18 results
Search Results
2. Meningococcal vaccines: WHO position paper on the use of multivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines in countries of the African meningitis belt.
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PREVENTION of epidemics , *HEALTH policy , *PUBLIC health surveillance , *IMMUNIZATION , *HEALTH services accessibility , *CROWDS , *PUBLIC health , *BACTERIAL meningitis , *MENINGOCOCCAL vaccines , *MEDICAL protocols , *RISK assessment , *VACCINATION mandates , *INFECTIOUS disease transmission - Abstract
The article presents an addendum to the position paper on the use of meningococcal conjugate vaccines (MMCV) in the African meningitis belt issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization at its meeting in September 2023. Topics include the WHO off-label recommendations for meningococcal vaccines and vaccination that apply to countries in the African meningitis belt and research priorities on the impact of Men5CV vaccine.
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- 2024
3. Human papillomavirus vaccines: WHO position paper (2022 update).
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TUMOR risk factors , *PAPILLOMAVIRUSES , *HEALTH policy , *IMMUNIZATION , *PUBLIC health , *MEDICAL protocols , *HUMAN papillomavirus vaccines , *PAPILLOMAVIRUS diseases , *GENITAL warts , *PATIENT safety , *DISEASE risk factors , *DISEASE complications ,TUMOR prevention ,CERVIX uteri tumors - Abstract
The article presents the updated position paper of the World Health Organization (WHO) about vaccines and vaccination against diseases caused by human papillomaviruses (HPV) as of December 2022. The focus is the prevention of cervical cancer using the prophylactic HPV vaccination. Also cited is the association of HPV infection with cancers of the head, neck, oropharynx, and anogenital areas.
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- 2022
4. Understanding the behavioural and social drivers of vaccine uptake WHO position paper -- May 2022.
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VACCINATION , *HEALTH policy , *IMMUNIZATION , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *COVID-19 vaccines , *MOTIVATION (Psychology) , *MEDICAL protocols , *EMOTIONS - Abstract
The article presents a position paper from the World Health Organization (WHO) on behavioural and social drivers (BeSD) of COVID-19 vaccine uptake. It describes the WHO BeSD vaccination framework and outlines aspects of development, testing and validation of BeSD tools including surveys and interviews. It summarizes findings of reviews on interventions to improve vaccine uptake and outlines recommendations for using BeSD tools to guide program planning, implementation and evaluation.
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- 2022
5. Building an economy for health for all: a call for papers.
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Sadana, Ritu, Khosla, Rajat, Gisselquist, Rachel, and Sen, Kunal
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PUBLISHING , *HEALTH policy , *SERIAL publications , *WORLD health , *RIGHT to health , *SOCIOECONOMIC factors , *AUTHORSHIP , *HEALTH planning , *HEALTH promotion - Abstract
The article discusses the call for papers on building a health economy for all in 2023. Topics covered include the existing structural and economic inequalities exposed by the pandemic, and the reorientation of economies for health towards a vision in which every person and people can flourish physically and mentally with dignity and opportunity in a healthy living planet. Also noted are the four themes to build economies for health that the World Health Organization (WHO) Council focuses on.
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- 2023
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6. Global health inequities: a call for papers.
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Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Nisachol Cetthakrikul, Angkana Lekagu, Sasivimol Ontong, Rapeepong Suphanchaimat, and Walaiporn Patcharanarumol
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HEALTH policy , *HEALTH services accessibility , *MANUSCRIPTS , *MINORITIES , *DISCRIMINATION (Sociology) , *PRACTICAL politics , *MEDICAL care , *SOCIOECONOMIC factors , *REFUGEES , *HEALTH equity - Abstract
The authors reflect on the global health inequalities in the efforts to achieve optimal health and the sustainable development goals (SDG) set by the United Nations worldwide. Other topics include the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on programs to reduce income inequity among countries, and the authors' call for papers aimed at addressing inequalities in global health.
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- 2023
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7. National health examination surveys; a source of critical data.
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Margozzini, Paula, Tolonen, Hanna, Bernabe-Ortiz, Antonio, Cuschieri, Sarah, Donfrancesco, Chiara, Palmieri, Luigi, Sanchez-Romero, Luz Maria, Mindell, Jennifer S., and Oyebode, Oyinlola
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NATIONAL health services , *POLICY sciences , *NUTRITION policy , *PUBLIC health surveillance , *DATA analysis , *DIFFUSION of innovations , *MEDICAL care , *ARTIFICIAL intelligence , *HEALTH policy , *SURVEYS , *DISEASES , *HEALTH planning , *RESOURCE-limited settings , *COVID-19 pandemic , *MEDICAL care costs - Abstract
The aim of this paper is to contribute technical arguments to the debate about the importance of health examination surveys and their continued use during the post-pandemic health financing crisis, and in the context of a technological innovation boom that offers new ways of collecting and analysing individual health data (e.g. artificial intelligence). Technical considerations demonstrate that health examination surveys make an irreplaceable contribution to the local availability of primary health data that can be used in a range of further studies (e.g. normative, burden-of-disease, care cascade, cost and policy impact studies) essential for informing several phases of the health planning cycle (e.g. surveillance, prioritization, resource mobilization and policy development). Examples of the use of health examination survey data in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region (i.e. Finland, Italy, Malta and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) and the WHO Region of the Americas (i.e. Chile, Mexico, Peru and the United States of America) are presented, and reasons why health provider-led data cannot replace health examination survey data are discussed (e.g. underestimation of morbidity and susceptibility to bias). In addition, the importance of having nationally representative random samples of the general population is highlighted and we argue that health examination surveys make a critical contribution to external quality control for a country's health system by increasing the transparency and accountability of health spending. Finally, we consider future technological advances that can improve survey fieldwork and suggest ways of ensuring health examination surveys are sustainable in low-resource settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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8. A practical agenda for incorporating trust into pandemic preparedness and response.
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Bollyky, Thomas J. and Petersen, Michael Bang
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PREVENTION of epidemics , *POLICY sciences , *PROFESSIONAL practice , *PSYCHOLOGICAL burnout , *HEALTH policy , *COMMUNITIES , *PANDEMIC preparedness , *TRUST , *COMMUNICATION , *EPIDEMICS , *MEDICAL emergencies , *PUBLIC administration , *PUBLIC health , *EVIDENCE-based medicine , *INTERPERSONAL relations , *EMERGENCY management , *COOPERATIVENESS - Abstract
Despite widespread acknowledgement that trust is important in a pandemic, few concrete proposals exist on how to incorporate trust into preparing for the next health crisis. One reason is that building trust is rightly perceived as slow and challenging. Although trust in public institutions and one another is essential in preparing for a pandemic, countries should plan for the possibility that efforts to instil or restore trust may fail. Incorporating trust into pandemic preparedness means acknowledging that polarization, partisanship and misinformation may persist and engaging with communities as they currently are, not as we would wish them to be. This paper presents a practical policy agenda for incorporating mistrust as a risk factor in pandemic preparedness and response planning. We propose two sets of evidence-based strategies: (i) strategies for ensuring the trust that already exists in a community is sustained during a crisis, such as mitigating pandemic fatigue by health interventions and honest and transparent sense-making communication; and (ii) strategies for promoting cooperation in communities where people mistrust their governments and neighbours, sometimes for legitimate, historical reasons. Where there is mistrust, pandemic preparedness and responses must rely less on coercion and more on tailoring local policies and building partnerships with community institutions and leaders to help people overcome difficulties they encounter in cooperating with public health guidance. The regular monitoring of interpersonal and government trust at national and local levels is a way of enabling this context-specific pandemic preparedness and response planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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9. An mRNA technology transfer programme and economic sustainability in health care.
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Dutt, Devika, Mazzucato, Mariana, and Torreele, Els
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VACCINE development , *MIDDLE-income countries , *MEDICAL technology , *DIFFUSION of innovations , *MEDICAL care , *HEALTH policy , *COVID-19 vaccines , *PANDEMIC preparedness , *MESSENGER RNA , *WORLD health , *ECONOMIC impact , *SUSTAINABLE development , *CONCEPTUAL structures , *LOW-income countries - Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) set up the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology transfer programme in June 2021 with a development hub in South Africa and 15 partner vaccine producers in middle-income countries. The goal was to support the sustainable development of and access to life-saving vaccines for people in these countries as a means to enhance epidemic preparedness and global public health. This initiative aims to build resilience and strengthen local vaccine research, and development and manufacturing capacity in different regions of the world, especially those areas that could not access coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in a timely way. This paper outlines the current global vaccine market and summarizes the findings of a case study on the mRNA technology transfer programme conducted from November 2022 to May 2023. The study was guided by the vision of the WHO Council on the Economics of Health for All to build an economy for health using its four work streams of value, finance, innovation and capacity. Based on the findings of the study, we offer a mission-oriented policy framework to support the mRNA technology transfer programme as a pilot for transformative change towards an ecosystem for health innovation for the common good. Parts of this vision have already been incorporated into the governance of the mRNA technology transfer programme, while other aspects, especially the common good approach, still need to be applied to achieve the goals of the programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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10. Machine learning in health financing: benefits, risks and regulatory needs.
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Mathauer, Inke and Oranje, Maarten
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HEALTH policy , *MACHINE learning , *MEDICAL care costs , *ARTIFICIAL intelligence , *MEDICAL care , *COST control , *HEALTH insurance , *QUALITY assurance , *INSURANCE - Abstract
There is increasing use of machine learning for the health financing functions (revenue raising, pooling and purchasing), yet evidence lacks for its effects on the universal health coverage (UHC) objectives. This paper provides a synopsis of the use cases of machine learning and their potential benefits and risks. The assessment reveals that the various use cases of machine learning for health financing have the potential to affect all the UHC intermediate objectives -- the equitable distribution of resources (both positively and negatively); efficiency (primarily positively); and transparency (both positively and negatively). There are also both positive and negative effects on all three UHC final goals, that is, utilization of health services in line with need, financial protection and quality care. When the use of machine learning facilitates or simplifies health financing tasks that are counterproductive to UHC objectives, there are various risks -- for instance risk selection, cost reductions at the expense of quality care, reduced financial protection or over-surveillance. Whether the effects of using machine learning are positive or negative depends on how and for which purpose the technology is applied. Therefore, specific health financing guidance and regulations, particularly for (voluntary) health insurance, are needed. To inform the development of specific health financing guidance and regulation, we propose several key policy and research questions. To gain a better understanding of how machine learning affects health financing for UHC objectives, more systematic and rigorous research should accompany the application of machine learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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11. Priority-setting for early access to COVID-19 vaccines in Islamic Republic of Iran.
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Bahmani, Fatemeh, Parsapour, Alireza, Abbasi, Nasrin, Zahraei, Seyyed, Tavakoli, Nader, and Shamsi-Gooshki, Ehsan
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Copyright of Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal is the property of World Health Organization and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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- 2023
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12. Continuing a scientific dialogue between sectors on health and economics.
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Sadana, Ritu, Khosla, Rajat, Gisselquist, Rachel, and Sen, Kunal
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SERIAL publications , *SOCIAL determinants of health , *PUBLIC sector , *HEALTH policy , *POPULATION health , *INVESTMENTS , *PRIVATE sector , *SPECIAL days , *PUBLIC administration , *PATIENT participation - Abstract
An introduction is presented to a series of papers focused on the scientific dialogue between sectors on health and economics, with topics including constitutional right to health, advancements in mental health as part of a well-being economy, and health taxonomy development to guide sustainable investment decisions.
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- 2024
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13. Rehabilitation and primary care treatment guidelines, South Africa.
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Conradie, Thandi, Charumbira, Maria, Bezuidenhout, Maryke, Leong, Trudy, and Louw, Quinette
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HEALTH policy , *CHRONIC diseases , *PRIMARY health care , *MEDICAL protocols , *INTERPROFESSIONAL relations , *HEALTH insurance , *MEDICAL referrals , *REHABILITATION , *INTEGRATED health care delivery - Abstract
The World Health Organization recognizes rehabilitation as an essential component of universal health coverage (UHC). In many countries, UHC builds on a standard benefits package of services that is informed by the country's essential medicines list, standard treatment guidelines and primary health care essential laboratory list. In South Africa, primary health care is largely provided and managed by primary health-care nurses and medical officers in accordance with primary health care standard treatment guidelines. However, rehabilitation is mostly excluded from these guidelines. This paper describes the 10-year process that led to rehabilitation referral recommendations being considered for inclusion in South Africa's primary health care standard treatment guidelines. There were five key events: (i) a breakthrough moment; (ii) producing a scientific evidence synthesis and formulating recommendations; (iii) presenting recommendations to the national essential medicines list committee; (iv) mapping rehabilitation recommendations onto relevant treatment guideline sections; and (v) submitting revised recommendations to the committee for final consideration. The main lesson learnt is that, by working together, rehabilitation professionals can be of sufficient number to make a difference, improve service delivery and increase referrals to rehabilitation from primary health care. A remaining challenge is the lack of a rehabilitation representative on the national essential medicines list committee, which could hamper understanding of rehabilitation and of the complexities of the supporting evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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14. Rehabilitation services and related health databases, Japan.
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Kaori Yamaguchi, Yasuhiro Nakanishi, Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Makoto Kono, Yuichi Nishioka, Tatsuya Noda, Tomoaki Imamurad, and Manabu Akahane
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REHABILITATION laws , *DATABASES , *HEALTH policy , *REHABILITATION centers , *MEDICAL information storage & retrieval systems , *AGING , *POPULATION health , *COVID-19 pandemic - Abstract
The demographic transition towards an ageing population and the epidemiological transition from communicable to noncommunicable diseases have increased the demand for rehabilitation services globally. The aims of this paper were to describe the integration of rehabilitation into the Japanese health system and to illustrate how health information systems containing real-world data can be used to improve rehabilitation services, especially for the ageing population of Japan. In addition, there is an overview of how evidence-informed rehabilitation policy is guided by the analysis of large Japanese health databases, such as: (i) the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups; (ii) the long-term care insurance comprehensive database; and (iii) the Long-Term Care Information System for Evidence database. Especially since the 1990s, the integration of rehabilitation into the Japanese health system has been driven by the country's ageing population and rehabilitation is today provided widely to an increasing number of older adults. General medical insurance in Japan covers acute and post-acute (or recovery) intensive rehabilitation. Long-term care insurance covers rehabilitation at long-term care institutions and community facilities for older adults with the goal of helping to maintain independence in an ageing population. The analysis of large health databases can be used to improve the management of rehabilitation care services and increase scientific knowledge as well as guide rehabilitation policy and practice. In particular, such analyses could help solve the current challenges of overtreatment and undertreatment by identifying strict criteria for determining who should receive long-term rehabilitation services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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15. Diretrizes de 2021 da Organização Mundial da Saúde sobre o tratamento medicamentoso da hipertensão arterial: repercussões para as políticas na Região das Américas.
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Campbell, Norm R. C., Paccot Burnens, Melanie, Whelton, Paul K., Angell, Sonia Y., Jaffe, Marc G., Cohn, Jennifer, Espinosa Brito, Alfredo, Irazola, Vilma, Brettler, Jeffrey W., Roccella, Edward J., Maldonado Figueredo, Javier Isaac, Rosende, Andres, and Ordunez., Pedro
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BLOOD pressure , *HEALTH equity , *CARDIOVASCULAR diseases , *DRUG therapy , *CAUSES of death - Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the Americas and raised blood pressure accounts for over 50% of CVD. In the Americas over a quarter of adult women and four in ten adult men have hypertension and the diagnosis, treatment and control are suboptimal. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) released an updated guideline for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults. This policy paper highlights the facilitating role of the WHO Global HEARTS initiative and the HEARTS in the Americas initiative to catalyze the implementation of this guideline, provides specific policy advice for implementation, and emphasizes that an overarching strategic approach for hypertension control is needed. The authors urge health advocates and policymakers to prioritize the prevention and control of hypertension to improve the health and wellbeing of their populations and to reduce CVD health disparities within and between populations of the Americas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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16. Pilares y líneas de acción para los sistemas de salud integrados y centrados en las personas y las comunidades.
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Pérez-Hernández, Galileo, Ehrenberg, Nieves, Gómez-Duarte, Ingrid, Artaza, Osvaldo, Cruz, Dionne, Leyns, Christine, López-Vázquez, Julieta, Perman, Gastón, Ríos, Víctor, Robles, William, Rojas-Araya, Karol, Sáenz-Madrigal, Rocío, and Solís-Calvo, Luis
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COMMUNITIES , *DIGITAL technology , *INTEGRATIVE medicine , *SOCIAL systems , *HUMAN resources departments - Abstract
This paper presents the position of the Latin American working group of the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC). The working group brings together various Latin American actors and organizations in support of actions that facilitate the transformation of health systems in the region towards integrated systems that focus on people not as isolated individuals but as subjects of law in the complex social and environmental contexts where they live and interact. The working group proposes nine pillars of integrated care to be used as a conceptual framework for policy development and changes in practices: 1) shared vision and values; 2) population health; 3) people and communities as partners; 4) resilient communities; 5) capacities of human resources for health; 6) governance and leadership; 7) digital solutions; 8) aligned payment systems; and 9) public transparency. Based on these pillars, lines of work are proposed to strengthen alliances and networks, advocacy, research, and capacity-building, in order to help develop health and social systems that are effectively integrated and focused not only on people but also on communities in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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17. Directrices de la Organización Mundial de la Salud del 2021 sobre el tratamiento farmacológico de la hipertensión: implicaciones de política para la Región de las Américas.
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Campbell, Norm R. C., Paccot Burnens, Melanie, Whelton, Paul K., Angell, Sonia Y., Jaffe, Marc G., Cohn, Jennifer, Espinosa Brito, Alfredo, Irazola, Vilma, Brettler, Jeffrey W., Roccella, Edward J., Maldonado Figueredo, Javier Isaac, Rosende, Andres, and Ordunez, Pedro
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BLOOD pressure , *HEALTH equity , *CARDIOVASCULAR diseases , *DRUG therapy , *CAUSES of death - Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the Americas and raised blood pressure accounts for over 50% of CVD. In the Americas over a quarter of adult women and four in ten adult men have hypertension and the diagnosis, treatment and control are suboptimal. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) released an updated guideline for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults. This policy paper highlights the facilitating role of the WHO Global HEARTS initiative and the HEARTS in the Americas initiative to catalyze the implementation of this guideline, provides specific policy advice for implementation, and emphasizes that an over-arching strategic approach for hypertension control is needed. The authors urge health advocates and policymakers to prioritize the prevention and control of hypertension to improve the health and wellbeing of their populations and to reduce CVD health disparities within and between populations of the Americas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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18. Promotion of behavioural change for health in a heterogeneous population.
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Schimmelpfennig, Robin, Vogt, Sonja, Ehret, Sönke, and Efferson, Charles
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SMOKING prevention , *HEALTH policy , *IMMUNIZATION , *MOTIVATION (Psychology) , *PUBLIC health , *MEDICAL protocols , *HEALTH behavior , *HEALTH attitudes , *HEALTH promotion , *BEHAVIOR modification , *PUBLIC opinion - Abstract
Public health policy often involves implementing cost-efficient, large-scale interventions. When mandating or forbidding a specific behaviour is not permissible, public health professionals may draw on behaviour change interventions to achieve socially beneficial policy objectives. Interventions can have two main effects: (i) a direct effect on people initially targeted by the intervention; and (ii) an indirect effect mediated by social influence and by the observation of other people's behaviour. However, people's attitudes and beliefs can differ markedly throughout the population, with the result that these two effects can interact to produce unexpected, unhelpful and counterintuitive consequences. Public health professionals need to understand this interaction better. This paper illustrates the key principles of this interaction by examining two important areas of public health policy: tobacco smoking and vaccination. The example of antismoking campaigns shows when and how public health professionals can amplify the effects of a behaviour change intervention by taking advantage of the indirect pathway. The example of vaccination campaigns illustrates how underlying incentive structures, particularly anticoordination incentives, can interfere with the indirect effect of an intervention and stall efforts to scale up its implementation. Recommendations are presented on how public health professionals can maximize the total effect of behaviour change interventions in heterogeneous populations based on these concepts and examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2021
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