Monday, April 13, 2009

[EQ] Fixing Healthcare: The Professionals' Perspective

Fixing Healthcare: The Professionals' Perspective

The Economist Intelligence Unit, March 2009

“….Healthcare professionals believe that patients will play a key role in making healthcare systems sustainable, according to a major new research report, Fixing Healthcare, written by the Economist Intelligence Unit and commissioned by Philips.

More than 80% of healthcare professionals polled say that patient-centred care—in which patients have more say in the treatment process and take more responsibility for their own health—will be important or even critical in containing the cost of healthcare and improving standards of care in the future. However, they worry that a lack of political will to change healthcare systems may stand in the way of implementing patient-centred care in their own countries.

The report investigates the views of a range of professionals on how pressures affecting healthcare systems can be relieved. The research is based on a survey of more than 700 healthcare professionals, from frontline medical staff to life science industry executives, in four key economies—the US, UK, Germany and India.

The research finds that while healthcare professionals in most regions feel that standards of care in their country have declined over the last two years, they clearly support patient-driven efforts to improve them. The report also identifies signs of a changing emphasis in some healthcare policies, from sickness to prevention, which could permanently alter the ways in which healthcare will work in the future…..”

· Fixing Healthcare PDF: download a copy of the full 2009 report, released on March 20th, 2009. [1.6MB]

· Press release: download a copy of the press release. [37KB]

· Related article: Q&A with Professor Alan Maynard, UK health economist. [49KB]

· Related article: Can Obama afford his aims for US healthcare? [95KB]

· Related article: Rural healthcare in India. [123KB]

· This report was commissioned by Philips. Visit Philips' Inside Health website.

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[EQ] Globalization and social determinants of health

Globalization and social determinants of health:

Analytic and strategic review paper

Ronald Labonte, Ted Schrecker

Prepared for the Health Systems Knowledge Network of the World Health Organisation’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health

On behalf of the Globalization Knowledge Network

Available online as PDF file [51p.] at: http://www.who.int/social_determinants/resources/globalization.pdf

Analytic and strategic paper prepared by the Institute of Population Health: defining globalization, the nature of the evidence base, how the global market place affects social determinants of health, environment and resources, next steps.

The outline of the paper is as follows.

· Section I puts forward a definition of globalization and describes key strategic and methodological issues, emphasizing that globalization is unlike the topics of most other KNs, and demands a distinctive perspective and approach.

· Section II describes a number of key ‘clusters’ of pathways leading from globalization to changes in SDH. In our view the most important pathways have been generically identified, but the list is not exhaustive and is subject to refinement in the course of the Globalization KN’s work.

· Section III provides a similarly generic inventory of potential “interventions,” although in the context of globalization an intervention must be understood much more broadly than in a clinical or community public health setting. Reflecting a desire to complement the work of other KNs concerned with micro- and meso-level policies, special attention is paid to the potential for innovations in global governance.

· Finally, Section IV provides a list of the specific research synthesis papers that will comprise a key element of the KN’s activities

Globalization and Health: Pathways, Evidence and Policy

Routledge Studies in Health and Social Welfare, April 2009

Ronald Labonté University of Ottawa, Canada

URLs with some descriptions of the book:

http://www.routledgepolitics.com/books/Globalization-and-Health-isbn9780415993340

URL: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t902189903~db=all

“……Contemporary globalization has had tremendous impact on health equity across the globe. However, no volume has systematically analyzed the relationship between globalization and global trends in health outcomes. This book consolidates and updates the findings of a global research project undertaken by the Globalisation Knowledge Network (GKN) of the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Determinants of Health.

Chapters examine such questions as: How has trade liberalisation affected the social determinants of health? How has globalization affected food security, nutrition and equitable access to water and sanitation? How well do present global governance structures take account of the health equity effects associated with the social determinants of health? This landmark volume will be a necessary addition for researchers and scholars studying the field of globalization, health and social policy, and public health across the social sciences. ….”

1. Introduction: Globalization's Challenges to People's Health Ronald Labont & Ted Schrecke
2. An Empirical Investigation of the Relation between Globalization and Health Giovanni Andrea Cornia, Stefano Rosignoli & Luca Tiberti
3. Global Political-Economic and Geopolitical Processes, Structures and Trends Patrick Bond
4. Labor Markets, Equity and Social Determinants of Health Ted Schrecker
5. Globalization and Policy Space for Health and Social Determinants of Health Meri Koivusalo, Ted Schrecker & Ronald Labonte
6. Liberalization "Shocks" and Social Protection Policies: Lessons from the East Asian Financial Crisis Aniket Bhushan & Chantal Blouin
7. Global Financing for Health: Aid and Debt Relief Sebastian Taylor & Michael Rowson
8. Globalization and Health Systems Change John Lister & Ronald Labonte
9. Globalization and the Cross-Border Flow of Health Workers Corinne Packer, Ronald Labonte and Vivien Runnels
10. Globalization, Trade and the Nutrition Transition Corinna Hawkes, Mickey Chopra & Sharon Friel
11. Intellectual Property Rights and Inequalities in Health Outcomes Carlos M. Correa
12. Global Governance for Health Kelley Lee, Meri Koivusalo, Eeva Ollila, Ronald Labonte, Claudio Schuftan & David Woodward
13. 'Rights, Redistribution and Regulation' Ronald Labonte & Ted Schrecker
14. Globalization, Social Determinants and the Struggle for Health David Sanders

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“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”.
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[EQ] Improving impact evaluation production and use

Improving impact evaluation production and use

Nicola Jones, Harry Jones, Liesbet Steer and Ajoy Datta
Working Paper:300 March 2009 - ISBN: 978 0 85003 899 6
Overseas Development Institute

Available online PDF [87p.] at:
http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/odi-publications/working-papers/300-impact-evaluation-production-use.pdf

“……The past five years have seen a proliferation of impact evaluations (IEs) by development agencies across the globe. This report was commissioned by the UK Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) Evaluation Department to inform discussions on impact evaluation production and use within the Network of Networks Impact Evaluation Initiative (NONIE). It builds on an initial scoping study prepared for DFID which made recommendations on improving IE production and use, focusing on clustering, coordination, knowledge management, capacity strengthening and communication and uptake. This the report goes further by expanding both the literature review and the annotated database of IEs, as well as honing in on specific dynamics of IE production across sectors.

A focus on sector-specific histories and dynamics of impact IE production, communication and use dynamics revealed a number of important similarities and differences. Similarities included a growing recognition of the need to approach IEs as part of a broader monitoring and evaluation system; the importance of involving multiple stakeholders in the evaluation process to promote uptake; and the utility of exploring alternative methods to assess impact.

Key differences appeared to be starker and were found in a number of areas. First, a longer history of IEs in health and agriculture/natural resource management (NRM) sectors has meant these sectors have a broader knowledge base from which to draw, although they diverge in the extent to which this knowledge is actually used.

The paper concludes with policy implications regarding: strategic coordination, funding, knowledge management, capacity strengthening mechanisms and improving impact evaluation communication and uptake…..”

Contents

Executive summary

1. Introduction

2. Key issues in the relevance, production and use of impact evaluations

2.1 IE: Concepts, methods, nature of the knowledge produced

2.2 Supply and demand: Commissioning, production and delivery of IEs

2.3 Use and influence of IEs

3. Sectoral case studies

Case 1: Human and social development

Case 2: Agriculture and renewable natural resources

Case 3: Humanitarian aid

Case 4: Rural/urban development and infrastructure sector

Case 5: Impact evaluations of results-based aid

4. Comparing sector-specific experiences with impact evaluations

5. Conclusions and policy implications

References

Appendix 1: Impact evaluation database overview and findings

Appendix 2: Media coverage of impact evaluation findings

Appendix 3: Stepwise evaluation model

Appendix 4: Key informants