Supportive supervision is considered critical to community health worker programme performance, but there is relatively little understanding of how it can be sustainably done at scale. Supportive supervision is a holistic concept that encompasses three key functions: management (ensuring performance...), education (promoting development) and support (responding to needs and problems). Drawing on the experiences of the ward-based outreach team (WBOT) strategy, South Africa’s national community health worker (CHW) programme, this paper explores and describes approaches to supportive supervision in policy and programme guidelines and how these are implemented in supervision practices in the North West Province, an early adopter of the WBOT strategy. Outreach teams typically consist of six CHWs plus a nurse outreach team leader (OTL).
more
The extensive use of natural resources threatens to exceed the carrying capacity of the Earth. The concept of a
circular economy offers an avenue to sustainable growth, good health and decent jobs, while saving the environment
and its natural resources. Further, the change from a linear economy (t...ake, make, dispose) to a circular economy (renew, remake, share) is expected to support significantly the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), particularly SDG 12 on responsible consumption and production.
more
Ocean plastic pollution has reached crisis level: every minute, more than an entire garbage truck of plastic makes its way into the world’s oceans—roughly 11 million metric tons annually. While plastic waste presents an immediate threat to marine wildlife and ecosystems, this global challenge al...so has implications for major industries such as fishing and tourism, impacting the livelihoods of millions of people. The drivers and impacts of ocean plastic pollution also contribute to global challenges in food security, human health, and climate change.
more
This helpdesk report seeks to establish what lessons have been learnt from the current and previous Ebola outbreaks. It recommends good practice and makes suggestions based on the evidence for good practice and preparedness to reduce transmission and prevent further risk and exposure in affected cou...ntries.
more
L’ulcère de Buruli, une infection causée par Mycobacterium ulcerans, touche plus de 33 pays dans le monde, mais un peu moins de la moitié seulement de ces pays communiquent régulièrement des données sur la maladie à l’OMS.
The WHO estimates that 19 million children aged 15 years or younger are visually impaired. Of these, 1.4 million are irreversibly blind and need visual rehabilitation interventions for full psychological and personal development. The remainder have visual problems that could be prevented or treated.... Identifying children with visual problems early in life so that they can benefit from medical and optical interventions remains a key challenge for most child eye health programmes. Reports from various low-and middle-income countries indicate that the age of children undergoing operation for cataract is frequently too high to achieve maximum benefit.
more
Report of the WHO/Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Consultation. The Consultation was organized back-to-back with the first annual meeting of the International Coordinating Group of the BMGF-funded project for human and dog rabies elimination in developing countries, held at WHO headquarters, Geneva,... Switzerland, from 5 to 7 October 2009. This allowed the Consultation to benefit from the participation of the national coordinators and advisers of the BMGF-funded projects in the Philippines, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal) and the United Republic of Tanzania
more
Little is known about foreign aid provided by private donors. This paper contributes to closing this research gap by comparing the allocation of private humanitarian aid to that of official humanitarian aid awarded to 140 recipient countries over the 2000-2016 period. We construct a new database tha...t offers information on the country in which the headquarters of private donors are located to test whether private donors follow the aid allocation pattern of their home country. Our empirical results confirm that private aid “follows the flag.” This finding is robust against the inclusion of various fixed effects, estimating instrumental variables models, and disaggregating private aid into corporate aid and NGO aid. Donor country-specific estimations reveal that private aid from China, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States “follow the flag.”
more
Background
Asthma education, a key component of long-term asthma management, is challenging in resource-limited settings with shortages of clinical staff. Task-shifting educational roles to lay (non-clinical) staff is a potential solution. We conducted a randomised controlled trial of an enhanced a...sthma care intervention for children in Malawi, which included reallocation of asthma education tasks to lay-educators. In this qualitative sub-study, we explored the experiences of asthmatic children, their families and lay-educators, to assess the acceptability, facilitators and barriers, and perceived value of the task-shifting asthma education intervention.
Methods
We conducted six focus group discussions, including 15 children and 28 carers, and individual interviews with four lay-educators and a senior nurse. Translated transcripts were coded independently by three researchers and key themes identified.
Results
Prior to the intervention, participants reported challenges in asthma care including the busy and sometimes hostile clinical environment, lack of access to information and the erratic supply of medication. The education sessions were well received: participants reported greater understanding of asthma and their treatment and confidence to manage symptoms. The lay-educators appreciated pre-intervention training, written guidelines, and access to clinical support. Low education levels among carers presented challenges, requiring an open, non-critical and individualised approach.
Discussion
Asthma education can be successfully delivered by lay-educators with adequate training, supervision and support, with benefits to the patients, their families and the community. Wider implementation could help address human resource shortages and support progress towards Universal Health Coverage.
more
As we approach World Asthma Day on the May 2, 2023, we reflect on the theme “ Asthma Care for All”. Prevalence of Asthma is increasing amongst children, adolescents and adults. Under-diagnosis, underutilization of inhaled corticosteroids, inaccessibility of treatment, and unaffordability of medi...cines are amongst the challenges that low-middle income countries are faced with. This commentary seeks to highlight the challenges, the resources available and to suggest recommendations that can be implemented to improve asthma care for all and reduce burden of asthma in Africa.
more
PLoS Negl Trop Dis 10(7): e0004794. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004794
La détection directe des protéines virales du SRAS-CoV-2 (antigènes) dans les écouvillons nasaux et autres sécrétions respiratoires à l'aide de tests immunologiques à flux latéral (également appelés tests de diagnostic rapide, TDR) offre une méthode plus rapide et moins coûteuse pour te...ster le SRAS-CoV-2 que la méthode de référence, les tests d'amplification des acides nucléiques (TAAN). Ces lignes directrices provisoires offrent des recommandations sur les utilisations prioritaires des tests de diagnostic rapide à détection d'antigène (TDR-Ag) dans des populations et des contextes spécifiques, notamment (i) pour la détection primaire des cas chez les personnes symptomatiques suspectées d'être infectées et les personnes asymptomatiques à haut risque de COVID-19, (ii) pour la recherche des contacts, (iii) pendant les enquêtes sur les épidémies et (iv) pour surveiller les tendances de l'incidence de la maladie dans les communautés. Les TDR-AG répondant aux exigences minimales de performance peuvent être utilisés en dehors des milieux cliniques et des laboratoires, y compris dans les communautés, par des opérateurs formés conformément aux instructions. Le guide fournit en outre des recommandations sur la mise en œuvre, la sélection des produits et le stockage
more
Une fois adoptée et mise en œuvre, la stratégie contribuera à réduire sensiblement les nouvelles infections sexuellement transmissibles et les décès connexes (ainsi que les mortinatalités et le cancer du col de l’utérus), tout en améliorant la santé individuelle, la santé sexuelle des ...hommes et des femmes, et le bien-être de tous. Elle va orienter les efforts visant à : accélérer et cibler l’essentiel des actions de prévention en renforçant des approches à la fois comportementales, biomédicales et structurelles ; faciliter l’accès individuel à l’information concernant le statut personnel vis-à-vis des infections sexuellement transmissibles ; améliorer l’accès au traitement et à l’éventail complet des soins de longue durée, le cas échéant ; et combattre la stigmatisation et la discrimination généralisées. Le projet de stratégie encourage une démarche centrée sur la personne et fondée sur les principes des droits fondamentaux, de l’égalité entre les sexes et de l’équité en santé.
more
Emerging evidence and experience to inform risk management in a warming world
A tutorial for trainers in healthcare settings
Version 2: 2 Dec 2014
"The document focuses on an extended set of PPE components, which includes goggles, respirators, gloves,
coveralls and footwear. Used properly, these PPE components can provide effective protection even from airborne
transmissi...on. The presented PPE components can be used in a variety of settings and also in different
combinations. At the same time, the tutorial shall encourage trainers and users to understand the rationales behind
the different approaches. "
more