Health Equity: 04/15/11

Friday, April 15, 2011

[EQ] IDRC Governance, Equity and Health: study of eHealth research support

Evaluation of IDRC-supported eHealth Projects

Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), 2011

Available online PDF [160P.] at: http://bit.ly/ffs4b4

“…..To inform future IDRC programming in eHealth research in a way that leverages past experiences, current trends, as well as IDRC’s niche in the growing field of eHealth. As a utilization-focused evaluation, the study is being used by IDRC as it charts the strategic direction for its work in eHealth programming that will adhere to the effective principles of governance, equity and health systems strengthening.

The main activities of the evaluation were conducted for a period of 6 months from August 2010 to January 2011, in close collaboration with IDRC staff and grantees. The evaluation covered 25 eHealth projects from 28 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) that were funded between years 2005 and 2010.

It employed a mixed-methodology that involved a documentary review, literature review, lessons learned workshops (one in each of the three regions), quantitative and qualitative surveys, and key informant interviews as primary data sources.
Outcome areas discussed in the report include those related to health research, capacity building, policy influence, strategic partnerships and networks, technology development and usability, and research communications. …”

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Introduction

Methodology

Overview of IDRC’s eHealth Portfolio

Summary of Projects and Achievements

Africa Regional Projects

Asia Regional Projects

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Regional Programs

Global Programs

. Key Trends in eHealth

General eHealth Trends

Horizontal Trends

Summary of eHealth Literature Review within the Context of Evaluation

Evaluation Findings

Health Research and Related Outcomes

Policy-related Outcomes

Strategic Partnerships & Networks

Capacity Building

Technology

Results of the Usability Survey

Usability Survey Recommendations

Recommendations for Improving Technology Support

Recommendations to Future Users of software platforms or applications

Novel Uses for software platform or application

Publications and Conference Presentations

. Challenges

Lessons Learned

Recommendations

Conclusion

References

Chaitali Sinha - Program Officer | Administratrice de programmes

GEH - Governance, Equity and Health | GES - Gouvernance, équité et santé

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) | www.idrc.ca

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[EQ] Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool - Urban HEART

Urban HEART: Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool

World Health Organization, The WHO Centre for HealthDevelopment, Kobe, 2010

Available online PDF [48p.] at: http://bit.ly/eJsWak

“…….The impact of the urban setting on health and, in particular, inequity in health has been widely documented. Evidence shows that while, on average, public services, including health and health service provision, in urban areas may be better than in rural areas, these averages often mask wide disparities between more and less disadvantaged populations.

One key factor is the exclusion of the marginalized and vulnerable in public health planning and response systems (1). Urban health is influenced by a dynamic interaction between global, national and subnational policies; within that wider context, city governments and local communities can play an instrumental role in closing the gap between the better off and the worse off.

Regardless of the evidence, only a few countries have examined their inter- or intra-city health inequities, and few do so regularly. Information that shows the gaps between cities or within the same city is a crucial requirement to trigger appropriate local actions to promote health equity.

Evidence should be comprehensive enough to provide hints on key health determinants, and concise enough to facilitate policy-making and prioritization of interventions.

In order to facilitate the process of proactively addressing health inequities, WHO collaborated with 17 cities from 10 countries1 in 2008–2009 to develop and pilot-test a tool called the Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART). Urban HEART guides local policymakers and communities through a standardized procedure of gathering relevant evidence and planning effi ciently for appropriate actions to tackle health inequities.

This collective effort towards a common goal has galvanized both city governments and communities to recognize and take action on health inequities. It is envisaged that cities in varied contexts can locally adapt and institutionalize Urban HEART, while maintaining its core concepts and principles.

The aspiration for closing the health gap in cities can be met by guiding public health policies through evidence and in-depth analysis of inequities, using a participatory and intersectoral approach. Urban HEART provides an opportunity for policymakers from different sectors, and communities, to cooperate in using evidence to identify and prioritize interventions for tackling health inequities……………”

PREFACE

A. CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES

A.1 INEQUITY IN HEALTH

A.2 THREE MAIN APPROACHES TO REDUCE

HEALTH INEQUITIES

A.3 TACKLING HEALTH INEQUITIES IN URBAN AREAS

B. INTRODUCING URBAN HEART

B.1 WHAT IS URBAN HEART?

B.2 WHY SHOULD YOU USE URBAN HEART?

B.3 WHAT IS URBAN HEART EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE?

B.4 CORE ELEMENTS OF URBAN HEART

C. PLANNING URBAN HEART

C.1 PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION CYCLE

C.2 URBAN HEART USER MANUAL

D. ASSESSMENT

D.1 INDICATORS

D.2 DATA PRESENTATION

E. RESPONSE

E.1 IDENTIFYING PRIORITIES AND RESPONSE STRATEGIES

E.2 SELECT RELEVANT INTERVENTIONS

F. CONCLUSION

ANNEX 1 URBAN HEART INDICATORS

ANNEX 2 REFERENCES AND USEFUL SOURCES

Teams in cities who pilot-tested the tool have been critical in the development of Urban HEART:

• Guarulhos (Brazil)

• Jakarta, Denpasar (Indonesia)

• Tehran (Islamic Republic of Iran)

• Nakuru (Kenya)

• State of Sarawak (Malaysia)

• Mexico City (Mexico)

• Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)

• Davao, Naga, Olongapo, Paranaque, Tacloban, Taguig, Zamboanga (Philippines)

• Colombo (Sri Lanka)

• Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam)

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