PUBLICATION: Paying for performance to improve the delivery of health interventions (systematic review)

Paying for performance to improve the delivery of health interventions
in low- and middle-income countries (Review)

Sophie Witter1, Atle Fretheim2,5, Flora L Kessy3, Anne Karin Lindahl4
1Immpact, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK. 2Global Health Unit, Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services, Oslo, Norway. 3Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 4Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services, Oslo, Norway. 5Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD007899

Available online PDF [83p.] at: http://bit.ly/wAk4Gf

“…..There is a growing interest in paying for performance as a means to align the incentives of health workers and health providers with public health goals. However, there is currently a lack of rigorous evidence on the effectiveness of these strategies in improving health care and health, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Moreover, paying for performance is a complex intervention with uncertain benefits and potential harms.
A review of evidence on effectiveness is therefore timely, especially as this is an area of growing interest for funders and governments.

Objectives
To assess the current evidence for the effects of paying for performance on the provision of health care and health outcomes in low and middle-income countries.

Search methods
We searched more than 15 databases in 2009, including the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group Specialised Register (searched 3March 2009), CENTRAL (2009, Issue 1) (searched 3March 2009),MEDLINE, Ovid (1948 to present) (searched 24 June 2011), EMBASE, Ovid (1980 to 2009Week 09) (searched 2March 2009), EconLit, Ovid (1969 to February 2009) (searched 5 March 2009), as well as the Social Sciences Citation Index, ISI Web of Science (1975 to present) (searched 8 September 2010). We also searched the websites and online resources of numerous international agencies, organisations and universities to find relevant grey literature and contacted experts in the field. We carried out an updated search on the Results-Based Financing website in April 2011, and re-ran the MEDLINE search in June 2011.

Selection criteria
Pay for performance refers to the transfer of money or material goods conditional on taking a measurable action or achieving a predetermined performance target. To be included, a study had to report at least one of the following outcomes: changes in targeted measures of provider performance, such as the delivery or utilisation of healthcare services, or patient outcomes, unintended effects and/or changes in resource use. Studies also needed to use one of the following study designs: randomised trial, non-randomised trial ….”

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology – Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ KMC Area]
Washington DC USA
“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.

 

PUBLICATION: Women, food insecurity and obesity: why women should lead food policy

Food security has important implications for women’s health. Food security means that a person is able to access safe, nutritionally adequate and personally acceptable foods at all times in a dignified way.

In 2001, 9.2% of Canadian households were food insecure, most of which depended on social assistance as the primary source of income. In Manitoba women are more likely to live in poverty than men and therefore face the highest risk of food insecurity.

For more information, please visit: http://www.cehe.ca/node/121

Call For Papers: EH+ Writing Workshop 2.0

Graduate students and new scholars are invited to submit proposals for the second NiCHE-funded writing workshop in environmental history at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario (31 May – 1 June 2012). Prospective participants should send a 300-word abstract of their topic by 2 March 2012 to receive consideration. The abstract should outline topic, argument, and archival sources. The focus of this year’s workshop will be academic publishing, with specific focus on article-length pieces. The workshop’s format will consist of peer discussion of pre-circulated papers, accompanied by short presentations on a variety of topics ranging from the mechanics of article submission and the peer review process to readability and accessibility in scholarly writing.

Final papers should be clean drafts, ready for journal submission on an environmental history topic. They should adhere to the word count and formatting requirements of their intended publication, and should strive for clarity and accessibility as much as possible. In addition to submitting a paper, participants will also be required to submit a two-minute video, describing the topic and themes as succinctly as possible, the intended audience (ie. journal title), and any particular issues they would like peer readers to consider or evaluate in reading the piece.
Limited funding is available to help defray the cost of travel to and from Hamilton and accommodation; preference will be given to NiCHE members, but others are encouraged to apply. Inquiries can be directed to Michael Egan (egan@mcmaster.ca).
Deadlines:
2 March 2012: deadline for submission of 300-word abstracts
9 March 2012: invitations distributed
30 April 2012: deadline for submission of pre-circulated papers & video synopses

Call for Papers: Men and Women in History of Environment

 
Source: www.knol.google.com
The Italian journal ‘Genesis. Rivista della Societá Italiana delle Storiche’ invites scholars to submit article proposals for a special issue on women and men in the history of the environment. Articles in Italian, English, French or Spanish will be considered for publication.
This issue aims to stimulate reflection on the possible intersections between gender and environmental history through a variety of topics, places and historical periods, thus offering a comprehensive view on the state of research in this area, and of its future possibilities.
Contributions that develop along the following themes are especially solicited:

Representations of nature through gendered metaphors and symbols in different discursive areas: e.g. in mechanicism, in evolutionism, in political economy, in nationalism, in colonial propaganda, in environmentalism, etc.
Women’s and men’s experience in colonial and post-colonial contexts: e.g. the agro-ecological transformation in colonial settlements; participation in indigenous rights movements; ecosystem destructions as a military strategy; megaprojects as power strategies.
The environment and gendered bodies: e.g. the effects of environmental/industrial damage upon sexual and reproductive health; different ways of nowing/experiencing/evaluating environmental risk; transformations of men and women’s work and family/community relations as a consequence of environmental change (e.g. consequences of pesticide use upon farmworkers; the impact of asbestos upon factory workers)
Men’s and women’s contributions to the rise of an environmental consciousness and their different role within environmental/health protection movements: e.g. different attitudes towards the environment and environmental discourse; forms of militancy, committment and organization; gender prejudice and stigma in anti-environmentalist discourse
The contributions can privilege both the collective and the individual dimension of men and women’s environmental agency. The articles selected for publication must be delivered in final form (up to 60,000 characters, including spaces and notes) by July10, 2012 and will undergo a peer reviewing process, anonymous in both directions.
Proposals should include: title, abstract (300 words maximum), and author’s short bio, and should be sent by March 10, 2012 to: Stefania Barca (sbarca@ces.uc.pt) and Laura Guidi (guidi@unina.it).

 

WORKSHOP – Summer Program on Global Health Law and Governance

Summer Program on Global Health Law and Governance

June 18-22, 2012 at Washington DC USA

O’Neill Institute’s inaugural Summer Program on Global Health Law and Governance will include practitioners, policymakers, advocates and leading academics in global health to learn the foundations of global health law and governance

To apply, please visit the following website: http://bit.ly/wDUfI0 .

Over a five-day period, the Summer Program will bring together practitioners, policymakers, advocates and leading academics in global health to learn the foundations of global health law and governance. Georgetown Law and is open to all (lawyers and non-lawyers).

Participants will explore such cutting-edge issues as:
– International trade and health
– The International Health Regulations
– The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
– Health and human rights
– Non-communicable diseases

The Summer Program is co-directed by Professors Lawrence Gostin and Allyn Taylor.
The faculty of the Summer Program consists of other leading global health law experts from the O'Neill Institute, international institutions, such as the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, academia, and legal practice

To apply for the O’Neill Institute Summer Program applicants should complete and submit the application form by May 1, 2012.

Limited tuition assistance is available and may be awarded based on financial need and demonstrated potential for excellence within the field of global health.

If you would like to be considered for tuition assistance, please complete the additional essay portion of the application
Tuition waiver applications will be considered through March 30, 2012

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology – Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ KMC Area]
Washington DC USA
“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.

RESOURCE: Health Policy Toolkit

Health Policy Toolkit

The World Bank

Available at: http://bit.ly/zp8Ysm

Health Policy Toolkit, which offers health policy stakeholders and practitioners online access to a growing collection of information about policies and practices that can help enhance the contribution of the private sector to important health goals in developing countries.

The Toolkit includes links to key policy resources in a variety of formats.

Module 1: Fundamentals
This module discusses health systems, the policy cycle, public sector stewardship towards the private health sector, the importance of the private health sector, and policy mechanisms governments can use to better engage the private health sector.
In this module:
•Health systems and the policy cycle;
•The concepts of stewardship and engagement;
•Actors involved in the private health sector;
•Why the private health sector matters and who uses it;
•Policy instruments to engage the private health sector.
.
Module 2: Assessment
This module helps stakeholders including policymakers, technical staff, businesses and financial institutions to understand how to better engage the public and private sectors through the results of an assessment process.
The reader will understand:
•Health systems frameworks for a health sector assessment
•The dimensions of a health sector assessment
•The dynamics of a private health sector assessment process
•Options for sources of secondary data
•The types of instruments which can be used for primary data collection
•Steps in the assessment process
.
Module 3: Engagement
This module focuses on engaging with the private health sector by designing, implementing, and evaluating a public private dialogue.
The reader will:
•Be able to define engagement, public private dialogue, and public-private partnership and understand the major policy instruments used to collaborate with the private health sector.
•Understand the stages of the policy cycle and how it relates to a public private dialogue.
•Know the essential elements to consider when designing and implementing a public-private dialogue project in health.
.
Module 4: Capacity Development
This module provides policymakers and capacity builders with tools to better understand how to work with the private health sector.
The reader will:
•Review the concept of capacity development and how it relates to policy engagement and private health sector assessment;
•View a sample course agenda and training materials on strategies for strengthening private health policy to achieve health goals;
•Understand how to conduct a private health sector assessment;
•Gain exposure to policy instruments for engaging the private sector.
.
Public-Private Dialogue Handbook (pdf, 3.84mb) http://bit.ly/A9nIOt

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology – Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ KMC Area]
Washington DC USA
“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.

 

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: research to develop and test leadership development programmes in health policymaking

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: WHO call for research to develop and test leadership development programmes in health policymaking
23 February 2012
 
Research in maternal, newborn and child health, and neglected infectious diseases has advanced significantly in recent years. Most research, however, has focused on the development of new interventions rather than optimizing the delivery of existing interventions. The Implementation Research Platform (IRP) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) was established in 2010 to understand better the reasons why policymakers do not always demand, access and use the evidence that would help to achieve MDGs 4, 5 and 6, and to develop and test practical solutions to these problems.
 
IRP has just issued a call to develop and test leadership development programmes for health policy and management decision-makers.
The overall goal of this call is to enhance health policy and management decision-making processes in low- and middle-income countries . Two awards up to USD $275,000 each will be provided to institutions for a two-year study period. For more information and contact details, please go to the DFID funding opportunities page or visit the WHO website. The work to be funded seeks to identify and test models of leadership development to strengthen the capacity of decision-makers to demand, access and use research.
The IRP was launched in November 2010 as a collaboration among WHO Departments and Partners with a goal of promoting and supporting Implementation Research to accelerate progress on health-related MDGs.
 
Interested applicants should submit a one-pager of intent by 10 March 2012
 
Deadline for submission proposals: 15 April 2012
Last updated: 23 Feb 2012
 

Call for Abstracts – Second Global Symposium on Health Systems research

Call for Abstracts – Second Global Symposium on Health Systems research

Inclusion and Innovation Towards Universal Health Coverage

Beijing, People's Republic of China
31 October- 3 November 2012

Website: http://bit.ly/98rtGV

You can submit an abstract for an oral presentation, a poster or a video film! at http://bit.ly/zA8KHl

“…………..The Symposium will include research on neglected public health priorities; causes of exclusion of populations or problems; and on what works in reducing these exclusions; and highlight the innovations across all health systems building blocks that facilitate faster progress towards universal health coverage in an affordable manner

This time researchers, policy-makers, funders, implementers, civil society and media representatives, and other stakeholders will gather in Beijing, China, to review the status of HSR since the last Symposium in Montreux (November 2010), to share new evidence, identify new opportunities and gaps, build understanding across disciplinary boundaries, and discuss the way forward to support HSR and the use of evidence in decision-making in low- and middle-income countries. …………………..”

Deadlines for submission are:
Organized Sessions: 15 March 2012 at 23:59 GMT
Individual Abstracts: 1 May 2012 at 23:59 GMT

Abstracts can cover one or more of the following three main themes:
• Knowledge Translation
• State-of-the-Art Health Systems Research
• Health Systems Research Methodologies

Three cross-cutting themes:
• Innovations in Health Systems Research
• Neglected Priorities or Populations in Health Systems Research
• Financing and Capacity Building for Health Systems Research

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* * *
This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology – Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ KMC Area]
Washington DC USA
“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.

RESOURCE: New Release-Urban Physical Environments and Health Inequalities/Environnements physiques en milieu urbain et inégalités en santé

New Release-Urban Physical Environments and Health Inequalities: A Scoping Review of Interventions
The Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI) of the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is pleased to release Urban Physical Environments and Health Inequalities: A Scoping Review of Interventions <https://secure.cihi.ca/estore/productFamily.htm?locale=en&pf=PFC1694&gt;, the second report in a two-part series focused on urban physical environments. The first report in the series, Urban Physical Environments and Health Inequalities <https://secure.cihi.ca/estore/productFamily.htm?locale=en&pf=PFC1586&gt;, presented analyses on outdoor air pollution and heat extremes and their relationship to socio-economic status and health. In the second report, we explore interventions in urban p hysical environments and their potential to mitigate health inequalities.
The first section of the report showcases a range of interventions and their respective characteristics, with a particular emphasis on the state of evaluation of the interventions found during our scoping efforts. In the second section, we introduce a framework that clarifies the components of an equity lens and look at how the concept of equity has been integrated into various interventions. This framework will be useful to those who want to enrich their understanding of equity as a concept and to those who are interested in building equity into activities intended to improve health and urban physical environments.
Click here <https://secure.cihi.ca/estore/productFamily.htm?locale=en&pf=PFC1694&gt; to download this report.
For more information, contact Andrew Taylor at ataylor@cihi.camailto:ataylor@cihi.ca.
 
Nouvelle publication – Environnements physiques en milieu urbain et inégalités en santé : examen de la portée des interventions
L'Initiative sur la santé de la population canadienne (ISPC) de l'Institut canadien d'information sur la santé (ICIS) est fière de publier Environnements physiques en milieu urbain et inégalités en santé : examen de la portée des interventions <https://secure.cihi.ca/estore/productFamily.htm?locale=fr&pf=PFC1694&gt;, le deuxième d'une série de deux rapports au sujet des environnements physiques en milieu urbain. Le premier rapport de la série, intitulé Environnements physiques en milieu urbain et inégalités en santé<https://secure.cihi.ca/estore/productFamily.htm?locale=fr&pf=PFC1586&gt;, présentait des analys es de la pollution de l'air extérieur et des chaleurs extrêmes, ainsi que la relation entre ces deux facteurs, le statut socioéconomique et les inégalités en santé. Dans le deuxième rapport, nous nous penchons sur les interventions liées à l'environnement physique urbain susceptibles d'atténuer les inégalités en santé.
La première section du rapport illustre un éventail d'interventions et leurs caractéristiques respectives, et porte une attention particulière à l'état d'évaluation des interventions observées au cours de notre examen de la portée. Dans la deuxième section, nous présentons un cadre qui décrit les éléments d'une analyse sous l'angle de l'équité et nous étudions la façon dont la notion d'équité a été intégrée à diverses interventions. Ce cadre sera utile aux personnes qui souhaitent mieux comprendre la notion d'équité et à celles qui veulent mettre ce concept à profit dans le cadre d'activités visant l'amélioration de la santé et des environnements physiques en milieu urbain.
Cliquez ici <https://secure.cihi.ca/estore/productFamily.htm?locale=fr&pf=PFC1694&gt; pour télécharger le rapport.
Pour de plus amples renseignements, communiquez avec Andrew Taylor à ataylor@icis.ca<mailto:ataylor@icis.ca

New EcoHealth Posts on the Web

News
1 new result for ecohealth

AAAS 2012 talks from the Earth Institute
EurekAlert
A consortium of Columbia University, American Museum of Natural History, New York Botanical Garden, Wildlife Conservation Society and EcoHealth Alliance, …

Web
4 new results for ecohealth

Health Equity: [EQ] ECOHEALTH Research in Practice – Innovative …
ECOHEALTH Research in Practice Innovative … The ultimate objective of ecohealth research and practice is to develop … 1 Ecohealth: Origins and Approach …
health-equity.blogspot.com/…/eq-ecohealth-research-in-practic…

Early Reservation Form – EcoHealth Alliance
EcoHealth Alliance Benefit Office. 95 Madison Avenue, Suite 601. New York, NY 10016. 212.843.1724. EcoHealthAlliance.org. EcoHealth Alliance's Annual …
www.ecohealthalliance.org/…/29-ecohealth_alliance_spring_g …

EcoHealth student webinar — DIVERSITAS
Present your research. Network with peers. Gain more exposure! Deadline for application : 1 March 2012.

www.diversitas-international.org/…/ecohealth-student-webinar

Building Ecohealth Capacity in Asia News
BECA Policy Workshop · BECA Launching Workshop · BECA Fundamentals of Ecohealth Workshop · BECA Meeting on Complexity · BECA Researchable …
beca.spruz.com/blog.htm?a=&amp;nid=7C1447ED-CE58…

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