The article from The Lancet Global Health discusses the "silent epidemic" of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Africa, emphasizing its status as an under-recognized yet significant health...an> issue. Although COPD is the third leading cause of death globally, it remains largely overlooked in African countries. The article highlights studies indicating varying prevalence rates of COPD across sub-Saharan Africa, with major risk factors including tobacco smoking and biomass smoke exposure. The findings suggest that COPD in Africa often affects younger age groups (30–40 years), likely due to early exposure to biomass smoke. The author calls for better education and training for healthcare providers and urges policymakers to address COPD through improved surveillance and effective prevention and treatment strategies.
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Antimicrobials are medicines, including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics, that are used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals, and plants. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) arises when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to these medicines, ren...dering them ineffective and making infections more difficult to treat. This resistance increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability, and death. Although AMR is a natural phenomenon driven by genetic
changes in pathogens, it is significantly accelerated by human activities such as the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in healthcare, agriculture, and animal husbandry.
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A Training Curriculum for Providers
Empowering Health Workers to Improve Service Delivery. This training program is designed to build the capacity of program managers and health providers...pan> in quality management, and improve the provision of high-quality health services.
Please download the chapters directly from the website: https://www.usaidassist.org/resources/kenya-quality-model-health-training-course-health-sector
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The primary audience for the guideline is policy makers and health programme managers of MNCH and immunization programmes in ministries of health where decisions are made and policies created on the... use and implementation of homebased records.
The guideline is also aimed at health providers who use home-based records as a tool for recording information and providing health education or communicating key information. Development and international agencies and non-governmental organizations that support the implementation of home-based records will also find this guideline of use.
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This study was an exploratory situation analysis assessing public and private service providers knowledge, attitudes and practice to treat possible severe bacterial infection (PSBI) among children less than six months of age.
Objectives of the Study:
To understand the community needs, behaviors and perception for MNH Iin urban poor settings.
To explore various factors (both demand and supply side) affecting care seeking for MNH.
To assess the preparedness of the urban... health system for providing MNH services at various levels of care in terms of infrastructures at various levels of care, HR availability and capacity, logistics, drugs & equipment, referral, recording & reporting, supervision, governance and financial modalities.
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Policy note: Cambodia Health Systems in Transition.
The health system includes a mix of public and private providers. The use of private ... class="attribute-to-highlight medbox">providers is much greater among the wealthy, while the use of informal-sector health providers is greater among the poor. Due to these circumstances there is considerable scope to establish appropriate public-private cooperation and to reinforce the regulatory mandate of the Ministry of Health (MOH).
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Adapted from the WHO's Decision-Making Tool for family
planning clients and providers
Poor quality health services are holding back progress on improving health in countries at all income levels.
Today, inaccurate diagnosis, medication errors, inappropriate or unnecessary treatm...ent, inadequate or unsafe clinical facilities or practices, or providers who lack adequate training and expertise prevail in all countries.
The situation is worst in low and middle-income countries where 10 percent of hospitalized patients can expect to acquire an infection during their stay, as compared to seven percent in high income countries. This is despite hospital acquired infections being easily avoided through better hygiene, improved infection control practices and appropriate use of antimicrobials.. At the same time, one in ten patients is harmed during medical treatment in high income countries.
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Background document to the 2018 joint statement by WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, ICM, ICN, FIGO and IPA: definition of skilled health personnel providing care during childbirth
Masangane Case Study
The Vesper Society commissioned ARHAP to do research on the integrated Masangane HIV/AIDS programme affiliated with the Moravian Church in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Completed in 2006, this study aimed to understand the role of the religious ... medbox">health assets of the Masangane ART programme for public health, as a model for a replicable response to HIV/AIDS. A crucial aspect of this research involved teasing out what value is added to this programme by its faith-based nature. Field work for this case study consisted of more than 20 key informant interviews of various stakeholders: Masangane staff and management; church leaders; health seekers; donors and health providers. Health seekers also answered 77 questionnaires and were involved in two focus groups.
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The 2007 Rwanda Service Provision Assessment (RSPA) was a national representative survey conducted in 538 health facilities throughout Rwanda. The survey covered hospitals, health centers, dispensar...ies and
health posts, including all public facilities such as government and government-assisted health facilities. The 2007 RSPA used interviews with health service providers and clients and observations of provider client consultations to obtain information on the capacity of facilities to provide quality services and the existence of functioning systems to support quality services. The areas addressed were the overall facility
infrastructure, maternal and child health, reproductive health, tuberculosis, malaria services; and services for sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. The objective was to assess the strengths and
weaknesses of the infrastructure and systems supporting these services, and to assess the adherence to standards in the delivery of services.
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The mhGAP community toolkit: field test version is an integral part of WHO's Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), and aims at scaling up services for people with mental health conditions to a...chieve universal health coverage.
The toolkit provides guidance for programme managers on how to identify local mental health needs and tailor community services to match these needs. It offers practical information and necessary tools for community providers to promote mental health, prevent mental health conditions and expand access to mental health services.
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Offers expanded content on social/emotional aspects of having cancer and how to talk with others including children; Features many direct quotes from patients, caregivers, providers; Specifies that cancer is not contagious; Corrects perc...eption that sin or wrongdoing causes cancer; Gives detailed information on managing side effects; Provides details on how to make appointments, register for treatment, account for wait times, and register for poverty certificate to cover treatment costs.
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The Road Map outlines various strategies which will guide policy makers, development partners, training institutions and service providers in supporting Government efforts towards the attainment of MDGs related to maternal and neonatal ...attribute-to-highlight medbox">health.
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Horizon Medical Education produce cpd courses for primary care health workers, mainly aimed at LMI's. They have users in Zambia and other countries in the region. The courses are downloadable audio ...modules supported by written resources and online testing.
In response to the pandemic they are producing free modules about coronavirus, these include what we currently know, how to treat, some public health messages and myth-busting.
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