Health Equity: 03/30/09

Monday, March 30, 2009

[EQ] Open source software in public health

Opening up public health:
a strategy of information and communication technology to support population health

Prof Daniel D Reidpath PhDa, , and Pascale Allotey PhDa

aCentre for Public Health Research, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK

The Lancet, Volume 373, Issue 9668, 21 March 2009-27 March 2009

Website:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T1B-4VW5889-X&_user=3824252&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000055308&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=3824252&md5=699493c890a6c0339fc636b34d4101ef

“………Information saves lives because it is fundamental to public health practice. Strategic decisions for the benefit of populations cannot be made without such information. As a part of the routine activities of public health, information is created, obtained, analysed, synthesised, manipulated, and transferred. The information could be as unassuming as a memorandum sent to colleagues, as routine as the collection of vital statistics, or as crucial as the manipulation of the national health accounts.

The volume and complexity of knowledge and information have outstripped the capacity of health systems to function at their best without the support of information management systems. Consequently, electronic information and communication technology (ICT) has become indispensable.1 SY Kwankam, What e-health can offer?, Bull World Health Organ 82 (2004), pp. 800–802

Despite the importance of ICT to public health, most of us barely give a second thought to it. We take for granted the instruments that facilitate our functioning, except with occasional irritation when they fail us. However, important resource implications are associated with our neglect. Globally, billions of euros are spent every year on proprietary software to support the management of public health information. And the money is spent at every level, from national governments, non-governmental organisations, UN organisations, and research institutions, down to private individuals………..”

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[EQ] Public health science and practice: From fragmentation to alignment

The Population Health Intervention Research Initiative for Canada
L'Initiative de recherche interventionnelle en santé des populations du Canada

January/February 2009, Vol. 100, No. 1, Special Insert

Canadian Journal of Public Health

A network of researchers and decision-makers from funding agencies, health related non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and public health organizations came together to form the Population Heath Intervention Research Initiative for Canada (PHIRIC).

The aim is to build capacity in population health intervention research – its quantity, quality and use by policy-makers and practitioners. This special insert in the Canadian Journal of Public Health has been created by PHIRIC to promote discussion and increase awareness about population health intervention research.

Table of Contents: http://journal.cpha.ca/index.php/cjph/issue/view/270

Articles

Public health science and practice: From fragmentation to alignment (Foreword) PDF

Science et pratique de la santé publique : de la fragmentation à la concordance (Avant-propos) PDF

“….There continue to be gaps between science, policy and practice in population and public health.1 Several influential reports,2,3 literature reviews4 and project-specific needs analyses have identified persistent issues and gaps in knowledge development and use with respect to informing public health decisions, especially about healthy living and chronic disease prevention. Some of these issues and gaps highlight several needs:

• to develop more congruence between the needs of research users (including but not limited to policy-makers) and the research questions being formulated and addressed by investigators;

• to improve linkages between databases of surveillance and research evidence (e.g., National Diabetes Surveillance System);

• to develop explicit strategies, structures and partnerships to facilitate knowledge uptake into practice and policy decisionmaking (e.g., improving access to and use of systematic reviews; decision-making skills in accessing, appraising and using evidence); and

• to learn from practice (e.g., generate “practice-based evidence”)…………………..”

Introduction to the Population Health Intervention Research Initiative for Canada

Abstract PDF

Voice l'Initiative de recherche interventionnelle en santé des populations du Canada
Abstract PDF

What is population health intervention research?
Abstract PDF

Canadian Institutes of Health Research support for population health intervention research in Canada
Abstract PDF

Can the Canadian Heart Health Initiative inform the Population Health Intervention Research Initiative for Canada?
Abstract PDF

The imperative of strategic alignment across organizations:
The experience of the Canadian Cancer Society's Centre for Behavioural Research and Program
Abstract PDF

Commentary on Population Health Intervention
Abstract PDF

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[EQ] Better Aid Managing Development Resources: The Use of Country Systems in Public Financial Management

Better Aid Managing Development Resources:
The Use of Country Systems in Public Financial Management

Complete Edition - ISBN 9789264056169) 2009, vol. 2009, no. 3, pp. 1 - 95
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD

Available online at : http://oberon.sourceoecd.org/vl=1863864/cl=11/nw=1/rpsv/ij/oecdthemes/99980010/v2009n3/s1/p1l

“………….Successful development depends in large part on the efficiency, integrity and effectiveness with which the state raises, manages and expends public resources. Improving the rules and institutions governing these activities should be a major component, therefore, of any development approach.

Given that strengthening Public Financial Management (PFM) is at the heart of the Millennium Development Goals, and good governance more generally, the Paris Declaration (2005) seeks to promote joint efforts in this area between donors and partner countries. In particular, partner authorities committed to strengthening their PFM systems and donors committed to using those systems to the maximum extent possible. The Joint Venture on Public Financial Management, bringing together donors and partner authorities, was created to facilitate the implementation of the Paris Declaration as it relates to PFM.

As part of the Joint Venture's ongoing work in this area, this report takes stock of progress and provides recommendations on how best to facilitate achieving the 2010 targets set out in the Paris Declaration. It:

- Sets out the benefits of and rationale for using country systems,

- Assesses progress in meeting the Paris Declaration targets,

- Reviews the landscape of PFM reforms in partner countries,

- Looks at drivers of successful PFM reforms.

- Examines the factors that influence decisions to use country PFM systems, focusing on the perceived risks and their assessment and management,

- Describes the PEFA (Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability) assessment, which provides information on the quality of a country's PFM system. …”

Table of Contents
Development , pp.1-9

Executive Summary
Development , pp.10-15

Background, Definitions and Scope of the Report
Development , pp.16-22

Aid Effectiveness and the Use of Country PFM Systems: Rationale and Findings
Development , pp.23-30

Strengthening Country PFM Systems
Development , pp.31-45

Practices in the Use of Country PFM Systems
Development , pp.46-60

Measuring the Performance of Country PFM Systems
Development , pp.61-74

Annexes
Development , pp.75-105

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