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Egger, Joseph R; Stankevitz, Kayla; Korom, Robert; Angwenyi, Philip; Sullivan, Brittney; Wang, Jun; Hatfield, Sonia; Smith, Emma; Popli, Karishma; Gross, Jessica
doi: 10.1093/heapol/czx004pmid:
Hernandez, Bernardo; Colombara, Danny V.; Gagnier, Marielle C.; Desai, Sima S.; Haakenstad, Annie; Johanns, Casey; McNellan, Claire R.; Nelson, Jennifer; Palmisano, Erin B.; Ríos-Zertuche, Diego; Schaefer, Alexandra; Zúñiga-Brenes, Paola; Iriarte, Emma; Mokdad, Ali H.
Malik, Muhammad Ashar; Nahyoun, Abdul Sattar; Rizvi, Arjumand; Bhatti, Zaid Ahmad; Bhutta, Zulfiqar Ahmad
doi: 10.1093/heapol/czx021pmid: 28334970
AbstractSince 2001 substantial resources have been allocated to the reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health sector (RMNCH) in Pakistan. Many new programmes have been started and coverage of some existing programmes has been extended to un-served and rural areas. Despite these efforts the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 were not achieved (2000–15). Maternal Mortality Ratio was reduced to 170 per 100 000 live births (target 100) by 2013 at an annual reduction rate of 3.6% (1990–2013). Against the target of 46 per 1000 live births, the Under Five Mortality Rate was reduced to 81 per 1000 live births by 2015 at an annual reduction rate of 2.1% (1990–2015). We evaluated the comparative expenditures for the RMNCH sector and analysed impact of public expenditures on the use of the public facilities for the RMNCH services. Expenditure on RMNCH increased by 181% (2000–10), reaching PKR 628.79 billion (US$9.67 billion). The Share of the RMNCH expenditure in the total health expenditure increased from 16 to 21% (2005–10). The share of official development assistance for the RMNCH increased from 36 to 51% (2003–10). Equity was modestly achieved with a greater proportion of the poor using public facilities for the childhood diarrhoea (Concentration Index −0.06 in 2001–02 to − 0.11 in 2010–11) and reduction in the proportion of the rich using the public health facilities for institutional births (Concentration Index 0.30 in 2001–02 to 0.25 in 2010–11). Overall the RMNCH disease control programmes focused on vertical primary health approach and targeted the district health system in the un-served areas. Our findings confirm that diseconomies of scale, donor dependence and supply side perspective could only result in a modest progress towards achieving the MDGs. We call for urgent attention of the policy makers for the integration of the vertical and the routine primary health care and reliance on indigenous sustainable healthcare financing. We also recommend acknowledging economic perspective on health policy and health programmes.
Mohan, Diwakar; LeFevre, Amnesty E; George, Asha; Mpembeni, Rose; Bazant, Eva; Rusibamayila, Neema; Killewo, Japhet; Winch, Peter J; Baqui, Abdullah H
doi: 10.1093/heapol/czx005pmid: 28334973
AbstractThe ‘continuum of care’ is proposed as a key framework for the delivery of maternal, neonatal and child health services. This study examined the extent of dropout as well as factors associated with retention across the MNCH continuum from antenatal care (ANC), through skilled birth attendance (SBA), to postnatal care (PNC).We analyzed data from 1931 women who delivered in the preceding 2–14 months, from a two-stage cluster sampling household survey in four districts of Tanzania’s Morogoro region. The survey was conducted in 2011 as a part of a baseline for an independent evaluation of a maternal health program. Using the Anderson model of health care seeking, we fitted logistic models for three transition stages in the continuum.Only 10% of women received the ‘recommended’ care package (4+ ANC visits, SBA, and 1+ PNC visit), while 1% reported not having care at any stage. Receipt of four ANC visits was positively associated with women being older in age (age 20–34 years—OR: 1.77, 95%CI: 1.22–2.56; age 35–49 years—2.03, 1.29–3.2), and knowledge of danger signs (1.75, 1.39 –2.1). A pro-rich bias was observed in facility-based deliveries (proxy for SBA), with women from the fourth (1.66, 1.12–2.47) and highest quintiles of household wealth (3.4, 2.04–5.66) and the top tertile of communities by wealth (2.9, 1.14–7.4). Higher rates of facility deliveries were also reported with antenatal complications (1.37, 1.05–1.79), and 4+ ANC visits (1.55, 1.14–2.09). Returning for PNC was highest among the wealthiest communities (2.25, 1.21–4.44); catchment areas of a new PNC program (1.89, 1.03–3.45); knowledge of danger signs (1.78, 1.13–2.83); community health worker counselling (4.22, 1.97–9.05); complicated delivery (3.25, 1.84–5.73); and previous health provider counselling on family planning (2.39, 1.71–3.35).Dropout from maternal care continuum is high, especially for the poorest, in rural Tanzania. Interactions with formal health system and perceived need for future services appear to be important factors for retention.
doi: 10.1093/heapol/czx022pmid: 28335014
AbstractThe objective of this article is to analyse and quantify the side effects of the Polio Eradication Initiative on routine immunization performance in India. Past studies have faced methodological challenges in assessing these side effects. This article offers a methodological alternative for health policy analysts. The research uses secondary household survey data from the Indian District-Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS), focusing on children aged 10–30 months in the Northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh (n = 34 327) and Bihar (n = 20 525). Covering the years 2002–08, this is the latest large-scale data from India that enables the matching technique used in this article. District-level programme intensity data of the Polio Eradication Initiative in India were reconstructed using publicly available resources. The methodological innovation compared with previous studies consists of matching each child in the DLHS data set with a child-specific value of programme exposure depending on its district of residence, its birth date, and the date of the survey interview. Average and age-specific associations between polio programme exposure and children’s full immunization status were assessed using logistic regression, controlling for other determinants of immunization. The regression results show that the link is negative in Uttar Pradesh and positive in Bihar. Age-specific analysis shows that the positive association diminishes for older children in Bihar and that a negative association emerges and becomes increasingly pronounced for older children in Uttar Pradesh. This indicates that heterogeneous results emerge across two neighbouring states with similar programme intensity and suggests that the catch-up of unvaccinated older children may be a channel through which negative effects accrue. The method described in this article, based on an analytical focus on individual-level programme exposure, can therefore help health policy implementers and evaluators to illuminate positive or negative interactions between a health intervention and a health system.
Techakehakij, Win; Arora, Rajin
doi: 10.1093/heapol/czx026pmid: 28334994
AbstractPhysician scarcity in rural areas is a major obstacle to healthcare access, leading to health inequity worldwide. In Thailand, a special recruitment program of medical education [Collaborative Project to Increase Production of Rural Doctors (CPIRD)] was initiated with four different medical training tracks. No previous research has examined the rural retention of new medical graduates across the CPIRD tracks, compared with those receiving conventional medical education (Normal track). This study examines the public retention of rural physicians from different tracks of entry. A retrospective study was conducted in new medical graduates who entered Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) hospitals from January 2003 to October 2014, and followed up until June 2015, using administrative data from the Personnel Administration Division, MoPH. The CPIRD registry database was used to identify physicians’ tracks of entry. Survival analyses and multiple logistic regression analyses were applied to compare the annual retention and the probability of 3-year retention of rural physicians. Results clearly demonstrated a high rural retention of CPIRD medical graduates, compared with their Normal track peers, regarding both lower annual resignation (HR 0.456, P < 0.001) and higher 3-year retention (OR 2.441, CI: 2.192, 2.719). Some variations of rural retention were revealed across the different CPIRD tracks. Evidence from this study can be used as part of the information to reshape the physician production policy to reduce health inequity in rural areas.
Pérez-Cuevas, Ricardo; Guanais, Frederico C.; Doubova, Svetlana V.; Pinzón, Leonardo; Tejerina, Luis; Pinto Masis, Diana; Rocha, Marcia; Harris, Donna O.; Macinko, James
doi: 10.1093/heapol/czx020pmid: 28335011
Showing 1 to 10 of 18 Articles
AbstractBackground Mid-level care providers serve as the backbone of primary care in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Despite this, research suggests that the quality and consistency of this care is uneven. This study assessed the degree to which a set of four simple, low-cost interventions could improve adherence to a set of clinical quality measures (CQMs) associated with four common health conditions seen in a resource-constrained primary care setting.Methods A quasi-experimental, longitudinal study was carried out in three primary care clinics in Nairobi, Kenya from August 2014 to January, 2015. Mid-level clinical officers (COs) at each clinic participated in four interventions aimed at improving CQM adherence. A group of temporary COs acted as a control group. Clinical encounter data were abstracted from eligible medical charts and assessed for CQM adherence. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were then fitted to these data to determine whether adherence to CQMs improved over time, and if this adherence differed by provider type and other characteristics.Results Adherence to CQMs increased from 41.4% to 77.1% for COs that took part in the intervention, and dropped slightly from 26.5% to 21.8% for temporary COs over the 6-month study period. This difference was statistically different between treatment groups and suggests that environmental interventions alone cannot change behaviour. Adherence also varied significantly by health condition, but did not vary by provider gender, age or clinic site.Conclusions This study demonstrates the potential for low-tech, low-cost interventions to improve the quality of care delivered by mid-level care providers in resource-constrained settings. Given the widespread utilization of mid-level care providers across sub-Saharan Africa, multicomponent interventions such as this one, that consist of simple educational modules and clinic-based feedback sessions, could lead to substantial improvements in the quality of primary care in these settings.
doi: 10.1093/heapol/czx010pmid: 28335004
AbstractProfessional skilled care has shown to be one of the most promising strategies to reduce maternal mortality, and in-facility deliveries are a cost-effective way to ensure safe births. Countries in Mesoamerica have emphasized in-facility delivery care by professionally skilled attendants, but access to good-quality delivery care is still lacking for many women. We examined the characteristics of women who had a delivery in a health facility and determinants of the decision to bypass a closer facility and travel to a distant one. We used baseline information from the Salud Mesoamerica Initiative (SMI). Data were collected from a large household and facilities sample in the poorest quintile of the population in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The analysis included 1592 deliveries. After controlling for characteristics of women and health facilities, being primiparous (RR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.10, 1.21), being literate (RR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.04, 1.48), having antenatal care (RR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.24, 2.27), being informed of the need for having a C-section (RR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.02, 1.11) and travel time to the closest facility totaling 1–2 h vs under 30 min (RR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.77, 0.99) were associated with in-health facility deliveries. In Guatemala, increased availability of medications and equipment at a distant facility was strongly associated with bypassing the closest facility in favor of a distant one for delivery (RR = 2.10, 95% CI 1.08, 4.07). Our study showed a strong correlation between well-equipped facilities and delivery attendance in poor areas of Mesoamerica. Indeed, women were more likely to travel to more distant facilities if the facilities were of higher level, which scored higher on our capacity score. Our findings call for improving the capacity of health facilities, quality of care and addressing cultural and accessibility barriers to increase institutional delivery among the poor population in Mesoamerica.
AbstractThe opinions and experiences of the public regarding health services are valuable insights into identifying opportunities to improve healthcare systems. We analyzed the 2012–2013 Public Opinion Health Policy Survey carried out in Brazil (n = 1486), Colombia (n = 1485), El Salvador (n = 1460), Jamaica (n = 1480), México (n = 1492) and Panama (n = 1475). In these countries between 82 and 96% of participants perceived that their health systems needed fundamental changes. The most frequent barrier to access to healthcare was lack of the primary medical home, difficulties in obtaining medical care during the weekends and financial barriers. Type of health insurance and challenges in obtaining medical care during the weekends were associated with an increased opinion for the need for fundamental changes in healthcare systems, whereas having a primary medical home showed a protective effect. Focusing on tackling organizational and financial barriers and ensuring access to a primary medical home should be placed on the agenda of Latin American countries.