| Returning to Work, Working Longer, Working Healthier in the NHS: A Decision Making Framework to Support Line Managers and Staff |
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NHS Employers |
2006 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] This decision making framework has been developed to help to steer line managers and staff through the various decisions they may need to make around returning to work, working longer and working healthier in the NHS. It may help managers and staff to make informed decisions and ask the right questions about situations they face now and in the future relating to health, age and diversity needs. This decision making tool does not offer solutions, it provides a framework to help identify the critical question that needs answering, and the range of potential option that can in turn inform a decision. |
Details |
| Closing the Management Competence Gap |
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Human Resources for Health |
2003 |
Filerman GL |
[Excerpt from author]The success of any organized health program depends upon effective management, but health systems worldwide face a lack of competent management at all levels. Management development for health systems, particularly at the first line of supervision, must be given much higher priority by senior leaders and for investment. Human resource development leaders must be the advocates for making the investment in managerial competence. |
Details |
| Report on the Continuing Professional Development of Staff Nurses and Staff Midwives |
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National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery |
2004 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] Nurses and midwives face the challenge of embracing new methods of care delivery which will provide a quality service that is truly people-centred. Important professional development issues were raised by nurses and midwives in the consultation process which formed the basis for Agenda for the Future Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery. Many nurses and midwives expressed concern regarding continuing professional development (CPD) activities from a number of aspects, namely equity of access, relevance to practice, integration of new knowledge into practice, limited opportunities to access and engage in CPD due to staff shortages, and changes in skill mix. They also described engagement of staff in CPD activities from an organisational point of view as being 'ad hoc' with no pre-determined professional development plans for the individual nurse or midwife, nor with reference to service requirements at ward or unit level. There is growing evidence of the need to link CPD with organisational goals. The construction of career pathways in a healthcare system which is subject to radical and far-reaching change is an issue of growing importance to nurses and midwives. |
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| Clinical Supervision in the Workplace: Guidance for Occupational Health Nurses |
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Royal College of Nursing |
2002 |
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[Excerpt from publisher] This leaflet has been developed by the RCN Occupational Health Managers forum and is designed as an introduction to clinical supervision. It aims to stimulate ideas and to encourage occupational health nurses to set up supervision practice in their workplaces. Clinical supervision isn't a management tool, but can be used as a support and prompt to professional practice in a creative way. |
Details |
| Addressing the Human Resources Crisis: A Case Study of the Namibian Health Service |
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Human Resources for Health |
2007 |
McCourt W and Awases M |
[Excerpt from authors] This paper addresses an important practical challenge to staff management. In 2000 the United Nations committed themselves to the ambitious targets embodied in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Only five years later, it was clear that poor countries were not on track to achieve them. It was also clear that achieving the three out of the eight MDGs that concern health would only be possible if the appropriate human resources (HR) were in place. |
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| Strengthening Human Resources Information Systems |
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The Capacity Project |
2007 |
McQuide P and Settle D |
[Excerpt from authors]Many low-resource countries are facing daunting obstacles to meeting the health care needs of their people. To ensure that the right health care provider is in the right place with the right skills, these countries need current, accurate data on human resources for health (HRH). A strong human resources information system (HRIS) helps health care leaders quickly answer the key policy questions affecting health care service delivery. |
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| Using Nurses to Identify HAART- Eligible Patients in the Republic of Mozambique: Results of a Time Series Analysis |
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Human Resources for Health |
2007 |
Gimbel-Sherr SO, Micek MA, Gimbel-Sherr KH, Koepsell T, Hughes JP, Thomas KK, Pfeiffer J and Gloyd SS |
[Excerpt from authors] The most pressing challenge to achieving universal access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in sub-Saharan Africa is the shortage of trained personnel to handle the increased service requirements of rapid roll-out. Overcoming the human resource challenge requires developing innovative models of care provision that improve efficiency of service delivery and rationalize use of limited resources. |
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| Glossary of the World Trade Organisation and Public Health: Part 1 and 2 |
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Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health |
2006 |
Labonte R and Sanger M |
[Excerpt from authors]Part 1 of this glossary introduces the WTO and its origins as an institution, and summarises the WTO rules on trade in goods that are most relevant to public health. Part 2 considers rules specific to trade in services, intellectual property, investment, and government procurement. |
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| Attracting, Retaining and Managing Nurses in Hospitals - Auditor-General's Report Preformance Audit NSW |
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New South Wales Audit Office |
2006 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] This audit examines how nursing resources are managed in ten general wards at four hospitals - Royal Prince Alfred (RPA), Bankstown, Tamworth and Scone. We looked at this sample of hospitals to find out if:nursing resources are well managedhospitals effectively attracted and retained nurses.We also wanted to find out how well the Department of Health was addressing the risk of a future shortage of nurses in public hospitals. |
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| Job Satisfaction Among Nurses in China |
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SAGE Publications, Home Health Care Management & Practice |
2004 |
Hu J and Liu H |
[Excerpt from publisher] This study examined job satisfaction among nurses in China. A nationwide survey was conducted with 403 nurses employed at hospitals in 16 provinces in China using the Job Descriptive Index Scale. The findings indicated that, overall, nurses were dissatisfied with work, pay, and promotions. Pay was rated as the least satisfying aspect of work followed by promotions. Nurses with more years of experience, higher professional titles, and more opportunities to attend continuing education programs were more likely to have a high level of job satisfaction than nurses with fewer years of experience, lower professional titles, and fewer opportunities to attend continuing education programs. Nurse managers should pay close attention to nurses'pay, career advancement opportunities, and promotions. They should recognize nurses' achievements and provide opportunities for continuing education programs and independent work with emphasis on critical thinking and decision making, autonomy, accountability, and delegation. |
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| Perceptions of Health Workers About Conditions of Service: A Namibian Case Study |
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Regional Network for Equity in Health in Southern Africa |
2006 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher]Human resources for health have become a topical issue at local, regional and global levels. In Namibia health worker mobility remains a concern for those in human resources planning. Achieving equity in this area needs a concerted effort from all sectors involved. However little is understood about the role that conditions of service play in influencing health professional mobility in Namibia. This study was implemented as part of the EQUINET theme work on Human Resources for Health co-ordinated by Health systems Trust. The study set out to explore and describe the influence of conditions of service on the movement and retention of the health professionals in Namibia. It is a qualitative study targeting mainly professional nurses, doctors, social workers and health inspectors at both operational and managerial levels, in public and private sectors. |
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| Improving Supervision: A Team Approach |
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Management Sciences for Health |
0 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] This issue of The Family Planning Manager explores ways to improve supervision in family planning clinics. It focuses on developing an interactive team supervision strategy that can improve the supervision of activities and individual performance. The issue explains how clinic staff can work together as a team to provide ongoing supervision and improve the quality of family planning services. A supplement to this issue, the Pocket Guide for Service Improvement, is designed to be used by clinic staff to identify opportunities for improving family planning services. |
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| Teacher Motivation and Incentives in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia |
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Department for International Development , UK |
2004 |
Bennell P |
[Excerpt from author] This paper focuses on teacher motivation and incentives in low-income developing countries (LICs) in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In particular, it assesses the extent to which the material and psychological needs of teachers are being met. This includes overall levels of occupational status, job satisfaction, pay and benefits, recruitment and deployment, attrition, and absenteeism. Unfortunately, despite the importance and complexity of these issues, there is very limited good quality published information. |
Details |
| Teachers Matter: Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers: Overview |
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Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
2005 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] The report Teachers Matter: Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers is about school teachers - their preparation, recruitment, work and careers. Its specific concern is policies that contribute to attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers in schools. The report draws on the results of a major OECD study of teacher policy conducted over the 2002-04 period in collaboration with 25 countries around the world (see Box 1). The fact that so many countries took part indicates that teacher issues are a priority for public policy, and likely to become even more so in future years. The report aims to provide a comprehensive international analysis of:Trends and developments in the teacher workforce.Evidence on the key factors in attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers.Innovative and successful teacher policies and practices.Teacher policy options for countries to consider.Priorities for future work at national and international levels. |
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| Clinic Supervisor's Manual |
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Management Sciences for Health |
2006 |
|
[Excerpt from Preface] The Clinic Supervisor's Manual is a collection of adaptable tools and guidelines designed to help clinic supervisors and clinic managers achieve objective improvements in the quality of health care. The manual is especially useful for managers supervising integrated health services, who, on any given day, may be called on to support the provision of a full range of primary health services. The manual is designed to complement more detailed standard operating procedures that may be in use for specific services, for example, antiretroviral therapy. It is based on the belief that regular, systematic supervision is essential to upgrading clinic services and maintaining improvements. |
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| Human Resource Management Rapid Assessment Tool for Public - and Private- Sector Health Organizations - A Guide to Strengthening HRM Systems |
|
Management Sciences for Health |
2005 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] The Human Resource Management (HRM) Assessment Tool offers a method for assessing what an organization's Human Resources Management system consits of and how well it functions. The HRM Assessment Tool helps users to develop strategies to improve the human resource system and make it as effective as possible. It can also serve as a basis for focusing dicusssions, brainstorming, and strategic planning. It is designed to be used in public and private-sector health organizations. |
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| Gender Equality, Work and Health: A Review of the Evidence |
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World Health Organization, Department of Women, Gender and Health |
2006 |
Messing K and ?stlin P |
[Excerpt from Preface] This publication documents the relationship between gender inequality and health and safety problems. It reviews gender issues in research, policies and programmes on work and health, and highlights some specific issues for women, including the types of jobs they do, as well as their need to reconcile the demands of work and family. Biological differences between women and men also are considered in relation to hazards they face in the workplace. Implications of the findings and recommendations for legislation and policy are discussed. |
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| Monitoring the Effect of the New Rural Allowance for Health Professionals |
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Health Systems Trust; National Department of Health |
2004 |
Reid S |
[Excerpt from author] The maldistribution of health professionals between rural and urban areas in South Africa demands specific strategies to address the imbalance. Financial and non-financial incentives have been used in other countries to recruit and retain health professionals in areas of need, and in 1994 a rural recruitment allowance was instituted in South Africa. However, this allowance was granted only to medical doctors and dentists, and remained at the same fixed rate since the time of its inception. It was perceived to be ineffective as an incentive for retention of professional staff, and despite the introduction of community service for all health professionals except nurses, it remains difficult to recruit and retain professional staff at rural hospitals, health centres and clinics. |
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| Structural Empowerment, Magnet Hospital Characteristics, and Patient Safety Culture: Making the Link |
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Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Journal of Nursing Care Quality |
2006 |
Armstrong KJ and Laschinger HKS |
[Excerpt from publisher] Nurse managers are seeking ways to improve patient safety in their organizations. At the same time, they struggle to address nurse recruitment and retention concerns by focusing on the quality of nurses' work environment. This exploratory study tested a theoretical model, linking the quality of the nursing practice environments to a culture of patient safety. Specific strategies to increase nurses' access to empowerment structures and thereby increase the culture of patient safety are suggested. |
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| A Longitudinal Analysis of the Impact of Workplace Empowerment on Work Satisfaction |
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John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Journal of Organizational Behavior |
2004 |
Laschinger H K S, Finegan J, Shamian J and Wilk P |
[Excerpt from publisher] A longitudinal predictive design was used to test a model linking changes in structural and psychological empowerment to changes in job satisfaction. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed a good fit of the data from 185 randomly selected staff nurses to the hypothesized model. Changes in perceived structural empowerment had direct effects on changes in psychological empowerment and job satisfaction. Changes in psychological empowerment did not explain additional variance in job satisfaction beyond that explained by structural empowerment. The results suggest that fostering environments that enhance perceptions of empowerment can have enduring positive effects on employees. |
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| Relationships of Work and Practice Environment to Professional Burnout: Testing a Causal Model |
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Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Nursing Research |
2006 |
Leiter M P and Laschinger H K S |
[Excerpt from publisher]Objective: To test a nursing worklife model that defined structured relationships among professional practice environment qualities and burnout. Results: A causal model was used to confirm the factor structure of the Professional Environment Scale (NWI-PES) on a subset of NWI items and the factor structure of the MBI-HSS. The analysis provided support for a structural model (nursing worklife model) linking the five worklife factors used to define a fundamental role for nursing leadership in determining the quality of worklife regarding policy involvement, staffing levels, support for a nursing model of care, and physician-nurse relationships. The analysis supported a direct path (negatively weighted) from staffing to emotional exhaustion and a direct path (positively weighted) from nursing model of care to personal accomplishment. |
Details |
| Job Satisfaction Among Nurses: A Literature Review |
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Elsevier Ltd , International Journal of Nursing Studies |
2004 |
Lu H, While AE and Barriball KL |
[Excerpt from publisher]The current nursing shortage and high turnover is of great concern in many countries because of its impact upon the efficiency and effectiveness of any health-care delivery system. Recruitment and retention of nurses are persistent problems associated with job satisfaction. This paper analyses the growing literature relating to job satisfaction among nurses and concludes that more research is required to understand the relative importance of the many identified factors to job satisfaction. It is argued that the absence of a robust causal model incorporating organizational, professional and personal variables is undermining the development of interventions to improve nurse retention. |
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| The Motivation of Health Personnel in Uganda |
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World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa - Best Practices in Human Resources for Health Development |
2006 |
|
This video examines Uganda's pay reforms and other financial and non-financial incentives for health personnel in the public sector. Note: Access to a media player is required to veiw this clip. |
Details |
| Wastage in the Health Workforce: Some Perspectives from African Countries |
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Human Resources for Health |
2005 |
Dovlo D |
[Excerpt from author] Background: Sub-Saharan Africa faces a human resources crisis in the health sector. Over the past two decades its population has increased substantially, with a significant rise in the disease burden due to HIV/AIDS and recurrent communicable diseases and an increased incidence of noncommunicable diseases. This increased demand for health services is met with a rather low supply of health workers, but this notwithstanding, sub-Saharan African countries also experience significant wastage of their human resources stock. Conclusion: The paper reviews strategies that have been proposed and/or implemented. It suggests areas needing further attention, including: developing and using indicators for monitoring and managing wastage; enhancing motivation and morale of health workers; protecting and valuing the health worker with enhanced occupational safety and welfare systems; and establishing the moral leadership to effectively tackle HIV/AIDS and the brain drain. |
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| Preservice Implementation Guide: A Process for Strengthening Preservice Education |
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JHPIEGO |
2002 |
Schaefer L (ed) |
[Excerpt from Preface] This Preservice Implementation Guide describes the step-by-step process used to create a positive environment on the national level for strengthening preservice education and the steps taken on the institutional level to impove the existing curriculum and its implementation. |
Details |
| The Nine Step Guide to Implementing Clinic Supervision |
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Health Systems Trust |
2005 |
Davids S and Loveday M |
[Excerpt from authors] This booklet focuses on how to implement clinic supervision. Although it does not go into any great depth or detail, it aims to assist managers, programme coordinators, clinic supervisors and facility managers find their way in the day to day supervision of quality of care. The Nine Step Guide addresses implementation in an easy to follow method, using a number of tools and practical examples gathered from the districts where HST has worked over the last three years. |
Details |
| The Influence of Manager Behavior on Nurses' Job Satisfaction, Productivity, and Commitment |
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Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Journal of Nursing Administration |
1997 |
McNeese-Smith DK |
[Excerpt from publisher] How do managers influence their nurses' job satisfaction, productivity, and commitment to the organization? The author discusses the findings of her study, drawing comparisons to other studies and suggesting implications for improving managerial supervision, organizational performance, and outcomes. |
Details |
| Pay and Non-Pay Incentives, Performance and Motivation |
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World Health Organization |
2001 |
Hicks V and Adams O |
[Excerpt from authors] This paper provides an overview of evidence of the effects of incentives on the performance and motivation of independent health professionals and health workers. Incentives are viewed in the context of objectives held by paying agencies or employers. The review defines the nature of economic incentives and of non-financial incentives. Particular attention is paid to the need for developing countries to understand the impacts of health reform measures on incentives. |
Details |
| Making Supervision Supportive and Sustainable: New Approaches to Old Problems |
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Management and Leadership Program, Management Sciences for Health |
2002 |
Marquez L, and Kean L |
[Excerpt from authors] This paper distills lessons from recent efforts to improve the supervision of family planning and health programs in developing countries and identifies approaches that may be more effective and sustainable. It describes supportive supervision, an approach to supervision that emphasizes joint problem-solving, mentoring, and two-way communication between supervisors and those being supervised. It also expands the concept of effective supervision by exploring how self-assessment and peer assessment, as well as community input, can be seen as vital components of results-oriented, supportive supervision. |
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| Health Sector Reform and Public Sector Health Worker Motivation: A Conceptual Framework |
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Elsevier Science Ltd., Social Science and Medicine |
2002 |
Franco LM, Bennett S and Kanfer R |
[Excerpt from authors] Motivation in the work context can be defined as an individual's degree of willingness to exert and maintain an effort towards organizational goals. Health sector performance is critically dependent on worker motivation, with service quality, efficiency, and equity, all directly mediated by workers' willingness to apply themselves to their tasks. Resource availability and worker competence are essential but not sufficient to ensure desired worker performance. While financial incentives may be important determinants of worker motivation, they alone cannot and have not resolved all worker motivation problems. Worker motivation is a complex process and crosses many disciplinary boundaries, including economics, psychology, organizational development, human resource management, and sociology. This paper discusses the many layers of influences upon health worker motivation: the internal individual-level determinants, determinants that operate at organizational (work context) level, and determinants stemming from interactions with the broader societal culture. |
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| Addressing the Health Workforce Crisis: Towards a Common Approach |
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Human Resources for Health |
2006 |
Dal Poz MR, Quain E, O'Neil M, McCaffery J ,Elzinga G and Martineau T |
[Excerpt from authors] The challenges in the health workforce are well known and clearly documented. What is not so clearly understood is how to address these issues in a comprehensive and integrated manner that will lead to solutions. This editorial presents - and invites comments on - a technical framework intended to raise awareness among donors and multisector organizations outside ministries of health and to guide planning and strategy development at the country level. |
Details |
| HIV/AIDS, Human Resources and Sustainable Development |
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Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) |
2002 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] AIDS is sapping vital components and attributes of potentially successful development strategies. By draining human resources, the epidemic distorts labour markets, disrupts production and consumption, and ultimately diminishes national wealth. Some countries bearing the brunt of such effects now face the prospect of 'un-developing'-of seeing their development achievements dissolve in the wake of the epidemic. |
Details |
| Training Manual on Management of Human Resources for Health |
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World Health Organization |
1993 |
|
[adapted from publisher]This manual aims to:explain the role of management of human resources as a major part of development of human resources for health;current ideas and trends in human resources management;provide a better understand of concepts and an increase in human resources management abilities in the areas of managing organizations, leadership, motivation, problem-solving, staff establishment and recruitment, management/staff realtions and staff development;identify opportunities for actions aimed at addressing human resources management problems;describe problem-solving techniques;to emphasize the need for higher standards in health human resources management throughout the health care system. Section IB: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/1993/WHO_EDUC_93.201_SectionI.B.pdf Section II: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/1993/WHO_EDUC_93.201_SectionII.pdf |
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| Exploring the Influence of Workplace Trust Over Health Worker Performance - Preliminary National Overview Report : South Africa |
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Health Economics and Financing Programme, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine |
2004 |
Gilson L, Khumalo G, Erasmus E, Mbatsha S and McIntyre Di |
[Excerpt from authors]A study exploring the influence of workplace trust over health worker performance at primary care level was undertaken in South Africa and Tanzania in 2003. The study aimed to:review the policy environment and contextual factors influencing primary care delivery and health worker motivation;explore the managerial and organizational influences over workplace trust at primary care level;consider the influence of workplace trust over health worker motivation and performance, with particular regard to attitudes and behaviours towards patients;draw preliminary recommendations for improving primary care managementestablish a foundation for future investigation of the workplace trust and health worker performance. |
Details |
| Exploring the Influence of Workplace Trust Over Health Worker Performance - Preliminary National Overview Report: Tanzania |
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Health Economics and Financing Programme, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine |
2004 |
Manzi F, Kida T, Mbuyita S, Palmer N and Gilson L |
[Excerpt from authors] A study exploring the influence of workplace trust over health worker performance at primary care level was undertaken in Tanzania and South Africa in 20031. The study aimed to:review the policy environment and contextual factors influencing primary care delivery and health worker motivation;explore the ma nagerial and organizational influences over workplace trust at primary care level;consider the influence of workplace trust over health worker motivation and performance, with particular regard to attitudes and behaviours towards patients;draw preliminary recommendations for improving primary care managementestablish a foundation for future investigation of the workplace trust and health worker performance. |
Details |
| Health Worker Motivation in Africa: The Role of Non-financial Incentives and Human Resource Management Tools |
|
Human Resources for Health |
2006 |
Mathauer I and Imhoff I |
[Excerpt from authors] Background: There is a serious human resource crisis in the health sector in developing countries, particularly in Africa. One of the challenges is the low motivation of health workers. Experience and the evidence suggest that any comprehensive strategy to maximize health worker motivation in a developing country context has to involve a mix of financial and non-financial incentives. This study assesses the role of non-financial incentives for motivation in two cases, in Benin and Kenya. |
Details |
| A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Evidence on the Structure, Process, Characteristics and Composition of a Nursing Team that Fosters a Healthy Work Environment |
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Blackwell Publishing, Inc., International Journal of Evidence-based Healthcare |
2006 |
Pearson A, Porritt K, Doran D, Vincent L, Craig D, Tucker D and Long L |
[Excerpt from authors] The overall aim of this systematic review was to identify the best available evidence on the relationship between the knowledge, competencies and behaviours of nurses exhibiting professional practice in their workplace; and the development of a healthy work environment. The results of the review suggest a number of recommendations for practice and research on creating a healthy work environment. |
Details |
| Towards a Global Health Workforce Strategy |
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Studies in Health Services Organisation & Policy |
2003 |
Ferrinho P and Dal Poz M (eds) |
[Excerpt from Preface] The papers presented here cover the main dimensions of HRD in health: planning and managing the workforce, education and training, incentives and working conditions, managing the performance of personnel and policies needed to ensure that investments in human resources produce the benefits to which the investing populations are entitled. Authors write from diverse professional, regional and cultural perspectives, and yet there is a high degree of consistency in their diagnosis of problems and proposals for strategies to address them. They all agree on the multidimensionality of problems and on the need for solutions that take into account all dimensions. They also agree that if problems tend to be similar in nature, they take forms that are time- and context-determined. This set of papers raise questions and give insights into strategies that are relevant to developed and developing countries. |
Details |
| International Nurse Mobility: Trends and Policy Implications |
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World Health Organization; International Council of Nurses; Royal College of Nursing UK |
2003 |
Buchan J, Parkin T and Sochalski J |
[Excerpt from authors] This report examines the trends and policy issues relating to the international mobility of one key group of knowledge workers- nurses. The increase in 'knowledge worker' migration, partly as a result of developed countries attempting to solve skill shortages by recruiting from developing countries, is a key component of current international migration patterns. |
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| What Difference Does ("good") HRM Make? |
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Human Resources for Health |
2004 |
Buchan J |
[Excerpt from author]The importance of human resources management (HRM) to the success or failure of health system performance has, until recently, been generally overlooked. In recent years it has been increasingly recognised that getting HR policy and management "right" has to be at the core of any sustainable solution to health system performance. In comparison to the evidence base on health care reformrelated issues of health system finance and appropriate purchaser/provider incentive structures, there is very limited information on the HRM dimension or its impact. Despite the limited, but growing, evidence base on the impact of HRM on organisational performance in other sectors, there have been relatively few attempts to assess the implications of this evidence for the health sector. This paper examines this broader evidence base on HRM in other sectors and examines some of the underlying issues related to "good" HRM in the health sector. |
Details |
| Managing Health Professional Migration from sub-Saharan Africa to Canada: A Stakeholder Inquiry into Policy Options |
|
Human Resources for Health |
2006 |
Labont? R, Packer C and Klassen N |
[Excerpt from authors] Background: Canada is a major recipient of foreign-trained health professionals, notably physicians from South Africa and other sub-Saharan African countries. Nurse migration from these countries, while comparatively small, is rising. African countries, meanwhile, have a critical shortage of professionals and a disproportionate burden of disease. What policy options could Canada pursue that balanced the right to health of Africans losing their health workers with the right of these workers to seek migration to countries such as Canada? |
Details |
| The Globalization of the Labour Market for Health-Care Professionals |
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International Labour Organization, International Labour Review |
2006 |
Clark PF, Stewart JB and Clark DA |
[Excerpt from publisher]The worldwide shortage of health-care workers has led to a brain drain that is negatively affecting the health-care systems of less affluent countries. The authors study the factors encouraging nurses and doctors to migrate, measure the costs and benefits of such migration and analyse methods of foreign recruitment. They then look at the theories that help explain this phenomenon: human capital theory, theories of neo-colonialism and of globalization. They conclude with a policy discussion of possible strategies, which include addressing the "push" factors motivating migration, focusing training on local health-care needs, signing bilateral agreements that limit migration, etc. |
Details |
| Career Moves and Migration: Critical Questions |
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International Council of Nurses |
2002 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher]Nurses have always sought and will continue to seek professional development opportunities. Beginning with their nursing education and then through continuing and further education, such as specialisation, nurses look for stimulating learning experiences (both theoretical and practical). The application of newly acquired knowledge, skills and behaviours then becomes a personal goal. Often however such opportunities require career moves - to a new unit, care setting, institution, cultural context and/or country. With these guidelines, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) aims to:Highlight potential advantages and perils of career moves and migration for nurses.Describe some of the main nurse migration trends.Establish a list of critical questions for consideration before accepting a new position. |
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| Positive Practice Environments - Key Considerations for the Development of a Framework to Support the Integration of International Nurses |
|
International Centre on Nurse Migration |
2006 |
Adams E and Kennedy A |
[Excerpt from authors]This paper focuses on nurses who have migrated and are registered/licensed/authorised to practice, post-adaptation/orientation, and are working as a nurse in a given country. The term international nurse is used for nurses who have been educated abroad and have either been recruited or have chosen to migrate. This paper aims to provide an overview of the influences of international policies and agreements, the social and personal benefits and costs of migration for international nurses based on their experiences, and to outline a possible framework to develop positive practice environments to support long-term integration and the retention of this valuable resource. |
Details |
| Nurses on the Move - Migration and the Global Health Care Economy |
|
Cornell University Press |
2006 |
Kingma M |
[Excerpt from publisher]South African nurses care for patients in London, hospitals recruit Filipino nurses to Los Angeles, and Chinese nurses practice their profession in Ireland. In every industrialized country of the world, patients today increasingly find that the nurses who care for them come from a vast array of countries. In the first book on international nurse migration, Mireille Kingma investigates one of today's most important health care trends. The personal stories of migrant nurses that fill this book contrast the nightmarish existences of some with the successes of others. Health systems in industrialized countries now depend on nurses from the developing world to address their nursing shortages. This situation raises a host of thorny questions. What causes nurses to decide to migrate? Is this migration voluntary or in some way coerced? When developing countries are faced with nurse vacancy rates of more than 40 percent, is recruitment by industrialized countries fair play in a competitive market or a new form of colonialization? What happens to these workers-and the patients left behind-when they migrate? What safeguards will protect nurses and the patients they find in their new workplaces? Highlighting the complexity of the international rules and regulations now being constructed to facilitate the lucrative trade in human services, Kingma presents a new way to think about the migration of skilled health-sector labor as well as the strategies needed to make migration work for individuals, patients, and the health systems on which they depend. |
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| ICN on Occupational Stress and the Threat to Worker Health |
|
International Council of Nurses |
0 |
|
This Nursing Matters fact sheet provides quick reference information and international perspectives from the nursing profession on occupational stress. |
Details |
| The Financial Losses from the Migration of Nurses from Malawi |
|
BMC Nursing |
2006 |
Muula AS, Panulo B Jr and Maseko FC |
[Excerpt from authors]Background: The migration of health professionals trained in Africa to developed nations has compromised health systems in the African region. The financial losses from the investment in training due to the migration from the developing nations are hardly known. Conclusion: Developing countries are losing significant amounts of money through lost investment of health care professionals who emigrate. There is need to quantify the amount of remittances that developing nations get in return from those who migrate. |
Details |
| Assessing Human Resources for Health: What Can Be Learned From Labour Force Surveys? |
|
Human Resources for Health |
2003 |
Gupta N, Diallo K, Zurn P and Dal Poz M |
[Excerpt from authors]Background: Human resources are an essential element of a health system's inputs, and yet there is a huge disparity among countries in how human resource policies and strategies are developed and implemented. The analysis of the impacts of services on population health and well-being attracts more interest than analysis of the situation of the workforce in this area. This article presents an international comparison of the health workforce in terms of skill mix, sociodemographics and other labour force characteristics, in order to establish an evidence base for monitoring and evaluation of human resources for health. |
Details |
| Monitoring and Evaluation of Human Resources for Health: An International Perspective |
|
Human Resources for Health |
2003 |
Diallo K, Zurn P, Gupta N and Dal Poz M |
[Excerpt from authors]Background: Despite the undoubted importance of human resources to the functions of health systems, there is little consistency between countries in how human resource strategies are monitored and evaluated. This paper presents an integrated approach for developing an evidence base on human resources for health (HRH) to support decision-making, drawing on a framework for health systems performance assessment. Conclusion: Evidence-based information is needed to better understand trends in HRH. Although a range of sources exist that can potentially be used for HRH assessment, the information that can be derived from many of these individual sources precludes refined analysis. A variety of data sources and analytical approaches, each with its own strengths and limitations, is required to reflect the complexity of HRH issues. In order to enhance cross-national comparability, data collection efforts should be processed through the use of internationally standardized classifications (in particular, for occupation, industry and education) at the greatest level of detail possible. |
Details |
| Qualitative Study of Iranian Nurses' Understanding and Experiences of Professional Power |
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Human Resources for Health |
2004 |
Hagbaghery MA , Salsali M and Ahmadi F |
[Excerpt from authors] Nurses are expected to empower their clients, but they cannot do so if they themselves feel powerless. They must become empowered before they can empower others. Some researchers have emphasized that understanding the concept of power is an important prerequisite of any empowerment program. While many authors have tried to define the concept of power, there is no comprehensive definition. This paper is an attempt to clarify the concept of power in nursing. It also would present a model describing the factors affecting nurse empowerment. |
Details |
| The Match Between Motivation and Performance Management of Health Sector Workers in Mali |
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Human Resources for Health |
2006 |
Dieleman M ,Toonen J , Tour? H and Martineau T |
[Excerpt from authors]Human resources for health (HRH) play a central role in improving accessibility to services and quality of care. Their motivation influences this. In Mali, operational research was conducted to identify the match between motivation and the range and use of performance management activities. |
Details |
| Human Resources: The Cinderella of Health Sector Reform in Latin America |
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Human Resources for Health |
2005 |
Homedas N and Ugalde A |
[Excerpt from authors] This article is based on fieldwork and a review of the literature. It discusses the reasons that led health workers to oppose reform; the institutional and legal constraints to implementing reform as originally designed; the mismatch between the types of personnel needed for reform and the availability of professionals; the deficiencies of the reform implementation process; and the regulatory weaknesses of the region. The discussion presents workforce strategies that the reforms could have included to achieve the intended goals, and the need to take into account the values and political realities of the countries. The authors suggest that autochthonous solutions are more likely to succeed than solutions imported from the outside. |
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| Internationally Recruited Nurses in London: A Survey of Career Paths |
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Human Resources for Health |
2006 |
Buchan J, Jobanputra R, Gough P and Hutt R |
[Excerpt from authors] The paper reports on a survey of recently arrived international nurses working in London, to assess their demographic profile, motivations, experiences and career plans. One critical issue for UK policy-makers is to determine if internationally recruited nurses will stay on in the UK, move back to their home country, or move on to another. That these nurses have made at least one international move means they are likely to have the propensity to move again. As such, retention efforts in the UK will have to take account of their career aspirations. |
Details |
| Identifying Factors for Job Motivation of Rural Health Workers in North Viet Nam |
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Human Resources for Health |
2003 |
Dieleman M , Viet Cuong P , Le Vu Anh2 and Tim Martineau3 |
[Excerpt from authors] Background: In Viet Nam, most of the public health staff (84%) currently works in rural areas, where 80% of the people live. To provide good quality health care services, it is important to develop strategies influencing staff motivation for better performance. Method: An exploratory qualitative research was carried out among health workers in two provinces in North Viet Nam so as to identify entry points for developing strategies that improve staff performance in rural areas. The study aimed to determine the major motivating factors and it is the first in Viet Nam that looks at health workers' job perception and motivation. Apart from health workers, managers at national and at provincial level were interviewed as well as some community representatives. Results: The study showed that motivation is influenced by both financial and non-financial incentives. The main motivating factors for health workers were appreciation by managers, colleagues and the community, a stable job and income and training. The main discouraging factors were related to low salaries and difficult working conditions. Conclusion: Activities associated with appreciation such as performance management are currently not optimally implemented, as health workers perceive supervision as control, selection for training as unclear and unequal, and performance appraisal as not useful. The kind of non-financial incentives identified should be taken into consideration when developing HRM strategies. Areas for further studies are identified. |
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| Factors Affecting the Performance of Maternal Health Care Providers in Armenia |
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Human Resources for Health |
2004 |
Fort AL and Voltero L |
[Excerpt from authors] Over the last five years, international development organizations began to modify and adapt the conventional Performance Improvement Model for use in low-resource settings. This model outlines the five key factors believed to influence performance outcomes: job expectations, performance feedback, environment and tools, motivation and incentives, and knowledge and skills. Each of these factors should be supplied by the organization in which the provider works, and thus, organizational support is considered as an overarching element for analysis. Little research, domestically or internationally, has been conducted on the actual effects of each of the factors on performance outcomes and most PI practitioners assume that all the factors are needed in order for performance to improve. This study presents a unique exploration of how the factors, individually as well as in combination, affect the performance of primary reproductive health providers (nurse-midwives) in two regions of Armenia. |
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| Imbalance in the Health Workforce |
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Human Resources for Health |
2004 |
Zurn P, Dal Poz M, Stilwell B and Adams O |
[Excerpt from authors] Imbalance in the health workforce is a major concern in both developed and developing countries. It is a complex issue that encompasses a wide range of possible situations. This paper aims to contribute not only to a better understanding of the issues related to imbalance through a critical review of its definition and nature, but also to the development of an analytical framework. The framework emphasizes the number and types of factors affecting health workforce imbalances, and facilitates the development of policy tools and their assessment. Moreover, to facilitate comparisons between health workforce imbalances, a typology of imbalances is proposed that differentiates between profession/specialty imbalances, geographical imbalances, institutional and services imbalances and gender imbalances. |
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| Not Enough There, Too Many Here: Understanding Geographical Imbalances in the Distribution of the Health Workforce |
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Human Resources for Health |
2006 |
Dussault G and Franceschini MC |
[Excerpt from authors] Access to good-quality health services is crucial for the improvement of many health outcomes, such as those targeted by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the international community in 2000. The health-related MDGs cannot be achieved if vulnerable populations do not have access to skilled personnel and to other necessary inputs. This paper focuses on the geographical dimension of access and on one of its critical determinants: the availability of qualified personnel. The objective of this paper is to offer a better understanding of the determinants of geographical imbalances in the distribution of health personnel, and to identify and assess the strategies developed to correct them. It reviews the recent literature on determinants, barriers and the effects of strategies that attempted to correct geographical imbalances, with a focus on empirical studies from developing and developed countries. An analysis of determinants of success and failures of strategies implemented, and a summary of lessons learnt, is included. |
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| Improving Motivation Among Primary Health Care Workers in Tanzania: A Health Worker Perspective |
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Human Resources for Health |
2006 |
Manongi RN, Marchant TC and Bygbjerg IC |
[Excerpt from authors]In Tanzania access to urban and rural primary health care is relatively widespread, yet there is evidence of considerable bypassing of services; questions have been raised about how to improve functionality. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of health workers working in the primary health care facilities in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania, in terms of their motivation to work, satisfaction and frustration, and to identify areas for sustainable improvement to the services they provide. The primary issues arising pertain to complexities of multitasking in an environment of staff shortages, a desire for more structured and supportive supervision from managers, and improved transparency in career development opportunities. Further, suggestions were made for inter-facility exchanges, particularly on commonly referred cases. The discussion highlights the context of some of the problems identified in the results and suggests that some of the preferences presented by the health workers be discussed at policy level with a view to adding value to most services with minimum additional resources. |
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| Public Sector Nurses in Swaziland: Can the Downturn be Reversed? |
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Human Resources for Health |
2006 |
Kober K and Van Damme W |
[Excerpt from authors] The lack of human resources for health (HRH) is increasingly being recognized as a major bottleneck to scaling up antiretroviral treatment (ART), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, whose societies and health systems are hardest hit by HIV/AIDS. In this case study of Swaziland, we describe the current HRH situation in the public sector. We identify major factors that contribute to the crisis, describe policy initiatives to tackle it and base on these a number of projections for the future. Finally, we suggest some areas for further research that may contribute to tackling the HRH crisis in Swaziland. Emigration and attrition due to HIV/AIDS are undermining the health workforce in the public sector of Swaziland. Short-term and long-term measures for overcoming this HRH crisis have been initiated by the Swazi government and must be further supported and increased. Scaling up antiretroviral treatment (ART) and making it accessible and acceptable for the health workforce is of paramount importance for halting the attrition due to HIV/AIDS. To this end, we also recommend exploring ways to make ART delivery less labour-intensive. The production of nurses and nursing assistants must be urgently increased. Although the migration of HRH is a global issue requiring solutions at various levels, innovative in-country strategies for retaining staff must be further explored in order to stem as much as possible the emigration from Swaziland. |
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| The Importance of Human Resources Management in Health Care: A Global Context |
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Human Resources for Health |
2006 |
Kabene SM, Orchard C, Howard JM , Soriano MA and Leduc R |
[Excerpt from authors]This paper addresses the health care system from a global perspective and the importance of human resources management (HRM) in improving overall patient health outcomes and delivery of health care services. Various key success factors emerge that clearly affect health care practices and human resources management. This paper will reveal how human resources management is essential to any health care system and how it can improve health care models. Challenges in the health care systems in Canada, the United States of America and various developing countries are examined, with suggestions for ways to overcome these problems through the proper implementation of human resources management practices. |
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| Iranian Staff Nurses' Views of Their Productivity and Human Resource Factors Improving and Impeding It: A Qualitative Study |
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Human Resources for Health |
2005 |
Nayeri ND, Nazari AA, Salsali M and Ahmadi F |
[Excerpt from authors] Nurses, as the largest human resource element of health care systems, have a major role in providing ongoing, high-quality care to patients. Productivity is a significant indicator of professional development within any professional group, including nurses. The human resource element has been identified as the most important factor affecting productivity. This research aimed to explore nurses' perceptions and experiences of productivity and human resource factors improving or impeding it. |
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| Identifying Nurses' Rewards: A Qualitative Categorization Study in Belgium |
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Human Resources for Health |
2006 |
De Gieter S , De Cooman R, Pepermans R, Caers R , Du Bois C and Jegers M |
[Excerpt from authors]Rewards are important in attracting, motivating and retaining the most qualified employees, and nurses are no exception to this rule. This makes the establishment of an efficient reward system for nurses a true challenge for every hospital manager. A reward does not necessarily have a financial connotation: non-financial rewards may matter too, or may even be more important. Therefore, the present study examines nurses' reward perceptions, in order to identify potential reward options. |
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| Economic Incentive in Community Nursing: Attraction, Rejection or Indifference? |
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Human Resources for Health |
2003 |
Kingma M |
[Excerpt from author] It is hard to imagine any period in time when economic issues were more visible in health sector decision-making. The search for measures that maximize available resources has never been greater than within the present decade. A staff payroll represents 60%-70% of budgeted health service funds. The cost-effective use of human resources is thus an objective of paramount importance. Using incentives and disincentives to direct individuals' energies and behaviour is common practice in all work settings, of which the health care system is no exception. The range and influence of economic incentives/disincentives affecting community nurses are the subject of this discussion paper. The tendency by nurses to disregard, and in many cases, deny a direct impact of economic incentives/disincentives on their motivation and professional conduct is of particular interest. The goal of recent research was to determine if economic incentives/disincentives in community nursing exist, whether they have a perceivable impact and in what areas. |
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| Nurse: Patient Ratios - ICN Fact Sheet |
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International Council of Nurses |
2003 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] This Nursing Matters fact sheet provides quick reference information and international perspectives from the nursing profession on nurse: patient ratios. |
Details |
| Health Human Resources Trends in the Americas: Evidence for Action (Draft for Discussion) |
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Pan American Health Organization's Observatory of Human Resources in Health - PAHO/WHO |
2006 |
Cameron R |
[Excerpt from author] This collaborative review of human resources for health in the Americas was undertaken in follow-up to the Toronto Call to Action, the Seventh Regional Meeting of the Pan American Health Organization's Observatory of Human Resources in Health, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 4-7, 2005 [....] The report recommends that: a clear determination of the region's supply of health human resources be undertaken; a code of practice for the management of the internal recruitment of health care professionals be collaboratively developed and implemented; community-based workforce recruitment and retention mechanisms be supported that are responsive to local workforce needs; total enrollments and student mix in professional schools be closely linked to identified community needs and that policies and incentives be introduced to reduce student attrition and to enhance the geographic distribution of the health workforce; primary health care delivery teams, that emphasize an increase in both nursing numbers and their competency ranges to maximize service delivery flexibility should be supported and promoted at the community level; and, an inter-regional expert team be struck to develop a human resource planning framework, to identify regional planning priorities, to conduct country assessments in the areas of highest need, and, to promote the development of a health human resource minimum data set to support the region's current and long-term planning processes. |
Details |
| Workplace Violence in the Health Sector: Country Case Studies: Brazil, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand, and an Additional Australian Study |
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International Labour Office; International Council of Nurses; World Health Organization; Public Services International |
2002 |
Di Martino V |
[Excerpt from author]The International Labour Office (ILO), the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the World Health Organization (WHO) and Public Services International (PSI) launched in 2000 a joint programme in order to develop sound policies and practical approaches for the prevention and elimination of violence in the health sector. When the programme was first established and information gaps were identified, it was decided to launch a number of country studies as well as cross-cutting theme studies and to conclude by drafting guidelines to address workplace violence in the health sector. This working paper presents the Synthesis Report of the commissioned country reports to stimulate further discussion in the area of workplace violence, encourage fact-finding research in other countries and support sound policy-making. |
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| ILO Nursing Personnel Convention No.149 - Recognize Their Contribution Address Their Needs |
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International Labour Office |
2005 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] In 2002, the ILO classified the Nursing Personnel Convention (C 149) as an up-to-date instrument, reaffirming its relevance in today's socio-economic realities. This Convention is nearly 30 years old, yet sadly not much progress has been made in many countries towards improving working conditions in nursing. The same concerns that prompted international attention on working conditions in health services in the 1970's unfortunately still prevail today. The health care profession is not attracting enough recruits in both developed and developing countries to keep up with demand, and in addition, it is also losing large numbers of trained personnel to areas outside the sector. |
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| Framework Guidelines for Addressing Workplace Violence in the Health Sector - The Training Manual |
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International Labour Organization; International Council of Nurses; World Health Organization; Public Services International |
2005 |
di Martino V |
[Excerpt from author] The Guidelines provide definitions of workplace violence and guidance on general rights and responsibilities; best approaches; violence recognition; violence assessment; workplace interventions; monitoring and evaluation. This Training Manual is a complement to the Framework Guidelines. It is a practical, user-friendly tool that builds on the policy approach of the Framework Guidelines. Representatives of governments, employers and workers would be well served to use the Manual in training situations, so as to encourage social dialogue among health sector stakeholders and develop, in consultation, approaches to address violence in the workplace. |
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| Working Well: A Call to Employers - A summary of the RCN |
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Royal College of Nursing, UK |
2002 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] [This paper provides]a summary of the RCN Working well survey into the wellbeing and working lives of nurses, plus recommendations for employer. This document summarises the key findings from the survey. It looks at: - the rationale for undertaking the survey - what makes a good employer - detailed findings from each of the employment practices covered in the survey - nurses' psychological health and wellbeing - recommendations for consulting on and implementing employee-friendly working for nurses, negotiators and employers. |
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| Dealing With Bullying and Harassment : A Guide for Nursing Students |
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Royal College of Nursing UK, Working Well Initiative |
2002 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher]This guide is aimed mainly at nursing students. It should help you to:recognise if you or a colleague are being bullied or harassedtake action against bullying and harassment We also want to:raise awareness of the problem of employers and educators as well as students-if people are aware of the problem, then they can take steps to stop it happeningencourage nursing educators and employers to carry through anti-harassment policies. |
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| Implications of Organizational Learning for Nursing Managers From the Cultural, Interpersonal and Systems Thinking Perspectives |
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Blackwell Publishing, Inc., Nursing Inquiry |
2001 |
Chan C-PCA |
[Excerpt from author] This paper discusses the implications of organizational learning to healthcare administrators, in particular nursing managers, from the cultural, interpersonal and systems thinking perspectives. In the various perspectives the reasons for organizational ineffectiveness and remedies are presented. There is little doubt that pressure for nurses to perform is escalating as healthcare institutions attempt to improve the quality of service through restructuring and change, which leads to greater job dissatisfaction, higher turnover, lower morale and increased industrial actions of nurses. An integrated approach to organizational learning is arguably important for the effective management of nurses during periods of transition. |
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| Primary Nurses' Performance: Role of Supportive Management |
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Blackwell Publishing, Inc., Journal of Advanced Nursing |
2004 |
Drach-zahavy A |
[Excerpt from author] Background: Most studies examining primary nursing focus on outcome variables such as enhanced patient and staff satisfaction with care, perceived autonomy and quality of care, whereas only limited research has examined processes of implementing and maintaining primary nursing. In addition, the few studies that have explored process variables discuss only direct relationships between the design of the primary nursing care-delivery system, process and nurse outcomes, and disregard how such variables interact. Aim: This study sought to address previous inconsistent findings about the impact of primary nursing care-delivery models on the performance of nurses by incorporating the moderating role of supportive management practices. |
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| Framework for Developing Nursing Roles |
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Scottish Executive Health Department |
2005 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] The purpose of this document is twofold. It presents a generic framework which can be used to guide the development of new roles. The framework has been developed in partnership with representatives from other staff groups. It may be applied equally to role development in nursing as well as, for example, the Allied Health Professions or Pharmacy. It can be used to assist in the planning process to ensure that roles are needs led, meet governance requirements, are sustainable, as well as ensuring that the development is supported by the whole team thus ensuring its success. The rest of the document contains a rationale for structured role development in nursing. It describes the context and drivers for change, principles which should underpin nursing roles, and emphasises the importance of a career structure within which new roles may sit comfortably. The framework is aimed at four key groups:Patients and carers, their representatives and voluntary organisationsNurses, midwives, other health professionals and social care professionalsEducation providers and researchersManagers of services and service providers. |
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| A Methodology for Assessing the Professional Development Needs of Nurses and Midwives in Indonesia: Paper 1 of 3 |
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Human Resources for Health |
2006 |
Hennessy D, Hicks C, Hilan A and Kawonal Y |
[Excerpt from authors] Despite recent developments, health care provision in Indonesia remains suboptimal. Difficult terrain, economic crises, endemic diseases and high population numbers, coupled with limited availability of qualified health care professionals, all contribute to poor health status. In a country with a population of 220 million, there are currently an estimated 50 nurses and 26 midwives per 100 000 people. In line with government initiatives, this series of studies was undertaken to establish the training and development needs of nurses and midwives working within a variety of contexts in Indonesia, with the ultimate aim of enhancing care provision within these domains. |
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| The Interface Between Health Sector Reform and Human Resources in Health |
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Human Resources for Health |
2003 |
Rigoli F and Dussault G |
[Excerpt from authors] The relationship between health sector reform and the human resources issues raised in that process has been highlighted in several studies. These studies have focused on how the new processes have modified the ways in which health workers interact with their workplace, but few of them have paid enough attention to the ways in which the workers have influenced the reforms. The impact of health sector reform has modified critical aspects of the health workforce, including labor conditions, degree of decentralization of management, required skills and the entire system of wages and incentives. Human resources in health, crucial as they are in implementing changes in the delivery system, have had their voice heard in many subtle and open ways - reacting to transformations, supporting, blocking and distorting the proposed ways of action. This work intends to review the evidence on how the individual or collective actions of human resources are shaping the reforms, by spotlighting the reform process, the workforce reactions and the factors determining successful human resources participation. It attempts to provide a more powerful way of predicting the effects and interactions in which different "technical designs" operate when they interact with the human resources they affect. The article describes the dialectic nature of the relationship between the objectives and strategies of the reforms and the objectives and strategies of those who must implement them. |
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| Making a Measurable Difference: Evaluating Quality of Work Life Interventions |
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Canadian Nurses Association |
2006 |
Lowe GS |
[Excerpt from author] This report provides a resource for nurses, nurse managers, and their co-workers who are involved in activities to improve healthcare work environments. It has two objectives:1. To support nurses involved in implementing and evaluating quality of work life programes with specific parameters and timelines. 2. To help in the evaluation of transformations in an organization's culture and work practices. |
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| Skill Mix in the Health Care Workforce: Reviewing the Evidence |
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World Health Organization - Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
2002 |
Buchan J and Dal Poz M |
[Excerpt from authors] This paper discusses the reasons for skill mix among health workers being important for health systems. It examines the evidence base (identifying its limitations), summarizes the main findings from a literature review, and highlights the evidence on skill mix that is available to inform health system managers, health professionals, health policy-makers and other stakeholders. |
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| Maxi Nurses - Advanced and Specialist Nursing Roles |
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Royal College of Nursing, UK |
2005 |
|
[Excerpt from publisher] The Department of Health and RCN have jointly funded this research to find out more about nurses in specialist and/or advanced roles. The project aims to describe the posts, the people in the posts, and the organisational infrastructure surrounding them, to be able to map the variety of roles that currently exists. The project has been designed to address the following specific objectives:To describe the roles of these nurses and the work settings in which they are situated. Do the post-holders see the posts as being advanced and/or specialist? How is this evidenced in their roles?To examine the working relationships of nurses in this group. How do these roles 'fit' within their organisations and relative to other staff? What teams are they part of? Who accesses their expertise? Are these new roles understood by other staff and patients?To describe the career patterns and paths of nurses in these roles. Why did they take up this role? What were they doing before? What preparation have they had and what do they think is needed? What do they see as their next career step?To find out from nurses in these roles how patients and clients benefit from these roles;Consider the infrastructure, facilities and conditions required to make these roles as successful as possible, from both a post-holder and service perspective. What support can employers offer to nurses in these roles to ensure the service gets the most out of these roles? Is anything further needed? |
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| Evaluation of Patient Safety and Nurse Staffing |
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Canadian Health Services Research Foundation |
2005 |
Sanchez McCutcheon A, MacPhee M, Davidson JM, Doyle-Waters M, Mason S and Winslow W |
[Excerpt from authors] This report provides a synthesis of the best available evidence in the area of nurse staffing and patient safety. It also gathers policy recommendations in the area. Three questions guided the synthesis, which was based on 73 major research studies and several reviews: 1) Do decisions about nurse staffing make a difference to patient safety? How and why? 2) What attributes or other contextual factors have been found to show an effect on nurse staffing and/or patient safety? 3) What knowledge exists around the implementation of good staffing initiatives? |
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| Toward 2020: Visions for Nursing |
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Canadian Nurses Association |
2006 |
Villeneuve M and MacDonald J |
[Excerpt from authors] Toward 2020: Visions for Nursing is a futures study. It explores historical events that shaped the Canadian workforce, and talks about the serious policy challenges facing Canada today. Most importantly, it suggests scenarios that envision the kinds of roles nurses could play in the health-care system of 2020 and beyond. To obtain a complimentary copy of the full report in pdf format, please send an e-mail with your return e-mail address to: 2020@cna-aiic.ca |
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| Impact of the Manager's Span of Control on Leadership and Performance |
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Canadian Health Services Research Foundation |
2004 |
Doran D, Sanchez McCutcheon A, Evans MG, MacMillan K, McGillis Hall LPringle D, Smith S and Valente A |
[Excerpt from authors] The purpose and objectives of this study are to 1) examine the extent to which the manager's span of control influences nurse, patient, and unit outcomes; and 2) investigate which particular leadership style contributes to optimum nurse, patient, and unit outcomes under differing spans of control. |
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| An Approach to Classifying Human Resources Constraints to Attaining Health-related Millennium Development Goals |
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Human Resources for Health |
2004 |
Wyss K |
[Excerpt from author] For any wide-ranging effort to scale up health-related priority interventions, human resources for health (HRH) are likely to be a key to success. This study explores constraints related to human resources in the health sector for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in low-income countries. |
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| Human Resources for Health: Requirements and Availability in the Context of Scaling-up Priority Interventions in Low-income Countries: Case Studies from Tanzania and Chad |
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Health Economics & Financing Programme |
2004 |
Kurowski C, Wyss K, Abdulla S, Y?madji N and Mills A |
[Excerpt from authors] The purpose of this study was to explore the role and importance of human resources for the scaling up of health services in low income countries. In two case studies, we (i) investigated the size, composition and structure of the current health work force; (ii) produced estimates of future human resource availability; (iii) estimated the quantity of human resources required significantly to scale up priority interventions towards 2015; and (iv) compared human resource availability and human resource requirements. |
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| Human Resources for Health Policies: A Critical Component in Health Policies |
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The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank |
2005 |
Dussault G and Dubois CA |
[Excerpt from authors] In the last few years, increasing attention has been paid to the development of health policies. But side by side with the presumed benefits of policy, many analysts share the opinion that a major drawback of health policies is their failure to make room for issues of human resources. Current approaches in human resources suggest a number of weaknesses: a reactive, ad hoc attitude towards problems of human resources; dispersal of accountability within human resources management (HRM); a limited notion of personnel administration that fails to encompass all aspects of HRM; and finally the short-term perspective of HRM. |
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| Evidence of Nurse Working Conditions: A Global Perspective |
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Sage Publications - Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice |
2003 |
Stone PW, Tourangeau AE, Hughes F, Jones CB, O'Brien-Pallas L and Shamian J |
[Excerpt from authors] There is a global nursing shortage. Few health services decision makers have made the critical link between the number of human resources, the characteristics of the work environment and the impact on patients, nurses, and the system as a whole. The purpose of this article is to review evidence about nurse workload, staffing, skill mix, turnover, and organizational characteristics' effect on outcomes; discuss methodological considerations in this research; discuss research initiatives currently under way; review policy initiatives in different countries; and make recommendations where more research is needed. Overall, an understanding of the relationships among nurse staffing and organizational climate to patient safety and health outcomes is beginning to emerge in the literature. Little is known about nursing turnover and more evidence is needed with consistent definitions and control of underlying patient characteristics. Research and policy initiatives in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States are summarized. |
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| Planning Human Resources in Health Care: Towards an Economic Approach - An International Comparative Review |
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Canadian Health Services Research Foundation |
2003 |
Bloor K and Maynard A |
[Excerpt from authors] Policy makers in Canada's healthcare system recognize the need to plan health human resources better, with more systematic and integrated planning. Many are looking to other healthcare systems for ideas and examples that might be useful in the Canadian context. To inform the design and development of improved workforce planning, a review of healthcare systems was done in five countries: Australia, France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. |
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| Determining Skill Mix: Practical Guidelines for Managers and Health Professionals |
|
World Health Organization, Human Resources Development Journal |
2000 |
Buchan J and O'May F |
[Excerpt from authors] This paper provides practical guidelines for managers and health professionals looking to skill mix as a potential solution to health service delivery problems. These guidelines emphasise the need to evaluate the problem, and examine the context, before deciding if skill mix is the answer. The guidelines are provided in the knowledge that skill mix is rarely examined in a "pure" theoretical sense by organisations. They have to adopt a pragmatic approach which takes account of the day-to-day realities of their priorities and resources. The paper argues that changing skill mix is not a panacea for all the ills of an organisation. It has a role to play in improving organisational effectiveness and quality of care, but it must be recognised for what it is - a process for achieving change. Four phases of the skill mix cycle are described: evaluating the need for change; identifying the opportunities and barriers for change; planning for change; and making change happen. The paper concludes by emphasising that skill mix is not just a technical exercise. It is a method of achieving organisational change which requires careful planning, communication, implementation and evaluation if it is to achieve its objectives. |
Details |
| Integrating Workforce Planning, Human Resources, and Service Planning |
|
World Health Organization, Human Resources Development Journal |
2001 |
O'Brien-Pallas L, Birch S, Baumann A and Tomblin Murphy G |
[Excerpt from authors] This paper is one in 10 in a series of papers commissioned by the World Health Organization to take stock of the state of the science of human resources for health activities in the year 2000. This paper provides an analysis of how labour market indicators can be integrated into service planning, discusses whether planning is sufficiently responsive and flexible to retain relevance and validity in rapidly changing health systems, describes different models and approaches to linking and integrating workforce planning and service planning, discusses methodological approaches to integrating planning, and examines effective approaches to the use of computer based scenario modeling to support assessment of current and future planning options. The context and broad cross-cutting themes of public sector, political, social, and macro-economic changes have been considered. Where publications exist, empirical evidence serves as the basis for this analysis and country examples have been highlighted. While strides have been made in the practice of resource planning world-wide, health human resource planning in most countries has been poorly conceptualized, intermittent, varying in quality, profession specific in nature, and without adequate vision or data upon which to base sound decisions. |
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| State of the Health Workforce in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence of Crisis and Analysis of Contributing Factors |
|
World Bank, Africa Region |
2004 |
Liese B and Dussault G |
[Excerpt from authors]This paper examines some of the issues of human resources in the health sector, focusing on the situation in Africa in view of its particularly critical state. First, we examine the current state of the health sector workforce, including the latest statistics and trends. Second, we analyze the economic factors that influence the availability of human resources. Next, we take a close look at the brain loss phenomenon, or exodus of trained health care professionals from the country or from the sector. Then, a discussion of the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the workforce itself and working conditions follows. Last, we conclude with some issues that governments and development partners need to tackle to address the growing human resources crisis in the African health sector. |
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| Setting Safe Nurse Staffing Levels: An Exploration of the Issues |
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Royal College of Nursing, UK |
2003 |
Scott C |
[Excerpt from author] The paper was written in response to the concern expressed by RCN members about the lack of an objective and rational 'universal formula' for staffing, which could guarantee the delivery of safe and highquality nursing care. Although the main focus is on the nursing workforce in hospitals, many of the issues discussed are equally relevant to nurses in community and primary care services. |
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| Nursing Workforce Planning in Australia - A Guide to theAustralian Health Workforce Advisory Committee Process and Methods Used by the |
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Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee |
2004 |
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[Excerpt from authors]The aim of this paper is to provide a general resource document on nursing workforce planning in Australia for use by the Australian Health Workforce Advisory Committee(AHWAC), the National Health Workforce Secretariat and members of nursing workforce working parties established by AHWAC. While this paper outlines the processes and methods used by AHWAC in its national level nursing workforce planning, it is acknowledged that much nursing workforce planning in Australia is undertaken at the jurisdictional level using approaches other than that outlined in this paper. The paper may be of use to other individuals and organisations involved in health and nursing workforce planning. |
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| Health Human Resources: Policy Initiatives for Physicians, Nurses and Pharmacists |
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Canadian Policy Research Networks Inc. |
2004 |
Fooks C and Maslove L |
[Excerpt from authors]Fooks and Maslove, provides a province-by-province scan of activity related to physicians, nurses and pharmacists in three areas:Education and training initiatives;Recruitment and retention and work place initiatives;Capacity to do national level health human resource planning. |
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| Health Care at the Crossroads: Strategies for Addressing the Evolving Nursing Crisis |
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Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations |
2001 |
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This white paper covers issues related to nurse turnover, retention, incentives, leadership, safe work environments, staffing levels, etc. A number of recommendations are put forth. |
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| Wisdom at Work: The Importance of the Older and Experienced Nurse in the Workplace |
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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |
2006 |
Hatcher BJ (ed), Bleich MR, Connolly C, Davis K, O'Neill Hewlett P and Stokley Hill K |
[Excerpt from authors] With projections of a severe and looming nursing shortage, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) commissioned the development of this Wisdom Works white paper to identify promising strategies and opportunities for retaining experienced nurses. One projection from a 2003 online survey conducted by the American Nurses Association revealed that, in the age cohort of 40 or older, more than 82 percent of nurses planned to retire in the next 20 years. This paper is a response to the current and increasingly daunting crisis resulting from the shortage of nurses. |
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| The Health and Family Planning Manager's Toolkit - Performance Management Tool |
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Family Planning Management Development Technical Unit, Management Sciences for Health |
1998 |
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This document discusses performance planning and its importance as well as how to develop performance objectives and job descriptions. |
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| Skills-Mix and Policy Change in the Health Workforce: Nurses in Advanced Roles |
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Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
2005 |
Buchan J and Calman L |
[Excerpt from authors] This report was commissioned by OECD to examine the evidence on role change and delegation from physicians to advanced practice nurses (APN)- nurse practitioners and nurses in other advanced roles in the hospital setting and primary care. The report has three components:- a literature review, an assessment of country responses to a questionnaire sent out by the OECD, and two more detailed country case studies, on England and US. |
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| When Staff is Underpaid: Dealing With the Individual Coping Strategies of Health Personnel |
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World Health Organization- Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
2002 |
Van Lerberghe W, Conceicao, C ,Van Damme W and Ferrinho P |
[Excerpt from authors] Health sector workers respond to inadequate salaries and working conditions by developing various individual ''coping strategies''-some, but not all, of which are of a predatory nature. The paper reviews what is known about these practices and their potential consequences (competition for time, brain drain and conflicts of interest). By and large, governments have rarely been proactive in dealing with such problems, mainly because of their reluctance to address the issue openly. The effectiveness of many of these piecemeal reactions, particularly attempts to prohibit personnel from developing individual coping strategies, has been disappointing. The paper argues that a more proactive approach is required. Governments will need to recognize the dimension of the phenomenon and systematically assess the consequences of policy initiatives on the situation and behaviour of the individuals that make up their workforce. |
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| What is the Access to Continued Professional Education Among Health Workers in Blantyre, Malawi? |
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EQUINET-Network for Equity in Health in Southern Africa |
2003 |
Muula A, Misiri H, Chimalizeni Y and Mpando D |
[Excerpt from authors] Objective: To describe the current status regarding continued professional development (CPD) of healthcare personnel serving within the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) health centres in Blantyre, Malawi. Conclusions: This study indicates that healthcare professionals are using mostly clinical handover meetings, seminars and workshops for their CPD. There is need to improve access to relevant professional journals. The regulatory or licensing boards for healthcare professional in Malawi should seriously consider mandatory CPD credits for re-certification. |
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| Grow Your Own: Creating the Conditions for Sustainable Workforce Development |
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King's Fund |
2006 |
Malhotra G |
[Excerpt from publisher]Developing a sustainable and flexible workforce, using 'grow-your-own' approaches, could help the NHS face complex challenges as investment slows. This paper explores the conditions required to successfully implement these approaches. |
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Socio-Economic Welfare 
