The decontamination of instruments and medical devices plays a very important role in the prevention of health care-associated infections (HAIs). Indeed, improper decontamination of surgical instruments, endoscopic devices, respiratory care devices and reusable haemodialysis devices still occurs in ...many settings, leading to HAIs. This course is based on the WHO manual on decontamination and reprocessing of medical devices for health care facilities, as well as in collaboration with the US CDC.
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This learning paper describes Malaria Consortium’s experience with Integrated Community Case Management (ICCM) in malaria prevention and treatment in Mozambique and Uganda. ICCM is an approach where community-based health workers are trained to identify, treat, and refer complex cases malaria (an...d other diseases) in children
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Infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics are increasing in frequency, scale and impact. Health care facilities can amplify the transmission of emerging infectious diseases or multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) within their settings and communities. Therefore, evidence-based infection prevention ...and control (IPC) measures in health care facilities are critical for preventing and containing outbreaks, while still delivering safe, effective and quality health care. This toolkit is intended to support IPC improvements for outbreak management in all such facilities, both public and private throughout the health system. Specifically, this document systematically describes a framework of overarching principles to approach the preparedness, readiness and response outbreak management phases. The document also provides a toolkit of resource links to guide specific actions for each infectious disease and/or MDRO outbreak management phase at any health facility. This document is specifically tailored to an audience of stakeholders who establish and monitor health care facility-level IPC programs including: IPC focal points, epidemiologists, public health experts, outbreak response incident managers, facility-level IPC committee(s), safety and quality leads and managers, and other facility level IPC stakeholders.
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Maintaining proper storage conditions for health commodities is vital to ensuring their quality. Product expiration dates are based on ideal storage conditions and protecting product quality until their expiration date is important for serving customers and conserving resources. Guidelines for the S...torage of Essential Medicines and Other Health Commodities is a practical reference for those managing or involved in setting up a storeroom or warehouse. The guide contains written directions and clear illustrations on receiving and arranging commodities; special storage conditions; tracking commodities; maintaining the quality of the products; constructing and designing a medical store; waste management; and resources. It was written to meet the needs of district-level facilities; however, the guidelines and information it contains apply to any storage facility, of any size, in any type of environment.
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This is a pocket-sized manual for use by doctors, senior nurses and other senior health workers who are responsible for the care of young children at the first referral level in developing countries. It presents up-to-date clinical guidelines which are based on a review of the available published ev...idence by subject experts, for both inpatient and outpatient care in small hospitals where basic laboratory facilities and essential drugs and inexpensive medicines are available. It focuses on the inpatient management of the major causes of childhood mortality, such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, severe malnutrition, malaria, meningitis, measles, HIV infection and related conditions. It covers neonatal problems and surgical conditions of children which can be managed in small hospitals. This pocket book is part of a series of documents and tools that support the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI).
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The aim of the Annual Inspection Report is to present findings of public sector health establishments inspected by the OHSC to monitor compliance with the National Core Standards (NCS) during the 2016/2017 financial year in South Africa.
The NCS define fundamentals for quality of care based on six ...dimensions of quality: Acceptability,Safety, Reliability, Equity, Accessibility, and Efficiency.
The NCS structured assessment tools were used to collect data during inspections across the seven domains namely: Patient Rights; Patient Safety, Clinical Governance and Clinical Care; Clinical Support Services; Public Health; Leadership and Governance; Operational Management and Facilities and Infrastructure. A total of 851 routine inspections were conducted with 201 of these facilities re-inspected. Inspection data was captured on District Health Information System (DHIS) data entry forms and exported for analysis to Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) version 9.4.
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This rapid compilation of data analyses provides a ‘stock-take’ of social science and behavioural data related to the on-going outbreak of Ebola in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces. Based on data gathered and analysed by organisations working in the Ebola response and in the region mor...e broadly, it explores convergences and divergences between datasets and, when possible, differences by geographic area, demographic group, time period and other relevant variables. Data sources are listed at the end of the document.
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The Extending Service Delivery (ESD) project has developed Healthy Timing and Spacing of
Pregnancy: A Trainer’s Reference Guide as a resource for trainers in developing in-service training
for facility-based healthcare providers and community health workers (chws) who already have
some basic ex...perience with and understanding of FP/RH. This is not a training manual, but a
reference guide which can be used and adapted by trainers based on whether or not trainees are facilitybased
or community-based.
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The European Commission allocated an emergency aid package of €3.5 million on 19/03. The funding will be used to provide logistical support to reach affected people, emergency shelter, hygiene, sanitation, and health care. Out of the aid package, based on needs, €2 million will be provided in Mo...zambique, €1 million in Malawi and €0.5 million in Zimbabwe.
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WHO published interim guidelines on the prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus in September 2016 (1), based on a limited amount of evidence under an emergency process during a public health emergency of international concern. The body of evidence has grown considerably since then and WHO e...xperts concluded, at a meeting in March 2017, that the guidelines should be developed under the formal WHO guideline process (2).
These guidelines contain updated recommendations on the prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus, based on the best available evidence as of June 2018.
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This book was a project developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (IASC MHPSS RG). The project was supported by global, regional and country based experts from Member Agencies of the IASC MHPSS RG, in addition to ...parents, caregivers, teachers and children in 104 countries.
The book was shared through storytelling to children in several countries affected by COVID-19. Feedback from children, parents and caregivers was then used to review and update the story.
Over 1,700 children, parents, caregivers and teachers from around the world took the time to shared how they were coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Available in 141 Languages
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The Guidelines are organized around eight key Principles corresponding to the course of a staff member’s contract. The accompanying diagram represents the principles visually. Each principle has supporting Indicators and Comments and Case Studies designed to assist the reader to more fully underst...and the concepts that the principles are based on and how they can be translated into practice. The principles and indicators are intended to apply to both international and national staff and to both office and field staff, recognizing that adjustments may be necessary to take account of the unique needs and characteristics of each group and of the organization. They constitute a tool for learning, reflection and planning rather than a set of rigid rules or solutions that are applicable under all conditions.
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A Technical Brief for Breakthrough ACTION Field Teams
Social media can be used to collect and address rumors or popular beliefs among target audiences, share evidence-based and timely health information, receive instant feedback on materials, conduct remote trainings, promote awareness of a project..., its mission and events, and more. As increased numbers of people search online for health information, social media platforms are leading the lightning-speed spread of both dangerous coronavirus misinformation and the correct life-saving measures individuals, families, and communities can take to reduce their risk. Public health programs must have a proactive presence in these information-sharing spaces to provide access to trusted and accurate information.
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The Global AMR R&D Hub collects and presents information on AMR R&D investments, products and market interventions. To position itself as the key knowledge centre for AMR R&D the work of the Hub is strategically aligned into three key pillars that encompass guiding and supporting evidence-based deci...sion making; enhancing collaboration and coordination; and promoting awareness, knowledge and visibility in the field.
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Obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have been steadily increasing globally, and with them, a pressing need to implement effective responses to address the contributing factors. Among the available evidence-based policy options that enable healthier choices and improved diets is ...the implementation of taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
This tax manual is a practical guide for policy-makers and others involved in SSB tax policy development to promote healthy diets and populations. It features summaries and case studies of SSB global taxation evidence, and provides support on the policy-cycle development process to implement SSB taxation — from problem identification and situation analysis through policy design, development and implementation to the monitoring and evaluation phase. Additionally, the manual identifies and debunks industry tactics designed to dissuade policy-makers from implementing these taxes.
SSB taxes can be a win-win-win strategy: a win for public health (and averted health-care costs), a win for government revenue, and a win for health equity.
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This document aims to assist countries to take the first step towards better considering gender and equity issues in their efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), to inform the implementation of strategies in national action plans and contribute to improved reach and effectiveness of AMR e...fforts in the longer term. It is part of a series of papers being developed y WHO, FAO and OIE to build a better global evidence base for implementing AMR national action plans. This version is illustrated by examples from the health sector predominantly but
will be updated with advice from the food and animal sectors in due course.
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The Regional Action Framework for Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Control provides a unified vision of objectives and recommended actions to combat the noncommunicable disease (NCD) epidemic in the Western Pacific Region. Implementation should be supported by cross-sectoral coordination..., sustainable financing, evidence-based policy, and community engagement, tailored to each Member State’s unique context. In doing so, Member States are encouraged to transform a disease treatment-centered “sick system” into a “health system” in which a population’s health and well-being enable socioeconomic development.
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Heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is a condition frequently encountered by healthcare professionals and, in order to achieve the best outcomes for patients, needs to be managed optimally. This guideline document is based on the European Society of Cardiology Guidelines for the t...reatment of acute and chronic heart failure published in 2016, and summarises what is considered the best current management of patients with the condition. It provides information on the definition, diagnosis and epidemiology of HFrEF in the African context. The best evidence-based treatments for HFrEF are discussed, including established therapies (beta-blockers, ACE-i/ARBs, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), diuretics) that form the cornerstone of heart failure management as well as therapies that have only recently entered clinical use (angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), sodium/glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors). Guidance is offered in terms of more invasive therapies (revascularisation, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) by implantation of a biventricular pacemaker with (CRT-D) or without (CRT-P) an ICD, left ventricular assist device (LVAD) use and heart transplantation) in order to ensure efficient use of these expensive treatment modalities in a resourcelimited environment. Furthermore, additional therapies (digoxin, hydralazine and nitrates, ivabradine, iron supplementation) are discussed and advice is provided on general preventive strategies (vaccinations). Sections to discuss conditions that are particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa (HIV-associated cardiomyopathy (CMO), peripartum CMO, rheumatic heart disease, atrial fibrillation) have been added to further improve clinical care for these commonly encountered disease processes.
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This handbook builds on lessons learned from surveys implemented 2015-2017 and advice provided by the Global task force on TB patient cost surveys. It provides a standardized methodology for conducting health facility-based cross-sectional surveys to assess the direct and indirect costs incurred by ...TB patients and their households. In addition, it provides recommendations on results dissemination, engaging across sectors in policy dialogue and enabling action and related research for effective modifications in care delivery models, in patient support, and wider cross-sectoral interventions.
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In April 2018, Refugees International (RI) conducted a mission to Bangladesh, to research the GBV (gender-based violence) response for Rohingya women and girls. RI found that the entire humanitarian system is struggling under tremendous constraints in Bangladesh, and protection and health actors do ...deliver lifesaving services to survivors in an incredibly challenging environment. This report, however, focuses on key gaps and challenges in GBV programming, as communicated by practitioners deployed to Bangladesh at various stages of the emergency, by local organizations, and by the affected women and girls themselves.
In the analyses and recommendations provided in this report, RI draws in part from the framework of the international initiative to safeguard women and girls in emergencies — the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies — and urges the donors and humanitarian organizations that are Call to Action partners to implement it more effectively and with urgency during this emergency.
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