This publication was developed in response to the need for a reference list of priority medical devices required for management of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), focusing on cardiovascular disease...s and diabetes, especially for low- and middle-income countries to support universal health coverage actions.
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This publication is based on the list of clinical interventions selected from clinical guidelines on prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, monitoring and end of life care. Th...is publication addresses medical devices for six types of cancer: breast, cervical, colorectal, leukemia, lung and prostate. The first section defines the global increase in cancer cases, the global goals to manage NCDs and the WHO activities related to these goals. The second section presents the methodology used for the selection of medical devices that support clinical interventions required to screen, diagnose, treat and monitor cancer stages, as well as the provision of palliative care, based on evidence-based information. The third section lists the priority medical devices required to manage cancer in seven different units of health care services: 1. Vaccination, clinical assessment and endoscopy, 2. Medical imaging and nuclear medicine, 3. Surgery, 4. Laboratory and pathology, 5. Radiotherapy, 6. Systemic therapy and 7. Palliative and end of life care
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Community-based strategies play a significant role in many health systems in low- and middle-income countries, especially in light of critical shortages in the health workforce. The term community health worker has been used to refer to volunteers a...nd salaried, professional or lay health workers with a wide range of training, experience, scope of practice and integration in health systems. In the context of this study, we use the term community-based practitioner (CBPs) to reflect the diverse nature of these cadres of health workers.
CBPs provide preventive, promotive, curative and palliative services across a range of areas, including reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, control of other endemic diseases, and noncommunicable diseases. Significant evidence has emerged over the past two decades on their effectiveness, which has triggered interest in the potential to use their services to expand access to care, in particular in rural and underserved areas where deployment and retention of more qualified health workers is problematic. Calls have been made to integrate CBP programmes in human resources and health strategies, and to scale up rapidly the extent and coverage of CBP initiatives.
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Health Care Facilities (HCFs) are primarily responsible for management of the healthcare waste generated within the facilities, including activities undertaken by them in the community. The health care facilities, while generating the waste are resp...onsible for segregation, collection, in-house transportation, pre-treatment of waste and storage of waste, before such waste is collected by Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment Facility(CBWTF) Operator. Thus, for proper management of the waste in the healthcare facilities the technical requirements of waste handling are needed to be understood and practiced by each category of the staff in accordance with the BMWM.
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A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Haiti at 8:30am local time at a depth of around 10km. The epicentre was recorded around 12km northeast of SaintLouis-du-Sud, about 125km west ...ss="attribute-to-highlight medbox">of the capital Port-au-Prince.
● In the aftermath of the devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti on 14 August, authorities report more than 2,200 people dead, at least 344 missing, over 12,000 injured and upwards of 130,000 homes damaged or destroyed.
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In the Region of the Americas, the leishmaniases are a group of diseases caused by various species of Leishmania, which cause a set ...tribute-to-highlight medbox">of clinical syndromes in infected humans that can involve the skin, mucosa, and visceral organs. The spectrum of clinical disease is varied and depends on the interaction of several factors related to the parasite, the vector, and the host. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the form most frequently reported in the Region and nearly 90% of cases present single or multiple localized lesions. Other cutaneous clinical forms, such as disseminated and diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis, are more difficult to treat and relapses are common. The mucosal form is serious because it can cause disfigurement and severe disability if not diagnosed and treated early on. Visceral leishmaniasis is the most severe form, as it can cause death in up to 90% of untreated people.
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What every clinician should know
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to large increases in healthcare waste, straining under resourced healthcare facilities and exacerbating environmental impacts from solid waste. This report quantifies the additional COVID-19 healthcare waste generated, describes current healthcare waste management syst...ems and their deficiencies, and summarizes emerging best practices and solutions to reduce the impact of waste on human and environmental health. The recommendations included in the report build on actions in the WHO manifesto for a healthy recovery from COVID-19: prescriptions and actionables for a healthy and green recovery. They target the global, national and facility levels to promote a “win–win” scenario for COVID-19 PPE use, testing and vaccinations that are safe and support environmental sustainability.
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This document includes the results of a rapid systematic review of current available literature. The information included in this review reflects the evidence as ...medbox">of the date posted in the document. In recognition of the fact that there are numerous ongoing clinical studies, PAHO will periodically update this review and corresponding recommendations as new evidence becomes available.
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It outlines key achievements, needs and opportunities for intervention in the field of rehabilitation in Ukraine. The content of this document is a snapshot in time – not an in-depth analysis ...n class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">of the entire rehabilitation sector. The analysis focuses on rehabilitation policy and governance, service provision, financing, information management and human resources, with the aim of improving access to high-quality rehabilitation services in Ukraine.
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The climate crisis has many consequences – among them widespread health impacts that will lead to immense societal, ecological, and economic harm.
Over the past two decades multiple large-scale reviews on climate change and health have made clear the need for a multi-sectoral approach to target t...he drivers and impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem degradation. Despite this abundance of scientific evidence underscoring urgency of action, policy implementation responses lag behind. Even at COP26, itself delayed due to an ongoing pandemic, health continues to be considered by many countries a problem independent from climate and environment.
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Responding to Outbreaks of Antimicrobial-resistant Pathogens in Health-care Facilities: Guidance for the Western Pacific Region is developed following requests from Member States in the Western Pacific Region for additional information and support i...n managing AMR outbreaks. It aims to provide: a step-by-step guide for health-care facilities to respond to AMR outbreaks; a practical resource for health-care workers to support AMR outbreak response in low- and middle-income countries; and practical guidance to implement effective AMR outbreak response policies and procedures in clinical settings.
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This collection of case studies on risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) from 18 different country/area level public health partners in the WHO European Region provides evidence of...> numerous results achieved and lessons learned since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. RCCE has not traditionally been an area where evidence of challenges and solutions was documented. With this compendium, we wanted to collect and share this evidence to support decision-making in this area of work.
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This manual is to assist health care providers and laboratory scientists to diagnose mycobacterium ulcerans disease (Buruli ulcer). The manual aims to achieve a better understanding of the clinical presentation and its diagnosis. The methods describ...ed are tailored to various levels of care and available resources to improve the diagnosis and surveillance of the disease.
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This report presents key findings from a study carried out on the ‘Mainstreaming quality of care in empanelled hospitals under PMJAY’. It provides a detailed analysis of current coverage and per...ceptions of quality accreditation and certification across PMJAY empanelled hospitals from three different states
(Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat).
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This publication represents a key step forward in translating Control of the leishmaniases (WHO Technical Report Series, No. 949) into a more practical tool for health personnel directly involved in the case management ...light medbox">of cutaneous leishmaniasis. With this manual, countries will have, for the first time, standardized diagnosis and treatment protocols, case definitions and indicators to enable them to easily track progress on cutaneous leishmaniasis case management across the Region. It will provide support to professionals in charge of cutaneous leishmaniasis, in order to alleviate the suffering of affected populations from this appalling disfiguring and stigmatizing neglected tropical disease.
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