Health Equity: August 2008

Thursday, August 28, 2008

[EQ] Curso Internacional de Desarrollo de Sistemas de Salud en Am=?iso-8859-1?Q?=E9rica?= Latina

IV Curso Internacional de Desarrollo de Sistemas de Salud en América Latina

Managua Nicaragua, del 12 – 31 de octubre, 2008

Área de Sistemas y Servicios de Salud (HSS), de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS/OMS), el Fondo de Población de Naciones Unidas (UNFPA),
la Agencia Sueca para el Desarrollo Internacional (ASDI), la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID) y
el Centro de Investigación y Estudios para la Salud, CIES-UNAN

Website: http://www.lachsr.org/documents/events/nicaragua08/Curso_Internac_Desarrollo_Sist_Salud_America_Latina_08.pdf

OBJETIVO: Fortalecer la capacidad de los participantes para el análisis y la formulación de políticas, estrategias, planes y proyectos de intervención, contribuyendo así a mejorar la gobernabilidad y el desempeño de los sistemas de salud en la región.

OBJETIVOS ESPECÍFICOS

§ Analizar las tendencias de cambio en los sistemas de salud desde la perspectiva de su contribución a los compromisos del derecho a la salud,
la equidad y la construcción de la Ciudadanía.

§ Identificar los ejes críticos del desempeño de los sistemas de salud y analizar alternativas de respuesta.

§ Formular opciones de políticas para fortalecer la capacidad de respuesta de los sistemas de salud.

§ Desarrollar propuestas alternativas para el cambio y mejora de los sistemas de salud y la gobernabilidad de las políticas públicas en un marco de protección social.

§ Analizar los efectos de los nuevos contextos internacionales y regionales, como también la realidad de cada país en el desarrollo de la salud pública y los sistemas de salud.

ESTRUCTURA DEL CURSO

El curso se estructura en 3 módulos y un taller de integración final de modo de facilitar el proceso de aprendizaje. Cada uno de los módulos contiene temas en función de los objetivos educativos propuestos en cada uno de ellos:

- Primer Módulo: Derecho a la salud, equidad y dinámica de cambio de los sistemas de salud

- Segundo Módulo: Ejes críticos del desempeño de los sistemas de salud y alternativas de respuesta

- Tercer Módulo: Opciones de políticas para fortalecer la capacidad de respuesta de los sistemas de salud

- Taller de Integración Final: Presentación y debate de propuestas desarrolladas por los participantes a implementar en sus países

Curso dirigido a:
Gerentes y/u oficiales de nivel alto e intermedio, activamente involucrados en el análisis y la formulación de políticas que orientan la organización y funcionamiento del sistema de salud en sus países como también personas que trabajan en la cooperación internacional, instituciones de investigación y/o académicas. El curso plantea el intercambio de experiencias, la interpretación de las principales lecciones aprendidas y la identificación de estrategias adecuadas para alcanzar la universalidad en la cobertura de servicios y en la protección social en materia de salud.

CONTACTOS

La información complementaria del curso se encontrara en cada una de las oficinas de país de OPS/OMS:
http://www.paho.org/English/PAHO/fieldoffices.htm

o directamente a Soledad Urrutia en la sede de la OPS/OMS en Washington DC, USA
Teléfono: 1-202-974-3847email: urrutias@paho.org

* * * *

This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ KMS Area]

“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”.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAHO/WHO Website: http://www.paho.org
Equity List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.

[EQ] CSDH Final report: Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health

Closing the gap in a generation:
Health equity through action on the social determinants of health

Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health

CSDH August 2008 - Geneva, World Health Organization

Executive summary
English [pdf 5.34Mb] | French [pdf 5.41Mb]
Spanish [pdf 5.42Mb] | Arabic [pdf 8.63Mb]
Chinese [pdf 6.06Mb] | Russian [pdf 5.40Mb]

Full report online PDF [256p.] at: http://www.who.int/entity/social_determinants/final_report/csdh_finalreport_2008.pdf

“…..The Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health sets out key areas of daily living conditions and of the underlying structural drivers that influence them in which action is needed. It provides analysis of social determinants of health and concrete examples of types of action that have proven effective in improving health and health equity in countries at all levels of socioeconomic development.

Part 1 sets the scene, laying out the rationale for a global movement to advance health equity through action on the social determinants of health. It illustrates the extent of the problem between and within countries, describes what the Commission believes the causes of health inequities are, and points to where solutions may lie.

Part 2 outlines the approach the Commission took to evidence, and to the indispensable value of acknowledging and using the rich diversity of different types of knowledge. It describes the rationale that was applied in selecting social determinants for investigation and suggests, by means of a conceptual framework, how these may interact with one another.

Parts 3, 4, and 5 set out in more detail the Commission s findings and recommendations. The chapters in Part 3 deal with the conditions of daily living the more easily visible aspects of birth, growth, and education; of living and working; and of using health care. The chapters in Part 4 look at more structural conditions social and economic policies that shape growing, living, and working; the relative roles of state and market in providing for good and equitable health; and the wide international and global conditions that can help or hinder national and local action for health equity. Part 5 focuses on the critical importance of data not simply conventional research, but living evidence of progress or deterioration in the quality of people s lives and health that can only be attained through commitment to and capacity in health equity surveillance and monitoring.

Part 6, finally, reprises the global networks the regional connections to civil society worldwide, the growing caucus of country partners taking the social determinants of health agenda forward, the vital research agendas, and the opportunities for change at the level of global governance and global institutions that the Commission has built and on which the future of a global movement for health equity will depend….”

THE REPORT IN SECTIONS

:: PART 1: Setting the scene for a global approach to health equity [pdf 1.44Mb]

:: PART 2: Evidence, action, actors [pdf 875kb]

:: PART 3: Daily living conditions: Recommendations for action [pdf 1.82Mb]

:: PART 4: Power, money, and resources: Recommendations for action [pdf 2.09Mb]

:: PART 5: Knowledge, monitoring, and skills: The backbone of action [pdf 783kb]

:: PART 6: Building a global movement [pdf 916kb]

:: Annex A: List of all recommendations [pdf 570kb]

:: Biographies, references, and index [pdf 305kb]

PRESENTATION

Why treat people...?
English [pdf 948kb] | French [pdf 1.03Mb] | Spanish [pdf 1.04Mb]

Order a hard copy of the report

* * * *

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

[EQ] Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States

Poverty and Income in 2007: A Look at the New Census Data and What the Numbers Mean

Household Income Rises, Poverty Rate Unchanged, Number of Uninsured Down

DeNavas-Walt, Carmen, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, P60-235, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance
Coverage in the United States: 2007, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC, August - 2008.

Available online PDF [84p.] at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p60-235.pdf

Press Release: Tuesday, AUG. 26, 2008, 10:10 A.M. EDT

“…..Real median household income in the United States climbed 1.3 percent between 2006 and 2007, reaching $50,233, according to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the third annual increase in real median household income.

Meanwhile, the nation’s official poverty rate in 2007 was 12.5 percent, not statistically different from 2006. There were 37.3 million people in poverty in 2007, up from 36.5 million in 2006. The number of people without health insurance coverage declined from 47 million (15.8 percent) in 2006 to 45.7 million (15.3 percent) in 2007.

These findings are contained in the report Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007 The data were compiled from information collected in the 2008 Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).

Also released today were income, poverty and earnings data from the 2007 American Community Survey (ACS) for all states and congressional districts, as well as for metropolitan areas, counties, cities and American Indian/Alaska Native areas of 65,000 population or more

Reports and Data Tables
News Release \| Spanish
Current Population Survey (CPS):
	Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007 [PDF]
	Income data
	Poverty data
	Health Insurance data
American Community Survey (ACS):
	Income, Earnings and Poverty in the United States: 2007 [PDF]
	Data tables

Presentations
Stephen Buckner (Introduction) Remarks \| Biography
David Johnson (Data presentation) Remarks \| Slides [PDF 1.3M]

Brookings Institution event:

http://www.brookings.edu/events/2008/0826_poverty.aspx?emc=lm&m=217734&l=41&v=27946

* * * *

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.

Monday, August 25, 2008

[EQ] LAUNCH of the WHO Report on the Social Determinants of Health - Thursday, 28 August 2008 - 10h00 - 11h00 CET

LAUNCH of the WHO Report on the Social Determinants of Health

WHO's Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) will hand over its report to the World Health Organization (WHO)

News Conference: Media briefing and launch of the Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health

WHERE: Salle de presse III, Palais des Nations, Geneva

WHEN: 10h00 - 11h00 CET Thursday, 28 August 2008

(Central European Time) = Geneva time To check local time in Geneva against your time zone, see the World Clock at:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meeting.html )

WHO: Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization

Sir Michael Marmot, Chair, Commission on Social Determinants of Health and Professor at the University College, London, UK.

Website: http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/

Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health

Closing the gap in a generation:
Health equity through action on the social determinants of health

Social justice is a matter of life and death. It affects the way people live, their consequent chance of illness, and their risk of premature death. We watch in wonder as life expectancy and good health continue to increase in parts of the world and in alarm as they fail to improve in others.

“….Many of the differences in health between - and within - countries result from the social environment where people are born, live, grow, work and age. These "social determinants of health" have been the focus of a three-year investigation by an eminent group of policy makers, academics, former heads of state and former ministers of health. Together, they comprise the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. On the 28th August, the Commission will present its findings to the WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.

The Commission on Social Determinants of Health was established in 2005 by the late WHO Director-General, Dr LEE Jong-wook, to marshal evidence and make recommendations on reducing health inequities.

The Report in English and the Executive Summary in six UN languages and supporting media materials including a press release, backgrounders, country examples, figures, tables and graphs, B-Roll material including visuals, and a podcast including voices of the Commissioners

All the material is under embargo until 10h00 CET 28August 2008.

For more information or interviews, please contact:

Sharad Agarwal, Communications Officer, World Health Organization, Geneva

Telephone +41.22.791.1905, Mobile: +41(0)79.621.5286, Email: agarwals@who.int

http://www.who.int/social_determinants/final_report/

The twenty Commissioners are global and national leaders from political, government, civil society and academic fields and from all geographic regions of the world. Individually and as a group, they give profile and voice for the Commission. Drawing on their expertise and experience, they translate the knowledge and learning from other components into levers for policy change and action on health. They communicate the key message and recommendations of the Commission in policy arenas and lever political attention and policy change. In addition, they mobilise financial and human resources and political support for the Commission.

The Commission meetings are opportunities to profile the message of the commission and the leadership, knowledge and action within the regions in which they are held. They provide a means to review the learning and action on social determinants of health taking place, and use this to inform the policy and advocacy of the Commission.

Michael Marmot - Commission Chair
Frances Baum
Monique Bégin
Giovanni Berlinguer
Mirai Chatterjee
William Foege
Yan Guo
Kiyoshi Kurokawa
Ricardo Lagos
Stephen Lewis
Alireza Marandi
Pascoal Mocumbi
Ndioro Ndiaye
Charity Ngilu
Hoda Rashad
Amartya Sen
David Satcher
Anna Tibaijuka
Denny Vågerö
Gail Wilensky

* * * *

PAHO/WHO Website: http://www.paho.org

EQUITY List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.

[EQ] Effective Dissemination of Findings from Research - a compilation of essays

Effective Dissemination of Findings from Research – a compilation of essays

The Institute of Health Economics (IHE), Alberta Canada, 2008

Available online [PDF 88p.]at: http://www.ihe.ca/documents/Dissemination.pdf

“…..The effective dissemination of findings from health-related research – implying consideration of these findings by clinicians, policy makers, and consumers in reaching decisions – poses many challenges. In health care, there has been increasing recognition of the need to facilitate the transfer of research evidence

into clinical practice and policy development. Considerable sums are spent on research, but concern continues that relevant findings are too often not

appreciated or taken up by those who might benefit.

Dissemination, also referred to in this publication as Knowledge Transfer (KT) and Knowledge Transfer and Exchange (KTE), is a process that goes far beyond just distributing accounts and results of research. Distribution of findings is an important issue and vehicles for distribution (such as reports, journals, and the Internet) will need consideration as they vary in their coverage, timeliness, and cost. However, the essence of effective dissemination is that it is an interactive exchange between researchers and those they are intending to influence. In the field of health technology assessment (HTA), a study undertaken by EUR-ASSESS distinguished between diffusion
– a passive process by which information is spread; dissemination – an active process of spreading a message to defined target groups; and implementation

– a more active process which includes interventions to reduce or remove barriers to change, and activities to promote change (Granados et al., 1987).

A major intent of research dissemination is to provide and use information as input to decisions or policies that might require a change in behaviour or

attitude on behalf of the target audience. This indicates the need for active promotion of the desired message. Approaches taken will depend on the target

audience as well as the specifics of the research. One of the challenges may be matching the research findings to the wider perspectives or requirements

of the groups who are being addressed…”

“….The essays presented in this book have grown out of a workshop on effective dissemination of findings from research organized by the Institute of Health Economics (IHE), that was held two years ago at the University of Alberta. The publication includes some of the material presented at that workshop. It is intended as one of the many available resources on dissemination of research findings for those interested in the subject….”

Table of Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1.

Chapter 2. Knowledge translation of research findings

Introduction

What should be transferred?

To whom should knowledge be transferred and with what effect?.

With what effect should knowledge be transferred?.

How should research knowledge be transferred?.

Effectiveness of professional behaviour change strategies

Effectiveness of knowledge translation strategies focusing on patients

Effectiveness of knowledge translation strategies focusing

on policy makers and senior health service managers

Summary

References

Chapter 3. Knowledge Transfer and Exchange (KTE): a systematic review, key informant interviews and design of a KTE strategy

Introduction

Background.

Methods
Systematic review

Stakeholder interviews

Results

Discussion

Summary of findings

Developing a KTE strategy

A three phased KTE ‘intervention’.

Conclusion.

References

Appendix A: Steps in the systematic review.

Appendix B: Summary of KTE implementation studies identified in the literature.

Chapter 4. SBU’s Ambassador Program in Northern Sweden

The Swedish Health Care System

The Swedish Council on Technology

Assessment in Health Care

The SBU Ambassador Program

The SBU North Ambassador Program

Has the Ambassador Program served its purpose?

References

Chapter 5. The Alberta HTA Chronic Pain Ambassador Program: an Alberta adaptation of the SBU clinical Ambassador Program

Lessons learned

Conclusions and implications

References

Chapter 6. CADTH’s Liaison Program

References

* * * *

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.

[EQ] Health Status Determinants: Lifestyle, Environment, Health Care Resources and Efficiency

Health Status Determinants: Lifestyle, Environment, Health Care Resources and Efficiency

Isabelle Joumard, Christophe André, Chantal Nicq and Olivier Chatal

ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT WORKING PAPERS No. 627

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 04-Aug-2008

Available online as PDF file [74p.] at:

http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2008doc.nsf/ENGDATCORPLOOK/NT0000363E/$FILE/JT03249407.PDF

“….This paper aims to shed light on the contribution of health care and other determinants to the health status of the population and to provide evidence on whether or not health care resources are producing similar value for money across OECD countries.

· First, it discusses the pros and cons of various indicators of the health status, concluding that mortality and longevity indicators have some drawbacks but remainthe best available proxies.

· Second, it suggests that changes in health care spending, lifestyle factors (smoking and alcohol consumption as well as diet), education, pollution and income have been important factors behind improvements in health status.

· Third, it derives estimates of countries’ relative performance in transforming health care resources into longevity from two different methods – panel data regressionsand data envelopment analysis – which give remarkably consistent results.

The empirical estimates suggest that potential efficiency gains might be large enough to raise life expectancy at birth by almost three years on average for OECD countries, while a 10% increase in total health spending would increase life expectancy by three to four months…..”

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction and main findings

2. Measuring health care outcomes

The average health status of the population can be proxied by various indicators

Information on equity in population health status is critically missing

3. Determinants of health status: literature review, model specification and empirical results

Most previous analyses have adopted a production-function approach

…with broad consensus on the inputs potentially contributing to population health status

Specification and empirical results

4. Health care resources are not producing the same “value for money” across countries

Panel data regressions provide some indication of the relative performance of individual countries

Panel data results and DEA efficiency scores are broadly consistent

Overall findings and implications for future research

GLOSSARY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

* * * *

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

[EQ] Curso Internacional de Desarrollo de Sistemas de Salud en Am=?iso-8859-1?Q?=E9rica?= Latina

[EQ] CSDH Final report: Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

[EQ] Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States

Poverty and Income in 2007: A Look at the New Census Data and What the Numbers Mean

Household Income Rises, Poverty Rate Unchanged, Number of Uninsured Down

DeNavas-Walt, Carmen, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, P60-235, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, DC, August - 2008.

Monday, August 25, 2008

[EQ] LAUNCH of the WHO Report on the Social Determinants of Health - Thursday, 28 August 2008 - 10h00 - 11h00 CET

[EQ] Effective Dissemination of Findings from Research - a compilation of essays

[EQ] Health Status Determinants: Lifestyle, Environment, Health Care Resources and Efficiency

DeNavas-Walt, Carmen, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, P60-235, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance
Coverage in the United States: 2007, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC, August - 2008.