthen their health systems. This study analyses global polio activities through the lens of health systems and the Common Goods for Health (CGH). Polio activities include key health system functions such as surveillance and response systems and immunization, which are essential to maintaining resilient health systems. They also support essential functions such as policy development, planning, training and capacity building, which are often underfunded in many countries. To improve overall resilience, it is critical to continue to integrate these functions into local health systems so that the capacity built through the polio eradication programme can be used for broader public health purposes. It is vital that this integration process be tailored to each country's unique health system context, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. While integration of all polio activities into local health systems is ideal, the transition to domestic financing may be coordinated with other global health financing mechanisms. This would reduce funding fragmentation and transaction costs, and allow for a focus on health system functions as a whole rather than just disease-specific efforts. The transition to domestic financing of polio activities could be staggered, prioritizing the transition to domestic funding for activities with limited global externalities, while seeking longer-term external funding for those that are global CGH.

Immunisation coverage and factors associated with incomplete immunisation in children under two during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone

BackgroundRoutine childhood immunisation is one of the most important life-saving public health interventions. However, many children still have inadequate access to these vaccines and millions remain (partially) unvaccinated globally. As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health systems worldwide, its effects on immunisation have become apparent. This study aimed to estimate routine immunisation coverage among children under two in Sierra Leone and to identify factors associated with incomplete immunisation during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA cross-sectional household survey was conducted in three districts in Sierra Leone: Bombali, Tonkolili and Port Loko. A three-stage cluster sampling method was followed to enrol children aged 10–23 months. Information regarding immunisation status was based on vaccination cards or caretaker’s recall. Using WHO’s definition, a fully immunised child received one BCG dose, three oral polio vaccine doses, three pentavalent vaccine doses and one measles-containing vaccine dose. Following the national schedule, full immunisation status can be achieved at 9 months of age. Data were weighted to reflect the survey’s sampling design. Associations between incomplete immunisation and sociodemographic characteristics were assessed through multivariable logistic regression.ResultsA total of 720 children were enrolled between November and December 2021. Full vaccination coverage was estimated at 65.8% (95% CI 60.3%-71.0%). Coverage estimates were highest for vaccines administered at birth and decreased with doses administered subsequently. Adjusting for age, the lowest estimated coverage was 40.7% (95% CI 34.5%-47.2%) for the second dose of the measles-containing vaccine. Factors found to be associated with incomplete immunisation status were: living in Port Loko district (aOR = 3.47, 95% CI = 2.00-6.06; p-value < 0.001), the interviewed caretaker being Muslim (aOR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.25–3.02; p-value = 0.015) and the interviewed caretaker being male (aOR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.03–3.59, p-value = 0.039).ConclusionThough full immunisation coverage at district level improved compared with pre-pandemic district estimates from 2019, around one in three surveyed children had missed at least one basic routine vaccination and over half of eligible children had not received the recommended two doses of a measles-containing vaccine. These findings highlight the need to strengthen health systems to improve vaccination uptake in Sierra Leone, and to further explore barriers that may jeopardise equitable access to these life-saving interventions.

Humanitarian-Development Nexus: strengthening health system preparedness, response andresilience capacities to address COVID-19 inSudan-case study ofrepositioning external assistance model andfocus.

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the establishment of a new transitional government in Sudan with rejuvenated relations with the international community paved the way for external assistance to the EU COVID-19 response project, a project with a pioneering design within the region. The project sought to operationalize the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, perceiving the nexus as a continuum rather than sequential due to the protracted nature of emergencies in Sudan and their multiplicity and contextual complexity. It went further into enhancing peace through engaging with conflict and post-conflict-affected states and communities and empowering local actors. Learning from this experience, external assistance models to low- or middle-income countries (LMICs) should apply principles of flexibility and adaptability, while maintaining trust through transparency in exchange, to ensure sustainable and responsive action to domestic needs within changing contexts. Careful selection and diverse project team skills, early and continuous engagement with stakeholders, and robust planning, monitoring and evaluation processes were the project highlights. Yet, the challenges of political turmoil, changing Ministry of Health leadership, competing priorities and inactive coordination mechanisms had to be dealt with. While applying such an approach of a health system lens to health emergencies in LMICs is thought to be a success factor in this case, more robust technical guidance to the nexus implementation is crucial and can be best attained through encouraging further case reports analysing context-specific practices.

Impact of health system strengthening interventions on child survival in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review protocol

BackgroundStrengthening healthcare systems is a practical approach to enhance healthcare delivery and services. Although there has been a rise in the number of health systems strengthening (HSS) interventions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there is limited evidence on the causal effect of these activities on child survival. Furthermore, the findings reported so far have been varied, and how they relate to each other remains unclear. This systematic review study aims to assess all available evidence to understand the impact of HSS activities on child survival in SSA.MethodsWe developed a search strategy to retrieve all relevant studies from electronic databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and African Journals Online. We will use a combination of search terms such as “under-five mortality,” “child mortality,” “infant mortality,” “neonatal mortality,” “child survival,” and “health systems strengthening.” The review will include studies that establish a causal relationship between HSS interventions and child survival. This will include studies with designs such as randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental and methods like difference-in-difference. Two reviewers will independently screen all citations, abstracts, and full-text data and a third reviewer will act as a tiebreaker in case of disagreements. The primary outcome of interest is the impact of HSS activities on under-five survival. We will evaluate the quality of each study using the Bradford Hill criteria for causation.DiscussionOur systematic review will identify and evaluate all relevant evidence that establishes a causal relationship between HSS activities and the survival of children under five years in SSA. The review’s findings regarding the impact of HSS activities on child survival could be of significant interest to the donor community and policy actors in the region. We also anticipate that the review’s conclusions could serve as a valuable guide for the development of future health system interventions and strategies in SSA.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42022333913.

Antibiogram of Bacteria Isolated from Bloodstream Infection-Suspected Patients at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Northwest Ethiopia: A Retrospective Study.

Bacterial bloodstream infections (BSIs) are the leading cause of sepsis-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria is also a growing global concern. As a result, data on bacterial profile and their antibiogram are essential for strategies to contain drug resistance, improve the quality of patient care, and strengthen health systems. Retrospective data from bacteriological results of blood samples of BSI-suspected patients from 2018 to 2021 were collected using a data collection sheet. Standard bacteriological techniques were followed during sample collection, culture preparation, bacterial identification, and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST). We used Epi Info version 7 to enter and clean the data and then exported it to SPSS version 26 for analysis. Logistic regression models were used to measure the association between variables. A p value <0.05 with a 95% confidence interval was considered as statistically significant. Of the total 2,795 blood culture records, 455 (16.3%) were culture positive for bacteria, with Klebsiella pneumoniae (26%) and Staphylococcus aureus (24.6%) being the leading isolates. The isolates were highly resistant to common antibiotics, with more than 80% of them being resistant to ceftriaxone and penicillin. Moreover, about 43% of isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR), with Klebsiella pneumoniae (65.5%), Acinetobacter species (56.7%), and Citrobacter species (53.8%) being the most common MDR isolates. Age and diagnosis year were significantly associated with the presence of bacterial BSIs (p value <0.05). Bacterial BSI and AMR were growing concerns in the study area. Bacteremia was more common in children under the age of five, and it decreased as the patient's age increased. The alarming rate of AMR, such as MDR blood isolates, calls for periodic and continuous monitoring of antibiotic usage in the study area.

The rollout of paediatric dolutegravir and virological outcomes among children living with HIV in Mozambique.

In 2022, Mozambique introduced Dolutegravir 10mg (pDTG), as part of paediatric antiretroviral therapy for children weighing < 20 kg. Understanding real-world challenges during national rollout can strengthen health systems in resource-limited settings. We described the transition rate to, and new initiation of, pDTG, viral load suppression (VLS) post-pDTG, and factors associated with VLS among children living with HIV. We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving children aged < 9 years and abstracted data from clinical sources. We used logistic regression to assess VLS and pDTG initiation predictors. Of 1353 children, 1146 initiated pDTG; 196 (14.5%) had no recorded weight. Post-pDTG switch, 98.9% (950/961) of children maintained the same nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor backbone. After initiating Abacavir/Lamivudine+pDTG, 834 (72.8%) children remained on the regimen, 156 (13.6%) switched off (majority to Dolutegravir 50mg), 22 (1.9%) had ≥ 2 anchor drug switches; 134 (11.7%) had no documented follow-up regimen. Factors associated with pDTG initiation or switch were younger age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.71 [0.63-0.80]) and a recorded weight (AOR = 55.58 [33.88-91.18]). VLS among the 294 children with a viral load (VL) test after ≥ 5 months post-pDTG was 75.5% (n = 222/294). Pre-pDTG VLS rate among treatment-experienced children was 56.5% (n = 130/230). Factors associated with VLS were older age (AOR = 1.18 [1.03-1.34]) and previous VLS (AOR = 2.27 [1.27-4.06]). Most eligible children initiated pDTG per guidelines, improving post-pDTG VLS. Challenges included unexplained switches off pDTG after initiation, low VL coverage and inadequate documentation in clinic records.

ИСТОРИЧЕСКИЙ АНАЛИЗ, ОЦЕНКА И ГЛОБАЛЬНЫЕ ТЕНДЕНЦИИ ОЖИДАЕМОЙ ПРОДОЛЖИТЕЛЬНОСТИ ЗДОРОВОЙ ЖИЗНИ

The expected duration of a healthy life (hereinafter referred to as the life expectancy) estimates the number of years that a person is expected to live with good health. This concept is important to take into account the quality of life, not just its duration. Sullivan’s method of assessment of HPP combines data on mortality and health status. However, there are limitations such as subjectivity in the definition of “healthy”, data quality, and complexity of interpretation. Historically, the criterion of HPA has evolved, taking into account improvements in health and social conditions, including a more complete assessment of aspects of health and quality of life. Globally, there is a positive trend associated with the development of healthcare and medical technologies. There are differences in HPP between developed, developing and African countries. In Russia, there are also differences in health insurance by region related to socio-economic factors, access to medical care and lifestyle. Cities have a higher rate of HPP than rural areas and individual regions such as Siberia and the Caucasus. The analysis of the literature data revealed positive changes in healthy life expectancy in various countries. Japan, South Korea, the Scandinavian countries, Costa Rica, Iceland, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand showed significant increases in HDI associated with improved health care, socio-economic conditions, and health promotion programs. However, in Russia, problems such as health inequalities and health infrastructure constraints pose obstacles. Effective preventive measures, vaccinations, health promotion and lifestyle improvements are key factors in improving the world’s health. It is important to influence the social, economic and environmental aspects of health, strengthen health systems and promote healthy lifestyles for sustainable improvement of the HHS. Objective: to carry out a historical analysis, identify trends in the change of the GPI indicator and the main factors that contribute to the improvement of this indicator. Methods of work: critical analysis of scientific literature. Results: a review of the literature on the study of OPCW is conducted and the main factors of the change in OPCW are presented. Scope of application: proof of the need for the use of the indicator of the HPP. Summary conclusions: The analysis of global trends in HHS highlights the importance of continuous efforts to improve access to health care, socio-economic conditions, public health measures and lifestyle choices.

Digital health interventions for improving access to primary care in India: A scoping review.

Access to quality healthcare remains a challenge in low-and middle-income countries. Vulnerable populations with unmet needs face the greatest challenge in accessing primary care for appropriate and timely healthcare. The use of digital technologies can not only strengthen health systems but also improve access to health care, particularly for the vulnerable. This scoping review aims to assess the various digital health technologies and interventions available for improving access to primary care for the vulnerable in India. This scoping review employed the Joanna Brigg Institute's (JBI) guidelines and Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework. The literature search was conducted in Medline/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science-Core Collection, Scopus, AgeLine, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Group Specialised Register databases, using the keywords, such as 'Access', 'Healthcare', 'Assistive technology', 'Digital health' 'Vulnerable', 'India' and 'Healthcare technology'. A two-staged screening of titles and abstracts, followed by full-text was conducted independently by two reviewers, using the Rayyan software. Subsequently, the data was extracted from selected studies using a pre-designed and approved extraction form. The data was then synthesised and analysed narratively. The protocol for this review has been registered with open science forum (OSF) registries (https://osf.io/63pjw/). The search yielded about 3840 records, 3544 records were eligible for screening of titles and abstracts. We included seven studies after a two-round screening and identified seven different technological innovations developed to bridge gaps in access to primary care. The commonly used digital health interventions for improving access to primary care were virtual tele-health systems and mHealth applications in-built within an android smartphone or a tablet. Digital health interventions was either used as a standalone tele-health aid or a collaborative system for community workers, primary care physicians as well as the health service users. The purpose of these innovations was to increase awareness and knowledge to access support for specific aspects of healthcare. Virtual primary health care with the specialist in the hub supporting general physicians at the primary health centres in blocks and districts was another such model used for improving access to primary care. Digital health interventions was also used for mass community screening of disabilities, such as persons with hearing disability. To re-imagine a digitally empowered health systems in India, also inclusive of the vulnerable, it is important to inclusively conceptualise, systematically develop and rigorously evaluate any public health interventions including those that are enabled by digital health interventions to bridge the gaps in access to primary care in India. Such a strategy could address the paucity of evidence in public health interventions and provide sustainable strategies to strengthen health systems in India. Trial registration: Open Science Framework-Registration Link: https://osf.io/63pjw/.

Providing continuity of care for people living with noncommunicable diseases in humanitarian settings: A qualitative study of health actors' experiences in Lebanon

ObjectiveThe burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is increasing among populations living in humanitarian settings. Continuity of care (CoC) involves following an individual over time and across different levels of healthcare (management, longitudinal, informational and interpersonal continuity); it is an essential component of good quality, person-centred NCD care. Providing CoC is particularly challenging in humanitarian crises where health care access may be interrupted or restricted. This paper aimed to explore health actors’ experiences of continuity of hypertension and diabetes care for Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese in Lebanon. MethodsWe conducted 20 in-depth qualitative interviews with health actors, including eleven with health care providers at four urban-based health facilities supported by international humanitarian agencies that provide NCD care to Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese, one representative of a governmental institution, one international delegate and seven humanitarian actors. Thematic analysis, combining inductive and deductive approaches, was guided by a conceptual framework for NCD models of care in humanitarian settings. We reported our findings against the conceptual framework's domains relating to health system inputs and intermediate goals, reflecting on their impact on the domains of CoC. FindingsExisting health system weaknesses and novel challenges (the economic crisis, COVID-19 pandemic and Beirut blast) to continuity of NCD care were identified. Health system input challenges: governance and financing (weakened governance, limited central financing, historical dependence on local NGOs for primary healthcare, a dominant private sector), health workforce (exodus of health care providers from the public system), inconsistent medicines and equipment supplies, and limited health information systems (no unified system across institutions or levels of care, lack of formal referral systems, and inconsistent facility-level data collection) contributed to limited public primary care, poorly integrated within a fragile, pluralistic health system. These factors negatively impacted the intermediate health system goals of access, standardisation and quality of NCD care for Syrian refugee and Lebanese patients, and collectively hampered the management, longitudinal, informational and interpersonal continuity of NCD care in Lebanon. ConclusionWe recommend that humanitarian actors continue the work underway with the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health to align with and strengthen health system inputs, including supporting health governance through the accreditation process, exploring new funding mechanisms, strengthening the workforce via task sharing and training, supporting the medication supply chain, improving access to facilities and service quality, and supporting the development, standardisation and interoperability of referral and information systems. In combination, these elements will support better CoC for people living with hypertension and diabetes in Lebanon.

Health Systems Strengthening to Tackle the Global Burden of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease: A Diagonal Approach

Health Systems Strengthening to Tackle the Global Burden of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease: A Diagonal Approach

An Integrated Competency-based Curriculum for Undergraduate Medical Education Programme in Bhutan

Introduction: Training of health human resources is an integral component of strengthening health systems. In Bhutan, the postgraduate training programme commenced in 2014 and the undergraduate programme is scheduled to begin in 2024.Methods: The curriculum was drafted by a team of experts and reviewed over multiple rounds with medical educators, health administrators and field experts from within and outside the country. The curriculum was validated by a team of experts from the university and the medical council. The curriculum for the Bhutan Medicine Programme adopted an integrated approach for teaching-learning and assessments.Results: Core competencies have been defined to meet the needs of a graduate that is prepared to face the challenges of the present and the future. Learning objectives are constructively aligned with teaching-learning and assessment tools. The five-year programme includes the Foundation of Medicine, Early Clinical Exposure, System integration through module-based learning, Clinical rotations including professorial attachments and internship. Community medicine, behavioural sciences and medical humanities are incorporated through the first to fourth years. We foresee a challenge in the acceptance of an integrated curriculum from sections of senior clinicians and teachers who have been trained in a traditional curriculum. A series of faculty development programmes have been conducted to discuss advantages of an integrated approach.Conclusion: Implementation of an integrated curriculum requires adequate faculty together with faculty development. Faculty recruitment is ongoing at the time of publication.

Scaling up Surgical Capacity in Kenya: The Kenya Hospital Assessment Tool (K-HAT)

IntroductionAlthough substantial progress has been achieved to bring surgical care to the forefront of global health discussions, a number of low-and middle-income countries are still in the process of developing a National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anesthesia Plan (NSOAP). This paper describes the initial step toward the development of the NSOAP through the creation of the Kenya National Hospital Assessment Tool (K-HAT). MethodsA study protocol was developed by a multisectoral collaborative group that represented the pillars of surgical capacity development in Kenya. The K-HAT was adapted from two World Health Organization (WHO) tools: the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment tool and the Situational Analysis Tool. The survey tool was deployed on Open Data Kit, an open-source electronic encrypted database. This new locally adapted tool was pilot tested in three hospitals in Kenya and subsequently deployed in Level 4 facilities. ResultsEighty-nine questions representing over 800 data points divided into six WHO Health Systems Strengthening sections comprised the K-HAT which was deployed to over 95% of Level 4 hospitals in Kenya. When compared to the WHO Service Availability and Readiness Assessment tool, the K-HAT collected more detailed information. The pilot test team reported that K-HAT was easy to administer, easily understood by the respondents, and that it took approximately 1 hour to collect data from each facility. ConclusionsThe K-HAT collected comprehensive information that can be used to develop Kenya's NSOAP.

Co-implementation: collaborative and concurrent approaches to advance embedded implementation in the health sciences.

There is a global movement towards stakeholder engagement in healthcare research. This movement has been catalyzed by a need to create context relevant evidence of maximal utility to health service provision and policy. The concept of "co-implementation" has potential to inform and extend these discussions of partnership and to complement the growing literature on collaborative implementation. Attending to this concept may preempt conceptual confusion and provide opportunities for sustainable and context-responsive embedded research necessary for the strengthening of health systems. In this perspective article, I seek to advance the discussion of co-implementation through an examination of the concept and through consideration of it merits to the health sciences.

‘COVID-19 is just another way to die…’: a qualitative longitudinal study of frontline COVID-19 response governance across Syria

IntroductionGovernance of COVID-19 responses has been challenging for all countries. Syria has been particularly challenged due to protracted multiparty conflict and debilitated health systems fragmented across different areas of control....

Ensuring leadership at the operational level of a health system in protracted crisis context: a cross-sectional qualitative study covering 8 health districts in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

BackgroundThis study examines how leadership is provided at the operational level of a health system in a protracted crisis context. Despite advances in medical science and technology, health systems in low- and middle-income countries struggle to deliver quality care to all their citizens. The role of leadership in fostering resilience and positive transformation of a health system is established. However, there is little literature on this issue in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This study describes leadership as experienced and perceived by health managers in crisis affected health districts in Eastern DRC.MethodsA qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted in eight rural health districts (corresponding to health zones, in DRC’s health system organization), in 2021. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and non-participatory observations. Participants were key health actors in each district. The study deductively explored six themes related to leadership, using an adapted version of the Leadership Framework conceptual approach to leadership from the United Kingdom National Health Service’s Leadership Academy. From these themes, a secondary analysis extracted emerging subthemes.ResultsThe study has revealed deficiencies regarding management and organization of the health zones, internal collaboration within their management teams as well as collaboration between these teams and the health zone’s external partners. Communication and clinical and managerial capacities were identified as key factors to be strengthened in improving leadership within the districts. The findings have also highlighted the detrimental influence of vertical interventions from external partners and hierarchical supervisors in health zones on planning, human resource management and decision-making autonomy of district leaders, weakening their leadership.ConclusionsDespite their decentralized basic operating structure, which has withstood decades of crisis and insufficient government investment in healthcare, the districts still struggle to assert their leadership and autonomy. The authors suggest greater support for personal and professional development of the health workforce, coupled with increased government investment, to further strengthen health system capacities in these settings.

A practical tool for managing change: cross-sectional psychometric assessment of the safe surgery organizational readiness tool.

Strengthening health systems through planned safety and quality improvement initiatives is an imperative to achieve more equitable, resilient, and effective care. And yet, years of organizational behavior research demonstrate that change initiatives often fall short because managers fail to account for organizational readiness for change. This finding remains true especially among surgical safety and quality improvement initiatives in low-income countries and middle-income countries. In this study, our aim was to psychometrically assess the construct validity and internal consistency of the Safe Surgery Organizational Readiness Tool (SSORT), a short survey tool designed to provide change leaders with insight into facility infrastructure that supports learning and readiness to undertake change. To demonstrate generalizability and achieve a large sample size ( n =1706) to conduct exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), a collaboration between seven surgical and anesthesia safety and quality improvement initiatives was formed. Collected survey data from health care workers were divided into pilot, exploration, and confirmation samples. The pilot sample was used to assess feasibility. The exploration sample was used to conduct EFA, while the confirmation sample was used to conduct CFA. Factor internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Results of the EFA retained 9 of the 16 proposed factors associated with readiness to change. CFA results of the identified 9 factor model, measured by 28 survey items, demonstrated excellent fit to data. These factors (appropriateness, resistance to change, team efficacy, team learning orientation, team valence, communication about change, learning environment, vision for sustainability, and facility capacity) were also found to be internally consistent. Our findings suggest that communication, team learning, and supportive environment are components of change readiness that can be reliably measured prior to implementation of projects that promote surgical safety and quality improvement in low-income countries and middle-income countries. Future research can link performance on identified factors to outcomes that matter most to patients.