Articles

How should community health workers in fragile contexts be supported: qualitative evidence from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Democratic Republic of Congo

Community health workers (CHWs) are critical players in fragile settings, where staff shortages are particularly acute, health indicators are poor and progress towards Universal Health Coverage is slow. Like o...

Authors: Joanna Raven, Haja Wurie, Ayesha Idriss, Abdulai Jawo Bah, Amuda Baba, Gartee Nallo, Karsor K. Kollie, Laura Dean, Rosie Steege, Tim Martineau and Sally Theobald

Spatial distribution of the “Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program” and social vulnerability: an analysis of the Brazilian metropolitan regions

The “Mais Médicos (More Doctors) Program” established in 2013 by the Brazilian Government aimed to reduce inequalities by means of an emergency provision of physicians, the improvement of medical care service in ...

Authors: Aimê Oliveira, Jorge Otávio Maia Barreto, Sidclei Queiroga de Araújo and Leonor Maria Pacheco Santos

Knowledge, attitude, and preparedness toward IPV care provision among nurses and midwives in Tanzania

With increasing recognition of intimate partner violence (IPV) as a public health challenge, nurses and midwives are recognized for their crucial role in providing front-line healthcare services for IPV. This ...

Authors: Joel Seme Ambikile, Sebalda Leshabari and Mayumi Ohnishi

Involving systems thinking and implementation science in pharmacists’ emerging role to facilitate the safe and appropriate use of traditional and complementary medicines

The use of traditional and complementary medicines (TM/CMs) has become an increasingly popular part of healthcare and self-care practices across the world. While the benefits and risks of many TM/CMs are yet t...

Authors: Joanna E. Harnett, Shane P. Desselle, Hao Hu and Carolina Oi Lam Ung

Measuring motivation among close-to-community health workers: developing the CTC Provider Motivational Indicator Scale across six countries

Close-to-community (CTC) health service providers are a cost-effective and important resource in the promotion of and increasing access to health services. However, many CTC provider programmes suffer from hig...

Authors: Frédérique Vallières, Maryse Kok, Ilias Mahmud, Malabika Sarker, Philippa Jeacocke, Robinson Karuga, Licia Limato, Aschenaki Z. Kea, Kingsley Chikaphupha, Mohsin Sidat, Brynne Gilmore and Miriam Taegtmeyer

A cross-sectional study on preferred employment settings of final-year nursing students in Israel

Despite the growing demand for community nurses, their number remains relatively low. We examined perceptions of final-year nursing students regarding their preferred work setting after graduation and the fact...

Authors: Yael Sela, Keren Grinberg, Yair Shapiro and Rachel Nissanholtz-Gannot

Mentoring the working nurse: a scoping review

Mentoring programs for nurses already in the health workforce are growing in importance. Yet, the settings, goals, scale, and key features of these programs are not widely known.

Authors: Jerilyn Hoover, Adam D. Koon, Erica N. Rosser and Krishna D. Rao

Barriers to surgery performed by non-physician clinicians in sub-Saharan Africa—a scoping review

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces the highest burden of disease amenable to surgery while having the lowest surgeon to population ratio in the world. Some 25 SSA countries use surgical task-shifting from physicia...

Authors: Phylisha van Heemskerken, Henk Broekhuizen, Jakub Gajewski, Ruairí Brugha and Leon Bijlmakers

Correction to: Are the Global Strategic Directions for Strengthening Nursing and Midwifery 2016–2020 being implemented in countries? Findings from a cross-sectional analysis

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Onyema Ajuebor, Carey McCarthy, Yin Li, Sumaya Mohamed Al-Blooshi, Nonhlanhla Makhanya and Giorgio Cometto

Radiotherapy in the Caribbean: a spotlight on the human resource and equipment challenges among CARICOM nations

There is limited data on access to radiotherapy services for CARICOM nations.

Authors: Kellie Alleyne-Mike, Pearse Sylvester, Vladimir Henderson-Suite and Thana Mohoyodeen

Developing metrics for nursing quality of care for low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review linked to stakeholder engagement

The use of appropriate and relevant nurse-sensitive indicators provides an opportunity to demonstrate the unique contributions of nurses to patient outcomes. The aim of this work was to develop relevant metric...

Authors: David Gathara, Mathias Zosi, George Serem, Jacinta Nzinga, Georgina A. V. Murphy, Debra Jackson, Sharon Brownie and Mike English

Global Fund financing and human resources for health investments in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Despite the large investments in donor-related health activities in areas of the globe prone to tension and conflict, few studies have examined in detail the role of these donor investments in human resources ...

Authors: Adeyemi Okunogbe, Diana Bowser, Gulin Gedik, Saha Naseri, Ayat Abu-Agla and Najibullah Safi

Sustainable workforce: South African Audiologists and Speech Therapists

Audiologists and Speech Therapists play a vital role in addressing sustainable development goals by supporting people who are marginalised due to communication challenges. The global burden of disease and poor...

Authors: Mershen Pillay, Ritika Tiwari, Harsha Kathard and Usuf Chikte

Establishing voluntary certification of community health workers in Arizona: a policy case study of building a unified workforce

Community health workers (CHWs) are widely recognized as essential to addressing disparities in health care delivery and outcomes in US vulnerable populations. In the state of Arizona, the sustainability of th...

Authors: Maia Ingram, Samantha Sabo, Floribella Redondo, Yanitza Soto, Kim Russell, Heather Carter, Brook Bender and Jill Guernsey de Zapien

Building capacities of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) through a complementary mix of directed and self-directed skill-based learning—A case study in Pune District, Western India

Auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) play a pivotal role in provision of maternal and newborn health at primary level in India. Effective in-service training is crucial for upgrading their knowledge and skills for ...

Authors: Shilpa Karvande, Vidula Purohit, Somasundari Somla Gopalakrishnan, B. Subha Sri, Matthews Mathai and Nerges Mistry

Correction to: Gender inequality in the health workforce in the midst of achieving universal health coverage in Mexico

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Julio César Montañez-Hernández, Jacqueline Elizabeth Alcalde-Rabanal, Gustavo Humberto Nigenda-López, Gladis Patricia Aristizábal-Hoyos and Lorena Dini

Human resources for health interventions in high- and middle-income countries: findings of an evidence review

Many high- and middle-income countries face challenges in developing and maintaining a health workforce which can address changing population health needs. They have experimented with interventions which overl...

Authors: Sophie Witter, Mariam M. Hamza, Nahar Alazemi, Mohammed Alluhidan, Taghred Alghaith and Christopher H. Herbst

Accommodating conscientious objection in the midwifery workforce: a ratio-data analysis of midwives, birth and late abortions in 18 European countries in 2016

In recent years, the role of a midwife has expanded to include the provision of abortion-related care. The laws on abortion in many European countries allow for those who hold a conscientious objection to part...

Authors: Valerie Fleming, Clare Maxwell and Beate Ramsayer

Burnout in nursing: a theoretical review

Workforce studies often identify burnout as a nursing ‘outcome’. Yet, burnout itself—what constitutes it, what factors contribute to its development, and what the wider consequences are for individuals, organi...

Authors: Chiara Dall’Ora, Jane Ball, Maria Reinius and Peter Griffiths

Gender inequality in the health workforce in the midst of achieving universal health coverage in Mexico

The third Sustainable Development Goal aims to ensure healthy lives and to promote well-being for all at all ages. The health system plays a key role in achieving these goals and must have sufficient human res...

Authors: Julio César Montañez-Hernández, Jacqueline Elizabeth Alcalde-Rabanal, Gustavo Humberto Nigenda-López, Gladis Patricia Aristizábal-Hoyos and Lorena Dini

Reimagining the role of the nursing workforce in Uganda after more than a decade of ART scale-up

The expanding roles and increasing importance of the nursing workforce in health services delivery in resource-limited settings is not adequately documented and sufficiently recognized in the current literatur...

Authors: Henry Zakumumpa

How is increased selectivity of medical school admissions associated with physicians’ career choice? A Japanese experience

During the long-lasting economic stagnation, the popularity of medical school has dramatically increased among pre-medical students in Japan. This is primarily due to the belief that medicine is generally a re...

Authors: Reo Takaku

Redressing the gender imbalance: a qualitative analysis of recruitment and retention in Mozambique’s community health workforce

Mozambique’s community health programme has a disproportionate number of male community health workers (known as Agentes Polivalentes Elementares (APEs)). The Government of Mozambique is aiming to increase the...

Authors: Rosalind Steege, Miriam Taegtmeyer, Sozinho Ndima, Celso Give, Mohsin Sidat, Clara Ferrão and Sally Theobald

Mapping the peer-reviewed literature on accommodating nurses’ return to work after leaves of absence for mental health issues: a scoping review

The complexity of nursing practice increases the risk of nurses suffering from mental health issues, such as substance use disorders, anxiety, burnout, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The...

Authors: Christine L. Covell, Shamel Rolle Sands, Kenchera Ingraham, Melanie Lavoie-Tremblay, Sheri L. Price, Carol Reichert and Ivy L. Bourgeault

Adapting a health video library for use in Afghanistan: provider-level acceptability and lessons for strengthening operational feasibility

Community health workers (CHWs) in Afghanistan are a critical care extender for primary health services, including reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health (RMNCH) care. However, volunteer CHWs face ...

Authors: Lara Lorenzetti, Jenae Tharaldson, Subarna Pradhan, Sayed Haroon Rastagar, Shafiqullah Hemat, Sharif A. H. Ahmadzai, Lisa S. Dulli, Amy Weissman and Catherine S. Todd

Physicians’ perspective on shared decision-making in Dubai: a cross-sectional study

Shared decision-making (SDM) is an integral part of patient-centered delivery of care. Maximizing the opportunity of patients to participate in decisions related to their health is an expectation in care deliv...

Authors: Mohamad Alameddine, Reem AlGurg, Farah Otaki and Alawi A. Alsheikh-Ali

Why do graduates choose to work in a less attractive specialty? A cross-sectional study on the role of personal values and expectations

Primary health care (PHC), of which preventive medicine (PM) is a subspecialty, will have to cope with a deficiency of staff in the future, which makes the retention of graduates urgent. This study was conduct...

Authors: Van Anh Thi Nguyen, Karen D. Könings, E. Pamela Wright, Giang Bao Kim, Hoat Ngoc Luu, Albert J. J. A. Scherpbier and Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer

Pharmaceutical care in Chinese public tertiary hospitals: findings from the 4th National Healthcare Improvement Initiative Survey

Pharmaceutical care has been playing an increasingly critical role in Chinese hospitals. However, evidence about the most recent development of pharmaceutical care in China is limited. This study analyzed the ...

Authors: Mingshuang Li, Man Cao, Jing Sun, Yu Jiang and Yuanli Liu

How many and which physicians? A comparative study of the evolution of the supply of physicians and specialist training in Brazil and Spain

In the face of the medical workforce shortage, several countries have promoted the opening of medical schools and the expansion of undergraduate and specialization education in medicine. Few studies have compa...

Authors: Mário César Scheffer, Maria Pastor-Valero, Alex Jones Flores Cassenote and Antonio F. Compañ Rosique

A comparative analysis on human resources among the specialized ophthalmic medical institutions in China

This study compares perspectives on specialized ophthalmic medical institutions, identifies the gaps in property and geographic offerings, and explores the ways that ophthalmic medical institutions can better ...

Authors: Leilei Zhan, Neha Safaya, Hana Erkou, Lei An, Zhifeng Wang, Jingjing Feng and Xiao Xu

Using hospital auxiliary worker and 24-h TB services as potential tools to overcome in-hospital TB delays: a quasi-experimental study

In-hospital logistic management barriers (LMB) are considered to be important risk factors for delays in TB diagnosis and treatment initiation (TB-dt), which perpetuates TB transmission and the development of ...

Authors: Miguelhete Lisboa, Inês Fronteira, Paul H. Mason and Maria do Rosário O. Martins

A scoping review on family medicine in sub-Saharan Africa: practice, positioning and impact in African health care systems

Family medicine (FM) is a relatively new discipline in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), still struggling to find its place in the African health systems. The aim of this review was to describe the current status of F...

Authors: Maaike Flinkenflögel, Vincent Sethlare, Vincent Kalumire Cubaka, Mpundu Makasa, Abraham Guyse and Jan De Maeseneer

Coordinating health workforce management in a devolved context: lessons from Kenya

In 2013, Kenya fully and rapidly devolved health services to 47 county governments under its new constitution. It soon became evident that the coordination mechanism to manage the health workforce at a county ...

Authors: Mathew Kariuki Thuku, Janet Muriuki, Ummuro Adano, Linet Oyucho and David Nelson

Supervision as a tool for building surgical capacity of district hospitals: the case of Zambia

Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have adopted task shifting of surgical responsibilities to non-physician clinicians (NPCs) as a solution to address workforce shortages. There is resistance to delegating s...

Authors: Jakub Gajewski, Nasser Monzer, Chiara Pittalis, Leon Bijlmakers, Mweene Cheelo, John Kachimba and Ruairi Brugha

Can traditional bonesetters become trained technicians? Feasibility study among a cohort of Nigerian traditional bonesetters

Traditional bonesetters (TBS) provide the majority of primary fracture care in Nigeria and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). They are widely patronized and their services are commonly associated ...

Authors: Ndubuisi Onu Onyemaechi, Ijeoma Uchenna Itanyi, Paulinus Okechukwu Ossai and Echezona Edozie Ezeanolue

Research to support evidence-informed decisions on optimizing the contributions of nursing and midwifery workforces

Authors: James Buchan, James Campbell and Carey McCarthy

Changing demographic trends among South African occupational therapists: 2002 to 2018

South Africa’s quadruple burden of disease, coupled with health system challenges and other factors, predicts a high burden of disability within the population. Human Resources for Health policy and planning n...

Authors: Lieketseng Ned, Ritika Tiwari, Helen Buchanan, Lana Van Niekerk, Kate Sherry and Usuf Chikte

Gender imbalance in executive management positions at the Mexican National Institutes of Health

Around the world, there is a significant difference in the proportion of women with access to leadership in healthcare with respect to men. This article studies gender imbalance and wage gap in managerial, exe...

Authors: Lucero Soledad Rivera-Romano, Cristobal Fresno, Enrique Hernández-Lemus, Mireya Martínez-García and Maite Vallejo

Attitudes of anesthetists towards an anesthesia-led nurse practitioner model for low-risk colonoscopy procedures: a cross-sectional survey

The mounting pressure on the Australian healthcare system is driving a continual exploration of areas to improve patient care and access and to maximize utilization of our workforce. We hypothesized that there...

Authors: L. Weinberg, H. Grover, D. Cowie, E. Langley, M. Heland and D. A. Story

Caribbean nurse migration—a scoping review

The migration of Caribbean nurses, particularly to developed countries such as Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, remains a matter of concern for most countries of the region. With nursing vaca...

Authors: Shamel Rolle Sands, Kenchera Ingraham and Bukola Oladunni Salami

Assessment of dual practice among physicians in Cambodia

Dual practice and multiple job holding are widespread among health workers throughout the world. Although dual practice can help the financially strained public sector retain skilled workers, there are also po...

Authors: Keovathanak Khim, Laura N. Goldman, Kristin Shaw, Jeffrey F. Markuns and Vonthanak Saphonn

Clarifying workforce flexibility from a division of labor perspective: a mixed methods study of an emergency department team

The need for greater flexibility is often used to justify reforms that redistribute tasks through the workforce. However, “flexibility” is never defined or empirically examined. This study explores the nature ...

Authors: Sarah Wise, Christine Duffield, Margaret Fry and Michael Roche

The imperative of evidence-based health workforce planning and implementation: lessons from nurses and midwives unemployment crisis in Ghana

Following periods of health workforce crisis characterised by a severe shortage of nurses, midwives and doctors due to low production rates and excessive out-migration, the Government of Ghana through the Mini...

Authors: James Avoka Asamani, Ninon P. Amertil, Hamza Ismaila, Francis Abande Akugri and Juliet Nabyonga-Orem

Proposing a re-conceptualisation of competency framework terminology for health: a scoping review

Competency frameworks are being taken up by a growing number of sectors and for a broad range of applications. However, the topic of competency frameworks is characterised by conceptual ambiguity, misunderstan...

Authors: Jody-Anne Mills, James W. Middleton, Alison Schafer, Siobhan Fitzpatrick, Stephanie Short and Alarcos Cieza

Development of a toolkit for educators of the wheelchair service provision process: the Seating and Mobility Academic Resource Toolkit (SMART)

Insufficient wheelchair training among rehabilitation professionals has been identified as an important factor that hinders access to appropriate wheelchair services. The aim of this study was to develop a too...

Authors: Paula W. Rushton, Karen Fung, Mélina Gauthier, Mary Goldberg, Maria Toro, Nicky Seymour and Jon Pearlman

Uganda’s laboratory human resource in the era of global health initiatives: experiences, constraints and opportunities—an assessment of 100 facilities

Laboratories are vital in disease diagnosis, prevention, treatment and outbreak investigations. Although recent decades have seen rapid advancements in modernised equipment and laboratory processes, minimal in...

Authors: Suzanne N. Kiwanuka, Noel Namuhani, Martha Akulume, Simeon Kalyesubula, William Bazeyo and Angela N. Kisakye

Medical training for universal health coverage: a review of Cuba–South Africa collaboration

Achieving improvements in Universal Health Coverage will require a re-orientation of medical education towards a stronger focus on primary health care. Innovative medical curricula have been implemented in som...

Authors: Neil Squires, Susannah E. Colville, Kalipso Chalkidou and Shah Ebrahim

The role of private education in the selection of primary care careers in low and middle-income countries. Findings from a representative survey of medical residents in Brazil

Primary health care (PHC) doctors’ numbers are dwindling in high- as well as low-income countries, which is feared to hamper the achievement of Universal Health Coverage goals. As a large proportion of doctors...

Authors: Giuliano Russo, Alex J. Flores Cassenote, Aline G. Alves Guilloux and Mário César Scheffer

Is enhancing the professionalism of healthcare providers critical to tackling antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries?

Healthcare providers’ (HCPs) professionalism refers to their commitment and ability to respond to the health needs of the communities they serve and to act in the best interest of patients. Despite attention t...

Authors: Mishal S. Khan, Sothavireak Bory, Sonia Rego, Sovanthida Suy, Anna Durrance-Bagale, Zia Sultana, Sophea Chhorn, Socheata Phou, Chanra Prien, Sotheara Heng, Johanna Hanefeld, Rumina Hasan and Vonthanak Saphonn

What is known about paediatric nurse burnout: a scoping review

Burnout in healthcare providers has impacts at the level of the individual provider, patient, and organization. While there is a substantial body of literature on burnout in healthcare providers, burnout in pe...

Authors: Laura Buckley, Whitney Berta, Kristin Cleverley, Christina Medeiros and Kimberley Widger