The paper reviews the experience with the emergency obstetric care (EmOC) process indicators, and evaluates whether the indicators serve the purposes for which they were originally created – to gather and interpret relatively accessible data to design and implement EmOC service programs. The authors conclude that The EmOC process indicators have been used successfully in a wide variety of settings. They describe vital elements of the health system and how well that system is functioning for women at risk of dying from major obstetric complications.
Monitoring equity and research policy
The United Nations Process Indicators for emergency obstetric care
Paxton A, Bailey P, Lobis S: International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics 95 (2) 192-208, 2006
Burden of disease analyses in developing countries: Implications for health system policy, planning and management
Global Health Forum for Health Research
Methods to measure the burden of disease (BOD) on populations have been applied for decades, but have only received increasing attention in the past twenty years. During this period of time, a number of concerns have been raised with the use of summary measures of population health. This report summarises the lessons learned from seven BOD studies funded by the Global Forum for Health Research.
Delivering on the MDGs: Equity and maternal health in Ghana, Ethiopia and Kenya
Wirth M, Delamonica E, Sacks E, et al: World Institute for Development Research (WIDER), 2006
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have put maternal health in the mainstream, but there is a need to go beyond the MDGs to address equity within countries. Maternal health indicators from three countries in sub-Saharan Africa show the continent is lagging far behind other regions on health indicators. In the past decade, maternal mortality has increased in some countries, in large part due to health system collapse, increasing poverty among women, lack of access to skilled care for delivery, weak national human resource management and lack of resources.
Measurement and explanation of inequality in health and health care in low-income settings
Van Doorslaer E, O\\\'Donnell O: World Institute for Development Economic Research (WIDER)
This paper describes approaches to the measurement and explanation of income-related inequality and inequity in health care financing, health care utilisation and health and considers the applicability and the feasibility of these methods in low income countries. Results from a comparative study of fourteen Asian countries are used to illustrate the main issues. The empirical analyses demonstrate that, in low-income countries, the better-off tend to pay more for health care, both absolutely and in relative terms. But they also consume more health care. Assessing the distributional performance of health systems in low income settings therefore requires examination of finance and utilisation simultaneously.
Measuring health inequality and health opportunity
Zheng B: World Institute for Development Economic Research (WIDER)
The paper considers the measurement of health inequality and health opportunity with categorical data of health status. A society’s health opportunity is represented by an income-health matrix that relates socioeconomic class with health status; each row of the matrix corresponds to a socioeconomic class and contains the respective probability distribution of health. The income-health matrix resembles the transition matrix used in measuring income mobility and, hence, approaches developed there can be adapted to measuring health opportunity.
The Biasfree Framework: A practical tool for identifying and eliminating social biases in health research
Global Forum for Health Research, 2006
The BIAS FREE Framework provides a useful tool for the identification and elimination of bias in health research. The utility of The BIAS FREE Framework goes beyond the specific context of health research and extends to human subject research generally and to the policy and law reform contexts as well. The BIAS FREE Framework is posited on the equal entitlement of all people to be treated with dignity and respect and on the inviolability of human rights and it uses a rights-based model of health and well being.
Scaling up health interventions in resource-poor countries: What role does research in stated-preference framework play?
Pokhrel S: Health Research Policy and Systems 4:4, 30 March 2006
Despite improved supply of health care services in low-income countries in the recent past, their uptake continues to be lower than anticipated. This has made it difficult to scale-up those interventions which are not only cost-effective from supply perspectives but that might have substantial impacts on improving the health status of these countries. Understanding demand-side barriers is therefore critically important.
The state of international collaboration for health systems research: What do publications tell?
González Block MA: Health Research Policy and Systems 4:7, 23 August 2006
International collaboration for health system development has been identified as a critical input to meet pressing global health needs. North-South collaboration has the potential to benefit both parties, while South-South collaboration offers promise to strengthen capacity rapidly and efficiently across developing countries. There is an emerging trend to analyze the fruits of such collaboration. This paper builds on this trend by applying an innovative concept-based bibliometric method to identify the international scope of collaboration within the field of health policy and systems research. Two key questions are addressed: to what extent are papers comparing developing countries as against reporting on single country studies? To what extent are papers in either case being produced by researchers within their respective countries or through North-South or South-South collaboration?
UNGASS reporting and implementation on national monitoring and evaluation systems: Lessons from 4 countries
Kusek JZ, Delay P, Rao KS, Osindo B: The Sixteenth International AIDS Conference, August 2006
As clearly shown in the 2005 UNGASS Country Progress Reports, AIDS resources have grown rapidly in recent years from US$300 million in 1996 to US$8 billion in 2005. One critical need is to ensure that available resources are used effectively, which requires that countries must invest in a sound monitoring and evaluation system to help provide feedback on whether projects, programs, and policies are achieving (or not) their expected results. A major emphasis has been put on integrating the various M&E efforts in support of the three ones principle of “One National Monitoring and Evaluation System”. Four countries were invited to participate in a feedback session, including Botswana of Southern Africa.
Using Geographic Information System applications to improve coverage, access and targeting of HIV/AIDS interventions
Taruberekera N, Chieza F, Madan Y: The Sixteenth International AIDS Conference, August 2006
Zimbabwe is in the mature stage of a generalised HIV/AIDS epidemic. However, HIV prevalence is unevenly distributed with respect to age, gender and locality. The objective of the mapping exercise was to focus limited project resources for improving linkages and ensuring maximum impact of prevention interventions. Use of GIS systems helped improve linkages between communication activities and product delivery to create informed demand and improve off-take of male and female condoms.