Health system lessons from the global fund-supported procurement and supply chain investments in Zimbabwe: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: The Global Fund partnered with the Zimbabwean government to provide end-to-end support to strengthen the procurement and supply chain within the health system. This was accomplished through a series of strategic investments that included infrastructure and fleet improvement, training of personnel, modern equipment acquisition and warehouse optimisation. This assessment sought to determine the effects of the project on the health system. METHODS: This study employed a mixed methods design combining quantitative and qualitative research methods. The quantitative part entailed a descriptive analysis of procurement and supply chain data from the Zimbabwe healthcare system covering 2018 - 2021. The qualitative part comprised key informant interviews using a structured interview guide. Informants included health system stakeholders privy to the Global Fund-supported initiatives in Zimbabwe. The data collected through the interviews were transcribed in full and subjected to thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Approximately 90% of public health facilities were covered by the procurement and distribution system. Timeliness of order fulfillment (within 90 days) at the facility level improved from an average of 42% to over 90% within the 4-year implementation period. Stockout rates for HIV drugs and test kits declined by 14% and 49% respectively. Population coverage for HIV treatment for both adults and children remained consistently high despite the increasing prevalence of people living with HIV. The value of expired commodities was reduced by 93% over the 4-year period. Majority of the system stakeholders interviewed agreed that support from Global Fund was instrumental in improving the country's procurement and supply chain capacity. Key areas include improved infrastructure and equipment, data and information systems, health workforce and financing. Many of the participants also cited the Global Fund-supported warehouse optimization as critical to improving inventory management practices. CONCLUSION: It is imperative for governments and donors keen to strengthen health systems to pay close attention to the procurement and distribution of medicines and health commodities. There is need to collaborate through joint planning and implementation to optimize the available resources. Organizational autonomy and sharing of best practices in management while strengthening accountability systems are fundamentally important in the efforts to build institutional capacity.

Uneven primary healthcare supply of rural doctors and medical equipment in remote China: community impact and the moderating effect of policy intervention.

BACKGROUND: Unequal access to primary healthcare (PHC) has become a critical issue in global health inequalities, requiring governments to implement policies tailored to communities' needs and abilities. However, the place-based facility dimension of PHCs is oversimplified in current healthcare literature, and formulating the equity-oriented PHC spatial planning remains challenging without understanding the multiple impacts of community socio-spatial dynamics, particularly in remote areas. This study aims to push the boundary of PHC studies one step further by presenting a nuanced and dynamic understanding of the impact of community environments on the uneven primary healthcare supply. METHODS: Focusing on Shuicheng, a remote rural area in southwestern China, multiple data are included in this village-based study, i.e., the facility-level healthcare statistics data (2016-2019), the statistical yearbooks, WorldPop, and Chinese GDP's spatial distribution data. We evaluate villages' PHC service capacity using the number of doctors and essential equipment per capita, which are the major components of China's PHC delivery. The indicators describing community environments are selected based on extant literature and China's planning paradigms, including town- and village-level factors. Gini coefficients and local spatial autocorrelation analysis are used to present the divergences of PHC capacity, and multilevel regression model and (heterogeneous) difference in difference model are used to examine the driving role of community environments and the dynamics under the policy intervention. RESULTS: Despite the general improvement, PHC inequalities remain significant in remote rural areas. The village's location, aging, topography, ethnic autonomy, and economic conditions significantly influence village-level PHC capacity, while demographic characteristics and healthcare delivery at the town level are also important. Although it may improve the hardware setting in village clinics (coef. = 0.350), the recent equity-oriented policy attempts may accelerate the loss of rural doctors (coef. = - 0.517). Notably, the associations between PHC and community environments are affected inconsistently by this round of policy intervention. The town healthcare centers with higher inpatient service capacity (coef. = - 0.514) and more licensed doctors (coef. = - 0.587) and nurses (coef. = - 0.344) may indicate more detrimental policy effects that reduced the number of rural doctors, while the centers with more professional equipment (coef. = 0.504) and nurses (coef. = 0.184) are beneficial for the improvement of hardware setting in clinics. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the PHC inequalities are increasingly a result of joint social, economic, and institutional forces in recent years, underlining the increased complexity of the PHC resource allocation mechanism. Therefore, we claim the necessity to incorporate a broader understanding of community orientation in PHC delivery, particularly the interdisciplinary knowledge of the spatial lens of community, to support its sustainable development. Our findings also provide timely policy insights for ongoing primary healthcare reform in China.

Factors associated with medical consumable availability in level 1 facilities in Malawi: a secondary analysis of a facility census.

BACKGROUND: Medical consumable stock-outs negatively affect health outcomes not only by impeding or delaying the effective delivery of services but also by discouraging patients from seeking care. Consequently, supply chain strengthening is being adopted as a key component of national health strategies. However, evidence on the factors associated with increased consumable availability is limited. METHODS: In this study, we used the 2018-19 Harmonised Health Facility Assessment data from Malawi to identify the factors associated with the availability of consumables in level 1 facilities, ie, rural hospitals or health centres with a small number of beds and a sparsely equipped operating room for minor procedures. We estimate a multilevel logistic regression model with a binary outcome variable representing consumable availability (of 130 consumables across 940 facilities) and explanatory variables chosen based on current evidence. Further subgroup analyses are carried out to assess the presence of effect modification by level of care, facility ownership, and a categorisation of consumables by public health or disease programme, Malawi's Essential Medicine List classification, whether the consumable is a drug or not, and level of average national availability. FINDINGS: Our results suggest that the following characteristics had a positive association with consumable availability-level 1b facilities or community hospitals had 64% (odds ratio [OR] 1·64, 95% CI 1·37-1·97) higher odds of consumable availability than level 1a facilities or health centres, Christian Health Association of Malawi and private-for-profit ownership had 63% (1·63, 1·40-1·89) and 49% (1·49, 1·24-1·80) higher odds respectively than government-owned facilities, the availability of a computer had 46% (1·46, 1·32-1·62) higher odds than in its absence, pharmacists managing drug orders had 85% (1·85, 1·40-2·44) higher odds than a drug store clerk, proximity to the corresponding regional administrative office (facilities greater than 75 km away had 21% lower odds [0·79, 0·63-0·98] than facilities within 10 km of the district health office), and having three drug order fulfilments in the 3 months before the survey had 14% (1·14, 1·02-1·27) higher odds than one fulfilment in 3 months. Further, consumables categorised as vital in Malawi's Essential Medicine List performed considerably better with 235% (OR 3·35, 95% CI 1·60-7·05) higher odds than other essential or non-essential consumables and drugs performed worse with 79% (0·21, 0·08-0·51) lower odds than other medical consumables in terms of availability across facilities. INTERPRETATION: Our results provide evidence on the areas of intervention with potential to improve consumable availability. Further exploration of the health and resource consequences of the strategies discussed will be useful in guiding investments into supply chain strengthening. FUNDING: UK Research and Innovation as part of the Global Challenges Research Fund (Thanzi La Onse; reference MR/P028004/1), the Wellcome Trust (Thanzi La Mawa; reference 223120/Z/21/Z), the UK Medical Research Council, the UK Department for International Development, and the EU (reference MR/R015600/1).

Pharmaceutical services in primary health care: dissatisfaction among users, managers and pharmacists

Abstract To assess the performance indicators for pharmaceutical services (PS) in primary health care (PHC), the level of satisfaction with pharmacy services among users and managers / pharmacists' impressions in relation to the findings were evaluated. The study used mixed methods, including a retrospective and descriptive study of the performance indicators for PS in PHC, an observational study on the level of satisfaction and a qualitative study of users' perception of pharmacy services at Health Units. Managers and pharmacists' impressions of the study results were also collected. Only 44.4% of pharmacies had a full-time pharmacist. From the establishments visited, 5.3% did not have an air-conditioned environment, and only 33.3% of the items essential to the Good Practices of Storage of Medicines and Supplies criteria were fulfilled. Although 77.9% of the prescribed medicines were dispensed, it did not reach the 80% standard. The satisfaction level of users was 3.2±0.6, indicating dissatisfaction with pharmacies' services. By means of an evaluation of each item within the questionnaire, it was possible to observe that variables related to pharmaceutical care presented low scores in relation to other domains, thus evidencing the fragility of the pharmaceutical- patient relationship in users' perception. Managers and pharmacists suggested that these results were related to the inadequate physical infrastructure of pharmacies, work overload, lack of recognition and undervaluation of pharmacists, lack of interaction within the PHC team, high turnover of pharmacists, and lack of PS prioritization by the administration. PS in PHC has structural and organizational weaknesses that require changes. In general, users are dissatisfied with pharmacies' services, especially with pharmaceutical care.

Remote monitoring in telehealth care delivery across the U.S. cystic fibrosis care network.

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) programs and people with CF (PwCF) employed various monitoring methods for virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper characterizes experiences with remote monitoring across the U.S. CF community. METHODS: The CF Foundation (CFF) sponsored distribution of home spirometers (April 2020 to May 2021), surveys to PwCF and CF programs (July to September 2020), and a second program survey (April to May 2021). We used mixed methods to explore access, use, and perspectives regarding the use of remote monitoring in future care. RESULTS: By October 2020, 13,345 spirometers had been distributed, and 19,271 spirometers by May 2021. Programs (n=286) estimated proportions of PwCF with home devices increased over seven months: spirometers (30% to 70%), scales (50% to 70%), oximeters (5% to 10%) with higher estimates in adult programs for spirometers and oximeters. PwCF (n=378) had access to scales (89%), followed by oximeters (48%) and spirometers (47%), often using scales and oximeters weekly, and spirometers monthly. Over both surveys, some programs had no method to collect respiratory specimens for cultures associated with telehealth visits (47%, n=132; 41%, n=118). Most programs (81%) had a process for phlebotomy associated with a telehealth visit, primarily through off-site labs. Both PwCF and programs felt future care should advance remote monitoring and recommended improvements for access, training, and data collection systems. CONCLUSIONS: PwCF and programs experienced unprecedented access to remote monitoring and raised its importance for future care. Improvements to current systems may leverage these shared experiences to augment future care models.

O olhar de enfermeiros assistenciais frente a implantação do programa Lean nas emergências hospitalares / The assistant nurses' perspective facing the implementation of the Lean program in hospital emergencies

Objetivo: analisar o impacto na implantação do Projeto Lean, sob ótica de enfermeiros assistenciais. Método: estudo descritivo, exploratório, retrospectivo, documental, de abordagem qualitativa, com enfermeiros assistenciais lotados em um Hospital de Ensino. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista semiestruturada, no ano de 2019. Utilizou-se Análise de Conteúdo na modalidade Temática. Resultados: Evidenciaram-se problemas como aumento da carga de trabalho e dimensionamento de pessoal incipiente. A equipe de enfermagem, durante a realização da assistência enfrenta limitações quando se refere ao dimensionamento inadequado e quantitativo insuficiente de profissionais e recursos materiais disponíveis, tornando o trabalho desgastante. Conclusão: O estudo mostrou a necessidade de dimensionamento de pessoal de enfermagem adequado bem como previsão e provisão de materiais médico-hospitalares para uma assistência de qualidade, buscando agregar valor ao paciente bem como sua satisfação com o atendimento na Instituição.(AU)

Objective: analyze the impact on the implementation of the Lean Program, on the perspective of assistant nurses. Method: descriptive, exploratory, retrospective, and documental study, of qualitative approach, with assistant nurses from a Teaching Hospital. The data was collected by semi structured interviews, in the year 2019. Content Analysis was used in the Thematic modality. Results: Problems such as the increase of working hours and incipient staff sizing were evidenced. The nursing staff, during the assistancefaces limitations when it is related to the inadequate sizing and insufficient qualitative of professionals and material resources available, making it an exhausting work. Conclusion: the study has shown the necessity of adequate nursing staff sizing as well as prediction and provision of medical and hospital materials for good quality assistance, seekingto add value to the patient as well as their satisfaction with the care provided at the institution.(AU)

Objetivo: analizar el impacto en la implementación del Proyecto Lean, desde la perspectiva de los enfermeros clínicos. Método: estudio descriptivo, exploratorio, retrospectivo, documental, con abordaje cualitativo, con enfermeros clínicos que en un Hospital Docente. Los datos fueron recolectados a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas, en el año 2019. Se utilizó Análisis de Contenido en la modalidad Temática. Resultados: Se evidenciaron problemas como aumento de la carga de trabajo y dimensionamiento del personal incipiente. El equipo de enfermería, durante la atención, se enfrenta a limitaciones en cuanto a dimensionamiento inadecuado y cantidad insuficiente de profesionales y recursos materiales disponibles, lo que hace que el trabajo sea agotador. Conclusión: El estudio mostró la necesidad de un adecuado dimensionamiento del personal de enfermería, así como la previsión y provisión de materiales médico-hospitalarios para una atención de calidad, buscando agregar valor al paciente, así como su satisfacción con la atención en la institución.(AU)

Denúncias da enfermagem brasileira sobre a exposição a riscos laborais durante a pandemia de COVID-19 / Complaints of Brazilian Nursing about exposure to occupational risks during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objetivo: Refletir sobre os aspectos relacionados ao trabalho da equipe de Enfermagem, durante a pandemia da COVID-19 no Brasil. Métodos: Trata-se de uma reflexão sobre alguns aspectos das condições de trabalho e a exposição aos riscos à saúde dos profissionais de Enfermagem no Brasil, fundamentada nas informações do Observatório de Enfermagem e dos relatórios de fiscalização do Conselho Federal de Enfermagem (COFEN), e da Pesquisa Perfil da Enfermagem no Brasil. Resultados: Os profissionais de Enfermagem brasileiros tem enfrentado duras condições de trabalho, a exemplo da insuficiência e a inadequação dos Equipamentos de Proteção Individual (EPI) e o subdimensionamento das equipes, com isso aumentando os riscos à saúde dos trabalhadores. Conclusões: A pandemia exacerbou problemas enfrentados pelos profissionais de Enfermagem, e o déficit de EPI com o subdimensionamento das equipes e a sobrecarga de trabalho podem estar associados ao elevado número de óbitos de profissionais durante o período analisado.(AU)

Objective: To reflect on aspects related to the work of the Nursing team, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Methods: This is a reflection on some aspects of working conditions and the exposure to health risks of nursing professionals in Brazil, based on information from the Nursing Observatory and inspection reports from the Federal Nursing Council (COFEN), and the Nursing Profile Survey in Brazil. Results: Brazilian Nursing professionals have faced harsh working conditions, such as the insufficiency and inadequacy of the Equipment of Individual Protection (EIP) and the undersizing of teams, thereby increasing the risks to workers' health. Conclusions: The pandemic has exacerbated problems faced by nursing professionals, and the deficit in EIP with the undersizing of teams and work overload may be associated with the high number of deaths of professionals during the analyzed period.(AU)

Objetivo: Reflexionar sobre los aspectos relacionados al trabajo del equipo de Enfermería, durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en Brasil. Métodos: Se trata de una reflexión sobre algunos aspectos de las condiciones de trabajo y la exposición a los riesgos a la salud de los profesionales de Enfermería en Brasil, basada en las informaciones del Observatorio de Enfermería, los informes de fiscalización del Consejo Federal de Enfermería (COFEN), y de la Investigación Perfil de la Enfermería en Brasil. Resultados: Los profesionales de Enfermería brasileños han enfrentado duras condiciones de trabajo, como la insuficiencia y la inadecuación de los Equipos de Protección Individual (EPI) y el tamaño insuficiente de los equipos de Enfermería, aumentando con esto los riesgos a la salud de los trabajadores. Conclusiones: La pandemia exacerbó problemas enfrentados por los profesionales de Enfermería, y el déficit de EPI con el tamaño insuficiente de los equipos de Enfermería y la sobrecarga de trabajo pueden estar asociados al elevado número de óbitos de profesionales durante el período analizado.(AU)

A Statewide Voluntary Movement Addressing the Shortage of Medical Supplies During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of personal protective equipment compromised efficient patient care and provider safety. Volunteers from many different backgrounds worked to meet these demands. Additive manufacturing, laser cutting, and alternative supply chains were used to produce, test, and deliver essential equipment for health care workers and first responders. Distributed equipment included ear guards, face shields, and masks. Contingent designs were created for powered air-purifying respirator hoods, filtered air pumps, intubation shields, and N95 masks.

COVID-19, Workforce Autonomy and the Health Supply Chain.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid surge in demand for critical supplies and public health efforts needed to guard against virus transmission have placed enormous pressure on health systems worldwide. These pressures and the uncertainty they have created have impacted the health workforce in a substantial way. This paper examines the relationship between health supply chain capacity and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canada's health workforce. The findings of this research also highlight the impact of the pandemic on health workers, specifically the relationship between the health supply chain and the autonomy of the health workforce.

An Implementation Research Approach to Re-orient Health Supply Chains Toward an Equity Agenda in the COVID-19 Era.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed critical inequities in global healthcare supply chains and the need for these systems to be analyzed and reoriented with an equity lens. Implementation research methodology can guide the use of evidence-based interventions to re-orient health supply chains towards equity and optimize health outcomes. Using this approach, private and public sector entities can adapt their strategies to focus not just on efficiency and cost savings but ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to essential medications, vaccines, and supplies. Findings can inform regulations that address supply chain inequities at the global level, strengthen existing systems to fill structural gaps at the national level, and address contextual challenges at the subnational level. This methodology can help account for historical practices from prior health initiatives, identify contemporary barriers and facilitators for positive change, and have applicability to the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing vaccine distribution efforts. An implementation research approach is critical in equipping health supply chains with a path for more resilient and equitable distribution of necessary supplies, vaccines, and delivery of care.

ARC: An Open Web-Platform for Request/Supply Matching for a Prioritized and Controlled COVID-19 Response.

In 2020 the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic putting entire governments and civil societies in crisis mode. Around the globe unprecedented shortages of equipment and qualified personnel were reported in hospitals and diagnostic laboratories. When a crisis is global, supply chains are strained worldwide and external help may not be readily available. In Switzerland, as part of the efforts of the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force, we developed a tailor-made web-based tool where needs and offers for critical laboratory equipment and expertise can be brought together, coordinated, prioritized, and validated. This Academic Resources for COVID-19 (ARC) Platform presents the specialized needs of diagnostic laboratories to academic research groups at universities, allowing the sourcing of said needs from unconventional supply channels, while keeping the entities tasked with coordination of the crisis response in control of each part of the process. An instance of the ARC Platform is operated in Switzerland (arc.epfl.ch) catering to the diagnostic efforts in Switzerland and sourcing from the Swiss academic sector. The underlying technology has been released as open source so that others can adopt the customizable web-platform for need/supply match-making in their own relief efforts, during the COVID-19 pandemic or any future disaster.

"Flying Blind": Canada's Supply Chain Infrastructure and the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Canada's COVID-19 response has been described as slow, with reactive decision making that has left the most vulnerable populations at risk of infection and death from the virus. Yet, within and across the provincial health systems, the supply chain processes and data infrastructure needed to generate the relevant data for, and evidence of, the spread of COVID-19 and the health system's capacity to respond to the pandemic are non-existent in Canada. Emerging evidence from a national research study highlights the significance of supply chain data infrastructure and processes that offer transparent, real-time data to inform decisions that support a coordinated, evidence-informed pandemic strategy that is proactive and capable of protecting the health of every Canadian.