Eileen Lee, Tim A Bruckner, Mohammad Alluhidan, Adwa Alamri, Abdulhameed Alhabeeb, Ziad Nakshabandi, Mohammed M J Alqahtani, Christopher H Herbst, Mariam M Hamza, Nahar Alazemi
{"title":"Workforce estimate to treat mental disorders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.","authors":"Eileen Lee, Tim A Bruckner, Mohammad Alluhidan, Adwa Alamri, Abdulhameed Alhabeeb, Ziad Nakshabandi, Mohammed M J Alqahtani, Christopher H Herbst, Mariam M Hamza, Nahar Alazemi","doi":"10.1186/s12960-024-00929-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-024-00929-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Mental, neurological, and substance abuse (MNS) disorders describe a range of conditions that affect the brain and cause distress or functional impairment. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), MNS disorders make up 10.88 percent of the burden of disease as measured in disability-adjusted life years. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of the main providers of mental health services and one of the largest contributors to mental health research in the region. Within the past decade, mental health resources and services has increased.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We employ a needs-based workforce estimate as a planning exercise to arrive at the total number of psychiatrists, nurses, and psychosocial care providers needed to meet the epidemiological need of mental health conditions of the population of KSA. Estimates for a potential mental health workforce gap were calculated using five steps: Step 1-Quantify target population for priority mental health conditions. Step 2-Identify number of expected cases per year. Step 3-Set target service coverage for each condition. Step 4-Estimate cost-effective health care service resource utilization for each condition. Step 5-Estimate service resources needed for each condition.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The planning exercise indicates an epidemiologic need for a total of 17,100 full-time-equivalent (FTE) health care providers to treat priority MNS disorders. KSA appears to have a need-based shortage of 10,400 health workers to treat mental disorders. A total of 100 psychiatrists, 5700 nurses, and 4500 psychosocial care providers would be additionally needed (that is, above and beyond current levels) to address the priority mental health conditions. The shortfall is particularly severe for nurses and psychosocial workers who make up 98.9 percent of the shortfall. This shortage is substantial when compared to other high-income countries. Overall, the workforce needed to treat MNS conditions translates to 49.2 health workers per 100,000 population.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Challenges to addressing the shortfall are Saudi specific which includes awareness of cultural customs and norms in the medical setting. These challenges are compounded by the lack of Saudi nationals in the mental health workforce. Saudi nationals make up 29.5 percent of the physician workforce and 38.8 percent of the nursing workforce. Policymakers and planners supplement this shortfall with non-Saudi providers, who must be mindful of Saudi-specific cultural considerations. Potential solutions to reducing the shortfall of mental health care workers includes nurse task shifting and training of general practitioners to screen for, and treat, a subset of MNS disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11251355/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141627932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maria Borrero, Lauren Kiel, Inas Abuali, Zalaya K Ivy, Narjust Florez
{"title":"The weaponization of professionalism against physicians of color.","authors":"Maria Borrero, Lauren Kiel, Inas Abuali, Zalaya K Ivy, Narjust Florez","doi":"10.1186/s12960-024-00931-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-024-00931-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Though we have made ample advances in the field of medicine in recent years, our idea of professionalism continues to be based on the standard of how white men dressed in the nineteenth century. Such a standard of professionalism not only perpetuates gender bias, but also aims to remove the culture, traditions, and behaviors of minority groups with the goal of molding these individuals to resemble the majority, preventing 'Afro' heritage from entering medicine. By contextualizing our own experiences in the medical setting as physicians of color in the context of a variety of supporting literature, we provide an overview of professionalism, its role in medicine, the double standard faced by women, and how it continues to be weaponized against physicians of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities. We advocate for minority physicians to embrace their authenticity and for institutions to develop policies that openly, firmly, and enthusiastically welcome physicians of all ethnicities, religions, and genders. Positionality Statement: In the editorial you are about to read, we, the authors, collectively bring a rich tapestry of backgrounds and experiences to our discussion on healthcare disparities. Our team consists of two Hispanic/Latina oncologists, one Middle Eastern oncologist, one Black/Caribbean-American hematologist, and one White pre-medical student with Middle Eastern heritage. Our diverse backgrounds inform our perspectives and enhance our understanding of the complex and multifaceted nature of healthcare. We are united by a shared commitment to justice, equity, and the belief that every patient deserves high-quality care, regardless of their background. This editorial is informed by our professional expertise, personal experiences, and the diverse communities we serve, aiming to highlight the critical need for inclusivity and representation in healthcare. By acknowledging our positionality, we hope to provide a comprehensive and empathetic analysis that not only identifies the challenges but also offers actionable solutions to improve healthcare outcomes for all. We recognize the power of diversity in fostering innovation and driving positive change, and we are dedicated to using our voices and positions to advocate for a more equitable healthcare system.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11251374/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141627931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mara C Steinhaus, Tamaryn J Nicholson, Triantafyllos Pliakas, Abigail Harper, Pamela Lilleston, Tila Mainga, Deborah Milimo, Karen Jennings, Nelis Grobbelaar, Francoise Louis, Handri Liebenberg, Richard J Hayes, Sarah Fidler, Helen Ayles, Peter Bock, Graeme Hoddinott, James R Hargreaves, Virginia Bond, Anne L Stangl
{"title":"Prevalence and risk of burnout among HIV service providers in South Africa and Zambia: findings from the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial.","authors":"Mara C Steinhaus, Tamaryn J Nicholson, Triantafyllos Pliakas, Abigail Harper, Pamela Lilleston, Tila Mainga, Deborah Milimo, Karen Jennings, Nelis Grobbelaar, Francoise Louis, Handri Liebenberg, Richard J Hayes, Sarah Fidler, Helen Ayles, Peter Bock, Graeme Hoddinott, James R Hargreaves, Virginia Bond, Anne L Stangl","doi":"10.1186/s12960-024-00934-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-024-00934-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In the high disease burden and resource-constrained contexts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), health workers experience a range of psychosocial stressors that leave them vulnerable to developing burnout, which can reduce service quality and negatively impact their own health and wellbeing. As universal testing and treatment (UTT) for HIV scales up across SSA, we sought to understand the implications of this human resource-intensive approach to HIV prevention to inform decision-making about health workforce staffing and support needs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), we assessed the prevalence of three domains of burnout-emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment-among three cadres of health workers delivering health services in areas receiving a UTT intervention in Zambia and South Africa. These cadres included health facility workers (n = 478), community health workers (n = 159), and a study-specific cadre of community HIV care providers (n = 529). We used linear regression to assess risk factors associated with emotional exhaustion, the only domain with sufficient variation in our sample.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The MBI-HSS was completed by 1499/2153 eligible participants (69.6% response rate). Less than 1% of health workers met Maslach's definition for burnout. All groups of health workers reported lower levels of emotional exhaustion than found in previous studies of this type (mean score scores ranged from 10.7 to 15.4 out of 54 across health cadres). Higher emotional exhaustion was associated with higher educational attainment (βadj = 2.24, 95% CI 0.76 to 3.72), greater years providing HIV services (βadj = 0.20, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.36), and testing negative for HIV at last HIV test (βadj = - 3.88 - 95% CI 5.69 to - 2.07). Working as a CHW was significantly associated with lower emotional exhaustion (βadj = - 2.52, 95% CI - 4.69 to - 0.35). Among all health workers, irrespective of HIV status, witnessing stigmatizing behaviors towards people living with HIV among their co-workers was associated with significantly increased emotional exhaustion (βadj = 3.38, 95% CI 1.99 to 4.76).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The low level of burnout detected among health workers is reassuring. However, it remains important to assess how UTT may affect levels of emotional exhaustion among health workers over time, particularly in the context of emerging global pandemics, as burnout may impact the quality of HIV services they provide and their own mental health and wellbeing. Interventions to reduce HIV stigma in health facilities may protect against emotional exhaustion among health workers, as well as interventions to increase mindfulness and resilience among health workers at risk of burnout. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01900977.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11229271/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141559960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Willingness to pay for chronic disease management services provided by primary care nurses.","authors":"HanNah Park, JuYoung Yoon","doi":"10.1186/s12960-024-00935-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-024-00935-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Due to the rapid increase in chronic diseases in South Korea, the Korean government has expanded chronic disease management to primary care. Thus, the role of primary care nurses is critical. However, the fee for chronic disease management services provided by primary care nurses has not been set, and few studies have evaluated the value of nursing services. This study aimed to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for chronic disease management services provided by primary care nurses and to identify the factors that affect WTP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study adopted a descriptive research design and conducted a cross-sectional online survey from January 16 to 18, 2023. The inclusion criteria were community residents aged ≥ 20 years living in South Korea and capable of participating in online surveys. A total of 520 people participated in this study. A contingent valuation method (CVM) was used with double-bound dichotomous choice questions along with open-ended questions. The mean WTP was calculated using a Tobit model.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean WTP of the 520 study participants for one chronic disease management service provided by primary care nurses was 15,390.71 Korean won ($11.90). Factors affecting WTP were having a chronic disease, recognition of primary care nurses, and the first-bid price. Community residents with fewer chronic diseases, high awareness of primary care nurses, and a higher first-bid price showed higher WTP for chronic disease management services provided by primary care nurses.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Primary care is important worldwide due to the increasing number of chronic diseases, and Korea is no exception. However, payment for services by primary care nurses is undervalued compared to their critical role and skills. This has led to problems such as a primary care nurse shortage and burnout. This study estimated individuals' WTP for chronic disease management services provided by primary care nurses. The results can be used as a basic resource for setting the fee for services provided by primary care nurses. It is also a good starting point to understand the benefits of primary care nurse services.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11229183/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141559961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recruiting refugees to reduce labour shortages in health care professions: experimental evidence on the potential of foreign-language outreach on social media.","authors":"Jasper Tjaden, Miriam Seuthe, Sebastian Weinert","doi":"10.1186/s12960-024-00933-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-024-00933-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Many high-income countries are grappling with severe labour shortages in the healthcare sector. Refugees and recent migrants present a potential pool for staff recruitment due to their higher unemployment rates, younger age, and lower average educational attainment compared to the host society's labour force. Despite this, refugees and recent migrants, often possessing limited language skills in the destination country, are frequently excluded from traditional recruitment campaigns conducted solely in the host country's language. Even those with intermediate language skills may feel excluded, as destination-country language advertisements are perceived as targeting only native speakers. This study experimentally assesses the effectiveness of a recruitment campaign for nursing positions in a German care facility, specifically targeting Arabic and Ukrainian speakers through Facebook advertisements.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We employ an experimental design (AB test) approximating a randomized controlled trial, utilizing Facebook as the delivery platform. We compare job advertisements for nursing positions in the native languages of Arabic and Ukrainian speakers (treatment) with the same advertisements displayed in German (control) for the same target group in the context of a real recruitment campaign for nursing jobs in Berlin, Germany. Our evaluation includes comparing link click rates, visits to the recruitment website, initiated applications, and completed applications, along with the unit cost of these indicators. We assess statistical significance in group differences using the Chi-squared test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We find that recruitment efforts in the origin language were 5.6 times (Arabic speakers) and 1.9 times (Ukrainian speakers) more effective in initiating nursing job applications compared to the standard model of German-only advertisements among recent migrants and refugees. Overall, targeting refugees and recent migrants was 2.4 (Ukrainians) and 10.8 (Arabic) times cheaper than targeting the reference group of German speakers indicating higher interest among these groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results underscore the substantial benefits for employers in utilizing targeted recruitment via social media aimed at foreign-language communities within the country. This strategy, which is low-cost and low effort compared to recruiting abroad or investing in digitalization, has the potential for broad applicability in numerous high-income countries with sizable migrant communities. Increased employment rates among underemployed refugee and migrant communities, in turn, contribute to reducing poverty, social exclusion, public expenditure, and foster greater acceptance of newcomers within the receiving society.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11223288/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141499251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Isabel Craveiro, Pradeep Kumar Choudhury, Ana Paula Cavalcante de OLiveira, Alessandra Pereira, Inês Fronteira, Raphael Chança, Giorgio Cometto, Mario Roberto Dal Poz, Paulo Ferrinho
{"title":"Impacts of industrial actions, protests, strikes and lockouts by health and care workers during COVID-19 and other pandemic contexts: a systematic review.","authors":"Isabel Craveiro, Pradeep Kumar Choudhury, Ana Paula Cavalcante de OLiveira, Alessandra Pereira, Inês Fronteira, Raphael Chança, Giorgio Cometto, Mario Roberto Dal Poz, Paulo Ferrinho","doi":"10.1186/s12960-024-00923-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-024-00923-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Public health emergencies of international concern (PHEICs) as the COVID-19 pandemic and others that have occurred since the early 2000s put enormous pressure on health and care systems. This is being a context for protests by health and care workers (HCWs) because of additional workload, working conditions and effects on mental and physical health. In this paper, we intended to analyze the demands of HCWs associated with industrial actions, protests, strikes and lockouts (IAPSLs) which occurred during COVID-19 pandemic and other PHEICs; to identify the impact of these grievances; and describe the relevant interventions to address these IAPSLs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We included studies published between January 2000 and March 2022 in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, BVS/LILACS, WHO's COVID-19 Research Database, ILO, OECD, HSRM, and Google Scholar for grey literature. Eligibility criteria were HCWs as participants, IAPSLs as phenomenon of interest occurring in the context of COVID-19 and other PHEICs. GRADE CERQual was used to assess risk of bias and confidence of evidence.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>1656 records were retrieved, and 91 were selected for full-text screening. We included 18 publications. A system-wide approach, rather than a limited approach to institutions on strike, makes it possible to understand the full impact of the strike on health and care services. PHEICs tend to aggravate already adverse working conditions of HCWs, acting as drivers for HCWs strikes, leading to staff shortages, and financial issues, both in the North and in the Global South, particularly evident in Asia and Africa. In addition, issues related to deficiencies in leadership and governance in heath sector and lack of medical products and technologies (e.g., lack of personal protective equipment) were the main drivers of strikes, each contributing 25% of the total drivers identified.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>It is necessary to focus on the preparedness of health and care systems to respond adequately to PHEICs, and this includes being prepared for HCWs' IAPSLs, talked much in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence to assist policymakers in defining strategies to respond adequately to the health and care needs of the population during IAPSLs is crucial. The main impact of strikes is on the disruption of health care services' provision. Gender inequality being a major issue among HCWs, a proper understanding of the full impact of the strike on health and care services will only be possible if gender lens is combined with a systemic approach, rather than gender-undifferentiated approaches limited to the institutions on strike.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11221126/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141493884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Haoqing Tang, Mingyue Li, Huixian Zheng, Xiaotian Zhang, Xiaoyun Liu
{"title":"Gender income differences among general practitioners with compulsory services in early career stage in underdeveloped areas: evidence from a prospective cohort study in China.","authors":"Haoqing Tang, Mingyue Li, Huixian Zheng, Xiaotian Zhang, Xiaoyun Liu","doi":"10.1186/s12960-024-00930-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-024-00930-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Gender equality and the gender income gap in medicine are long-standing global problems. Although gender-related differences have been widely studied in developed countries, they remain unclear in underdeveloped regions. In 2010, China initiated a national compulsory service program (CSP) to train qualified general practitioners in rural and remote areas. This study aimed to evaluate gender income differences for early career CSP and non-CSP (NCSP) graduates in underdeveloped areas.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cohort study was conducted with 3620 CSP and NCSP graduates from four medical universities in Central and Western China. Baseline surveys and six follow-up surveys were conducted between 2015 and 2022. Incomes, including monthly mean income and proportion of performance-based income, were measured as the key outcome variables. Multivariate linear regression models were used to identify the gender income gap.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>NCSP graduates had higher average monthly incomes than CSP graduates. In the seventh year after graduation, the average monthly income for NCSP graduates was 7859 CNY while was 5379 CNY for CSP graduates. After controlling for demographic characteristics, the gender monthly income gap for CSP graduates was expanded from the fourth year (3.0%) to the sixth year (5.9%) after graduation, and that for NCSP graduates was expanded from the fifth year (11.9%) to the seventh year (16.3%) after graduation. Regarding performance-based income, it was 58.9% for NCSP graduates and 45.8% for CSP graduates in the seventh year after graduation. After controlling for performance-based income proportion, the gender income gap was reduced from 5.9 to 4.0% in the sixth year after graduation for CSP graduates, and from 16.3 to 14.4% for NCSP graduates in the seventh year after graduation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>An extensive and ever-increasing gender income gap exists among young doctors in the early stages of their careers in underdeveloped areas of China. The high proportion of performance-based income among men is one of the main explanations for the observed difference. A more explicit compensation system must be established to enhance support for female health workers.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11209954/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141471425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Patience Toyin-Thomas, Oghenebrume Wariri, Paul Ikhurionan
{"title":"Harnessing peer mentorship as a tool to turn human resource for health brain drain into brain gain: a case study of a Nigerian peer-mentored research group.","authors":"Patience Toyin-Thomas, Oghenebrume Wariri, Paul Ikhurionan","doi":"10.1186/s12960-024-00932-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-024-00932-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Peer mentorship can be a potential tool to reduce the disparities in health research capacity between high- and low- and middle-income countries. This case study describes the potential of peer mentorship to tackle two critical issues: bridging health research capacity of doctors from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the transformation of human resource for health brain drain into \"brain gain\".</p><p><strong>Case presentation: </strong>In 2021, a virtual peer mentorship group was established by 16 alumni of the University of Benin College of Medical Sciences' 2008 graduating class, residing across three continents. This program aimed to facilitate research collaboration and skill development among colleagues with diverse research experience levels, fostering a supportive environment for career development in research. The group relied heavily on digital technology to carry out its activities due to the different geographical locations of the group members. Led by experienced peer leaders, the group fostered a collaborative learning environment where members leveraged each other's expertise. Within 18 months, we published two research papers in high-impact peer-reviewed global health journals, launched a mixed-methods research study, and conducted training sessions on research design and implementation. Findings from our work were presented at conferences and workshops. However, logistical hurdles, competing priorities, structural constraints, and uneven participation presented challenges.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The peer mentorship collaboration has achieved some successes so far, and this model can be emulated by other cohorts of medical professionals across LMICs. Despite the group's success at a micro- or individual level, there remain significant structural barriers to research capacity building in LMICs that can only be addressed at the meso- and macro-levels by institutions and government, respectively. A systems-level approach is required to develop and support research capacity building and foster global research collaboration and effectively turn brain drain into brain gain.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11212419/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141471426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Forecast accuracy of demand for registered nurses and its determinants in South Korea.","authors":"Suyong Jeong","doi":"10.1186/s12960-024-00910-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-024-00910-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite the significance of demand forecasting accuracy for the registered nurse (RN) workforce, few studies have evaluated past forecasts.</p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This paper examined the ex post accuracy of past forecasting studies focusing on RN demand and explored its determinants on the accuracy of demand forecasts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were collected by systematically reviewing national reports or articles on RN demand forecasts. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was measured for forecasting error by comparing the forecast with the actual demand (employed RNs). Nonparametric tests, the Mann‒Whitney test, and the Kruskal‒Wallis test were used to analyze the differences in the MAPE according to the variables, which are methodological and researcher factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 105 forecast horizons and 196 forecasts were analyzed. The average MAPE of the total forecast horizon was 34.8%. Among the methodological factors, the most common determinant affecting forecast accuracy was the RN productivity assumption. The longer the length of the forecast horizon was, the greater the MAPE was. The longer the length of the data period was, the greater the MAPE was. Moreover, there was no significant difference among the researchers' factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>To improve demand forecast accuracy, future studies need to accurately measure RN workload and productivity in a manner consistent with the real world.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11197229/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141451819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carrie J Ngongo, Thomas J I P Raassen, Jos van Roosmalen, Marietta Mahendeka, Ladeisha Lombard, Elizabeth Bukusi
{"title":"Equivalence between physicians and associate clinicians in the frequency of iatrogenic urogenital fistula following cesarean section in Tanzania and Malawi.","authors":"Carrie J Ngongo, Thomas J I P Raassen, Jos van Roosmalen, Marietta Mahendeka, Ladeisha Lombard, Elizabeth Bukusi","doi":"10.1186/s12960-024-00927-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-024-00927-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Physicians and associate (non-physician) clinicians conduct cesarean sections in Tanzania and Malawi. Urogenital fistulas may occur as complications of cesarean section. Location and circumstances can indicate iatrogenic origin as opposed to ischemic injury following prolonged, obstructed labor.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective review assessed the frequency of iatrogenic urogenital fistulas following cesarean sections conducted by either associate clinicians or physicians in Tanzania and Malawi. It focuses on 325 women with iatrogenic fistulas among 1290 women who had fistulas after cesarean birth in Tanzania and Malawi between 1994 and 2017. An equivalence test compared the proportion of iatrogenic fistulas after cesarean sections performed by associate clinicians and physicians (equivalence margin = 0.135). Logistic regression was used to model the occurrence of iatrogenic fistula after cesarean section, controlling for cadre, date, maternal age, previous abdominal surgery and parity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Associate clinicians attended 1119/1290 (86.7%) cesarean births leading to fistulas, while physicians attended 171/1290 (13.3%). Iatrogenic fistulas occurred in 275/1119 (24.6%) cesarean births by associate clinicians and in 50/171 (29.2%) cesarean births by physicians. The risk difference and 90% confidence interval were entirely contained within an equivalence margin of 13.5%, supporting a conclusion of equivalence between the two cadres. The odds of iatrogenic fistula after cesarean section were not statistically significantly different between associate clinicians and physicians (aOR 0.90; 95% CI 0.61-1.33).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Associate clinicians appear equivalent to physicians performing cesarean sections in terms of iatrogenic fistula risk. Lower iatrogenic proportions for associate clinicians could reflect different caseloads. The occurrence of iatrogenic fistulas illustrates the importance of appropriate labor management and cesarean section decision-making, irrespective of health provider cadre. Given the noninferior performance and lower costs of employing associate clinicians, other countries with insufficient and/or unequally distributed health workforces could consider task-shifting cesarean sections to associate clinicians.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11197166/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141447269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}