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BACKGROUND: Despite a lack of conclusive evidence of effect, methenamine hippurate is widely prescribed as preventive treatment for recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Norway. A national discontinuation of methenamine hippurate treatment due to a 4-month drug shortage in 2019 presented an opportunity to evaluate its preventive effect on UTIs among regular users. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of the methenamine hippurate drug shortage on prescription frequency of UTI antibiotics. METHODS: Data from The Norwegian Prescription Database was analysed using an interrupted time series design. The time series consisted of 56 time periods of 14â days. The model included two naturally occurring interruptions: (i) the methenamine hippurate drug shortage, and (ii) reintroduction of the drug. The study population were 18â345 women ≥50â years receiving ≥2 prescriptions of methenamine hippurate in the study period before the shortage. Main outcome measure was number of prescriptions of UTI antibiotics per 1000 methenamine hippurate users. Prescription rates of antibiotics for respiratory tract infections were analysed to assess external events affecting antibiotic prescribing patterns. RESULTS: We found a significant increase of 2.41 prescriptions per 1000 methenamine hippurate users per 14-day period during the drug shortage (95%CI 1.39, 3.43, Pâ<â0.001), followed by a significant reduction of -2.64 prescriptions after reintroduction (95%CI -3.66, -1.63, Pâ<â0.001). CONCLUSIONS: During the methenamine hippurate drug shortage, we found a significant increase in prescribing trend for UTI antibiotics followed by a significant decrease in prescribing trend after reintroduction. This change in trend seems to reflect a preventive effect of the drug on recurrent UTIs.
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Antibacterianos , Hipuratos , Análisis de Series de Tiempo Interrumpido , Metenamina , Metenamina/análogos & derivados , Infecciones Urinarias , Humanos , Infecciones Urinarias/tratamiento farmacológico , Noruega/epidemiología , Antibacterianos/uso terapéutico , Femenino , Hipuratos/uso terapéutico , Metenamina/uso terapéutico , Persona de Mediana Edad , Anciano , Prescripciones de Medicamentos/estadística & datos numéricos , Pautas de la Práctica en Medicina/estadística & datos numéricos , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Utilización de Medicamentos/estadística & datos numéricosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The Government of The Gambia introduced a national health insurance scheme (NHIS) in 2021 to promote universal health coverage (UHC). Provider payment systems (PPS) are strategic purchasing arrangements that can enhance provider performance, accountability, and efficiency in the NHIS. This study assessed healthcare workers' (HCWs') preferences for PPS across major service areas in the NHIS. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a probability proportionate to size sampling technique to select an appropriate sample size. Health care workers were presented with options for PPS to choose from across major service areas. Descriptive statistics explored HCW socio-demographic and health service characteristics. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to assess the association between these characteristics and choices of PPS. RESULTS: The majority of HCW did not have insurance coverage, but more than 60% of them were willing to join and pay for the NHIS. Gender, professional cadre, facility level, and region influenced HCW's preference for PPS across the major service areas. The preferred PPS varied among HCW depending on the service area, with capitation being the least preferred PPS across all service areas. CONCLUSION: The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) needs to consider HCW's preference for PPS and factors that influence their preferences when choosing various payment systems. Strategic purchasing decisions should consider the incentives these payment systems may create to align incentives to guide provider behaviour towards UHC. The findings of this study can inform policy and decision-makers on the right mix of PPS to spur provider performance and value for money in The Gambia's NHIS.
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Seguro de Salud , Programas Nacionales de Salud , Humanos , Estudios Transversales , Gambia , Personal de SaludRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines (WHO EML) has played a critical role in guiding the country-level selection and financing of medicines for more than 4 decades. It continues to be a relevant evidence-based policy that can support universal health coverage (UHC) and access to essential medicines. The objective of this review was to identify factors affecting adaptation and implementation of WHO EML at the national level. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a qualitative evidence synthesis by searching 10 databases (including CINAHL, Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science) through October 2021. Primary qualitative studies focused on country-level implementation of WHO EML were included. The qualitative findings were populated in the Supporting the Use of Research Evidence (SURE) framework, and key themes were identified through an iterative process. We appraised the papers using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool and assessed our confidence in the findings using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation working group-Confidence in Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (GRADE-CERQual). We screened 1,567 unique citations, reviewed 183 full texts, and included 23 studies, from 30 settings. Non-English studies and experiences and perceptions of stakeholders published in gray literature were not collected. Our findings centered around 3 main ideas pertaining to national adaptation and implementation of WHO EML: (1) the importance of designing institutions, governance, and leadership for national medicines lists (NMLs), particularly the consideration of transparency, coordination capacity, legislative mechanisms, managing regional differences, and clinical guidance; (2) the capacity to manage evidence to inform NML updates, including processes for contextualizing global evidence, utilizing local data and expert knowledge, and assessing budget impact, to which locally relevant cost-effectiveness information plays an important role; and (3) the influence of NML on purchasing and prescribing by altering provider incentives, through linkages to systems for financing and procurement and donor influence. CONCLUSIONS: This qualitative evidence synthesis underscores the complexity and interdependencies inherent to implementation of WHO EML. To maximize the value of NMLs, greater investments should be made in processes and institutions that are needed to support various stages of the implementation pathway from global norms to adjusting prescribed behavior. Moreover, further research on linkages between NMLs, procurement, and the availability of medicines will provide additional insight into optimal NML implementation. PROTOCOL REGISTRY: PROSPERO CRD42018104112.
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Investigación Cualitativa , Humanos , Organización Mundial de la SaludRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Despite the documented benefits of using health technology assessments (HTA) to inform resource allocation in health care systems, HTA remains underused, especially in low- and middle-income countries. A survey of global health practitioners was conducted to reveal the top reasons ("excuses") that they had heard from colleagues, policymakers or other stakeholders for not using HTA in their settings. METHODS: There were 193 respondents to the survey. Most responses were from individuals in research organisations (37%), ministries of health (27%) and other government agencies (14%). Participants came from Southeast Asia (40%), the Western Pacific (30%), Africa (15%), Europe (7%), the Americas (7%) and the Eastern Mediterranean region (2%). RESULTS: The top five reasons encountered by respondents related to lack of data, lack of technical skills for HTA, the technocratic nature of the work, the lack of explicit decision rules and the perception that HTA puts a "price on life". CONCLUSIONS: This study aimed to understand and address the top reasons for not using HTA. They fall into three categories: (1) misconceptions about HTA; (2) feasibility issues; and (3) values, attitudes and politics. Previous literature has shown that these reasons can be addressed when identified, and even imperfect HTA analyses can provide useful information to a decision-maker.
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BACKGROUND: Many asylum seekers arrived in Norway during autumn 2015, and there has been a call for more knowledge regarding the health of this group. The aim of this exploratory literature review was to investigate the state of knowledge about asylum seekers' health and use of healthcare services in Norway. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We conducted two literature searches for the periods 2007-2017 and 2017-2019 in 12 databases using the keywords 'refugees' and related terms, with a filter for research undertaken in or about Norway and published in Norwegian or English. The title and summary were read first, after which relevant articles were read in full text. Publications concerning asylum seekers in Norway and related to health and/or use of health services were included. RESULTS: A total of 28 publications met the criteria for inclusion: 22 peer-reviewed articles and six reports. The most common topics were mental health and infectious diseases. Other topics that the studies dealt with were nutrition, functional impairment and healthcare services. INTERPRETATION: Little research has been undertaken on asylum seekers' health and use of healthcare services. Research on asylum seekers' health in Norway primarily concerns mental health and infectious diseases, and there is little research on other somatic disorders.
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Refugiados , Servicios de Salud , Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud , Humanos , Salud Mental , NoruegaRESUMEN
IntroductionIn 2015, there was an increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Europe. Like in other countries, deciding screening priorities for tuberculosis (TB) and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was a challenge. At least five of 428 municipalities chose to screen asylum seekers for MRSA before TB; the Norwegian Institute for Public Health advised against this.AimTo evaluate the MRSA/TB screening results from 2014 to 2016 and create a generalised framework for screening prioritisation in Norway through simulation modelling.MethodsThis is a register-based cohort study of asylum seekers using data from the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases from 2014 to 2016. We used survey data from municipalities that screened all asylum seekers for MRSA and denominator data from the Directorate of Immigration. A comparative risk assessment model was built to investigate the outcomes of prioritising between TB and MRSA in screening regimes.ResultsOf 46,090 asylum seekers, 137 (0.30%) were diagnosed with active TB (notification rate: 300/100,000 person-years). In the municipalities that screened all asylum seekers for MRSA, 13 of 1,768 (0.74%) were found to be infected with MRSA. The model estimated that screening for MRSA would prevent eight MRSA infections while prioritising TB screening would prevent 24 cases of active TB and one death.ConclusionOur findings support the decision to advise against screening for MRSA before TB among newly arrived asylum seekers. The model was an effective tool for comparing screening priorities and can be applied to other scenarios in other countries.
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Enfermedades Transmisibles/diagnóstico , Enfermedades Transmisibles/epidemiología , Tamizaje Masivo/métodos , Staphylococcus aureus Resistente a Meticilina/aislamiento & purificación , Refugiados/estadística & datos numéricos , Tuberculosis Pulmonar/diagnóstico , Tuberculosis Pulmonar/epidemiología , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Ciudades/estadística & datos numéricos , Estudios de Cohortes , Emigración e Inmigración/estadística & datos numéricos , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Noruega/epidemiología , Infecciones Estafilocócicas/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Biological interpretation of DNA microarray data may differ depending on underlying assumptions and statistical tests of bioinformatics tools used. We used Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to analyze previously generated DNA microarray data from human monocytes stimulated with N. meningitidis and IL-10 ("the model system"), and with meningococcal sepsis plasma before and after immunodepletion of IL-10 ("the patient plasma system"). The objectives were to compare if the two bioinformatics methods resulted in similar biological interpretation of the datasets, and to identify whether GSEA provided additional insight compared with IPA about the monocyte host response to meningococcal activation. RESULTS: In both experimental models, GSEA and IPA identified genes associated with pro-inflammatory innate immune activation, including TNF-signaling, Toll-like receptor signaling, JAK-STAT-signaling, and type I and type II interferon signaling. GSEA identified genes regulated by the presence of IL-10 with similar gene sets in both the model system and the patient plasma system. In the model system, GSEA and IPA in sum identified 170 genes associated with oxidative phosphorylation/mitochondrial function to be down-regulated in monocytes stimulated with meningococci. In the patient plasma system, GSEA and IPA in sum identified 122 genes associated with oxidative phosphorylation/mitochondrial dysfunction to be down-regulated by meningococcal sepsis plasma depleted for IL-10. Using IPA, we identified IL-10 to up-regulate 18 genes associated with oxidative phosphorylation/mitochondrial function that were down-regulated by N. meningitidis. CONCLUSIONS: Biological processes associated with the gene expression changes in the model system of meningococcal sepsis were comparable with the results found in the patient plasma system. By combining GSEA with IPA, we discovered an inhibitory effect of N. meningitidis on genes associated with mitochondrial function and oxidative phosphorylation, and that IL-10 partially reverses this strong inhibitory effect, thereby identifying, to our knowledge, yet another group of genes where IL-10 regulates the effect of LPS. We suggest that relying on a single bioinformatics tool together with an arbitrarily chosen filtering criteria for data analysis may result in overlooking relevant biological processes and signaling pathways associated with genes differentially expressed between compared experimental conditions.
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Biología Computacional/métodos , Regulación de la Expresión Génica/inmunología , Interleucina-10/inmunología , Infecciones Meningocócicas/inmunología , Mitocondrias/inmunología , Monocitos , Fosforilación Oxidativa , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Interacciones Huésped-Patógeno/inmunología , Humanos , Inmunidad/genética , Interleucina-10/antagonistas & inhibidores , Lipopolisacáridos/sangre , Lipopolisacáridos/inmunología , Monocitos/inmunología , Monocitos/microbiología , Neisseria meningitidis/inmunología , Análisis de Secuencia por Matrices de Oligonucleótidos , Plasma/inmunología , Sepsis/sangre , Sepsis/inmunología , Transducción de Señal/genéticaRESUMEN
Access to quality-assured antimicrobials is regarded as part of the human right to health, yet universal access is often undermined in low-income and middle-income countries. Lack of access to the instruments necessary to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe antimicrobials appropriately, in addition to weak health systems, heightens the challenge faced by prescribers. Evidence-based interventions in community and health-care settings can increase access to appropriately prescribed antimicrobials. The key global enablers of sustainable financing, governance, and leadership will be necessary to achieve access while preventing excess antimicrobial use.
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Antibacterianos/uso terapéutico , Países en Desarrollo , Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud , Infecciones Bacterianas/diagnóstico , Infecciones Bacterianas/tratamiento farmacológico , Atención a la Salud , Pruebas Diagnósticas de Rutina , Farmacorresistencia Microbiana , Medicamentos Genéricos , Práctica Clínica Basada en la Evidencia , Organización de la Financiación , Humanos , Prescripción Inadecuada , Sistemas de Atención de Punto , Guías de Práctica Clínica como Asunto , Prevención Primaria , Control de Calidad , VacunaciónRESUMEN
Kevin Outterson and colleagues outline a model to address access, conservation, and innovation of antibiotics.
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Antibacterianos , Comercio/economía , Industria Farmacéutica/economía , Inversiones en Salud , Investigación Farmacéutica/economía , Modelos TeóricosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Two themes consistently emerge from the broad range of academics, policymakers and opinion leaders who have proposed changes to the World Health Organization (WHO): that reform efforts are too slow, and that they do too little to strengthen WHO's capacity to facilitate cross-sectoral collaboration. This study seeks to identify possible explanations for the challenges WHO faces in addressing the broader determinants of health, and the potential opportunities for working across sectors. METHODS: This qualitative study used a mixed methods approach of semi-structured interviews and document review. Five interviewees were selected by stratified purposive sampling within a sampling frame of approximately 45 potential interviewees, and a targeted document review was conducted. All interviewees were senior WHO staff at the department director level or above. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data from interview transcripts, field notes, and the document review, and data coded during the analysis was analyzed against three central research questions. First, how does WHO conceptualize its mandate in global health? Second, what are the barriers and enablers to enhancing cross-sectoral collaboration between WHO and other intergovernmental organizations? Third, how do the dominant conceptual frames and the identified barriers and enablers to cross-sectoral collaboration interact? RESULTS: Analysis of the interviews and documents revealed three main themes: 1) WHO's role must evolve to meet the global challenges and societal changes of the 21st century; 2) WHO's cross-sectoral engagement is hampered internally by a dominant biomedical view of health, and the prevailing institutions and incentives that entrench this view; and 3) WHO's cross-sectoral engagement is hampered externally by siloed areas of focus for each intergovernmental organization, and the lack of adequate conceptual frameworks and institutional mechanisms to facilitate engagement across siloes. CONCLUSION: There are a number of external and internal pressures on WHO which have created an organizational culture and operational structure that focuses on a narrow, technical approach to global health, prioritizing disease-based, siloed interventions over more complex approaches that span sectors. The broader approach to promoting human health and wellbeing, which is conceptualized in WHO's constitution, requires cultural and institutional changes for it to be fully implemented.
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Reforma de la Atención de Salud , Cultura Organizacional , Innovación Organizacional , Organización Mundial de la Salud/organización & administración , Conducta Cooperativa , Humanos , Investigación CualitativaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To identify factors affecting the implementation of large-scale programmes to optimise the health workforce in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: We conducted a multicountry case study synthesis. Eligible programmes were identified through consultation with experts and using Internet searches. Programmes were selected purposively to match the inclusion criteria. Programme documents were gathered via Google Scholar and PubMed and from key informants. The SURE Framework - a comprehensive list of factors that may influence the implementation of health system interventions - was used to organise the data. Thematic analysis was used to identify the key issues that emerged from the case studies. RESULTS: Programmes from Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Malawi, Venezuela and Zimbabwe were selected. Key system-level factors affecting the implementation of the programmes were related to health worker training and continuing education, management and programme support structures, the organisation and delivery of services, community participation, and the sociopolitical environment. CONCLUSIONS: Existing weaknesses in health systems may undermine the implementation of large-scale programmes to optimise the health workforce. Changes in the roles and responsibilities of cadres may also, in turn, impact the health system throughout.
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Atención a la Salud , Países en Desarrollo , Personal de Salud , Implementación de Plan de Salud , Humanos , RentaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of good self-reported health (SRH) in subpopulations based on the social determinants of health and to investigate the association between education (measured in years of schooling) and good SRH among men and women aged 18-49 years in Yangon Region, Myanmar. DESIGN: Analysis of data from a population-based, cross-sectional study conducted in Yangon, Myanmar, from October to November 2016. A multistage sampling procedure was employed, and structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with standardised questions adapted from the Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey. Prevalence ratios (PRs) with 95% CIs were estimated using Poisson regression analyses by sex. SETTING: Urban and rural areas of Yangon Region, Myanmar. PARTICIPANTS: The sample included 2,506 participants (91.8% response rate) aged 18-49 years and excluded nuns, monks, soldiers, institutionalised people and individuals deemed too ill physically and/or mentally to participate. RESULTS: The prevalence of good SRH was 61.2% (95% CI 59.3 to 63.1), with higher rates among men (72.0%, 95% CI 69.3 to 74.5), younger individuals (69.2%, 95% CI 66.2 to 72.1), urban residents (63.6%, 95% CI 60.8 to 66.3), extended family dwellers (66.6%, 95% CI 63.7 to 69.4) and those with a higher level of education (66.0%, 95% CI 61.3 to 70.5). After adjusting for confounders (age and area of residence), the association between years of schooling and SRH (PR) was 1.01 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.02, p=0.002) in men and 1.01 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.02, p=0.415) in women. CONCLUSIONS: Good SRH was more prevalent among men than among women. Additionally, a 1-year increase in education was associated with a 1% increase in the prevalence of good SRH among men, whereas the association was not statistically significant among women. In order to enhance the educational benefits of health in Myanmar, we recommend a higher focus on the length of education and addressing gender inequalities in wage return from education.
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Escolaridad , Autoinforme , Humanos , Mianmar/epidemiología , Masculino , Femenino , Estudios Transversales , Adulto , Adolescente , Adulto Joven , Persona de Mediana Edad , Determinantes Sociales de la Salud , Población Rural/estadística & datos numéricos , Disparidades en el Estado de Salud , Factores Socioeconómicos , Encuestas Epidemiológicas , Estado de Salud , Población Urbana/estadística & datos numéricos , PrevalenciaRESUMEN
In their recent article on evidence-informed deliberative processes (EDPs) for health benefit package decisions, Oortwijn et al examine how the different steps of EDP play out in eight countries with relatively mature institutions for using health technology assessment (HTA). This commentary examines how EDP addresses stakeholder involvement in decision-making for equitable progress towards universal health coverage (UHC). It focuses on the value of inclusiveness, the need to pay attention to trade-offs between desirable features of EDP and the need to broaden the scope of processes examined beyond those specifically tied to producing and using HTAs . It concludes that EDPs have contributed to significant progress for health benefit design decisions worldwide and holds much potential in further application. At the same time, this commentary calls for prudence: investments in EDPs should be efficiently deployed to enhance the pre-existing legislative, institutional and political framework that exist to promote fair and legitimate healthcare decisions.
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Atención a la Salud , Cobertura Universal del Seguro de Salud , Humanos , Evaluación de la Tecnología BiomédicaRESUMEN
Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves difficult policy choices, and fair processes are critical for building legitimacy and trust. In 2021, The Gambia passed its National Health Insurance (NHI) Act. We explored decision-making processes shaping the financing of the NHI scheme (NHIS) with respect to procedural fairness criteria. We reviewed policy and strategic documents on The Gambia's UHC reforms to identify key policy choices and interviewed policymakers, technocrats, lawmakers, hospital chief executive officers, private sector representatives and civil society organizations (CSOs) including key CSOs left out of the NHIS discussions. Ministerial budget discussions and virtual proceedings of the National Assembly's debate on the NHI Bill were observed. To enhance public scrutiny, Gambians were encouraged to submit views to the National Assembly's committee; however, the procedures for doing so were unclear, and it was not possible to ascertain how these inputs were used. Despite available funds to undertake countrywide public engagement, the public consultations were mostly limited to government institutions, few trade unions and a handful of urban-based CSOs. While this represented an improved approach to public policy-making, several CSOs representing key constituents and advocating for the expansion of exemption criteria for insurance premiums to include more vulnerable groups felt excluded from the process. Overload of the National Assembly's legislative schedule and lack of National Assembly committee quorum were cited as reasons for not engaging in countrywide consultations. In conclusion, although there was an intent from the Executive and National Assembly to ensure transparent, participatory and inclusive decision-making, the process fell short in these aspects. These observations should be seen in the context of The Gambia's ongoing democratic transition where institutions for procedural fairness are expected to progressively improve. Learning from this experience to enhance the procedural fairness of decision-making can promote inclusiveness, ownership and sustainability of the NHIS in The Gambia.
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Administración Financiera , Programas Nacionales de Salud , Humanos , Gambia , Formulación de Políticas , Presupuestos , Seguro de Salud , Financiación de la Atención de la SaludRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Few antibiotics have entered the market in recent years despite the need for new treatment options. Some of the challenges of bringing new antibiotics to market are linked to the marketing authorization and health technology assessment (HTA) processes. Research shows great variation in geographic availability of new antibiotics, suggesting that market introduction of new antibiotics is unpredictable. We aimed to investigate regulatory authorities' and HTA agencies' role in developing non-financial incentives to stimulate antibiotic research and development (R&D). METHODS: We conducted individual, semi-structured, stakeholder interviews. Participants were recruited from regulatory authorities (EMA and FDA) and HTA agencies in Europe. Participants had to be experienced with assessment of antibiotics. The data were analyzed using a deductive and inductive approach to develop codes and identify key themes. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis including the constant comparison method to define concepts, and rival thinking to identify alternative explanations. RESULTS: We found that (1) interpretation of key concepts guiding the understanding of what type of antibiotics are needed vary (2) lack of a shared approach on how to deal with limited clinical data in the marketing authorization and HTA processes is causing barriers to getting new antibiotics to market (3) necessary adaptations to the marketing authorization process causes uncertainties that transmit to other key stakeholders involved in delivering antibiotics to patients. CONCLUSIONS: A shared understanding of limited clinical data and how to deal with this issue is needed amongst stakeholders involved in antibiotic R&D, marketing authorization, and market introduction to ensure antibiotics reach the market before resistance levels are out of control. Regulatory authorities and HTA agencies could play an active role in aligning the view of what constitutes an unmet medical need, and direct new economic models towards stimulating greater diversity in the antibiotic armamentarium.
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Tanzania developed its 2016-26 health financing strategy to address existing inequities and inefficiencies in its health financing architecture. The strategy suggested the introduction of mandatory national health insurance, which requires long-term legal, interministerial and parliamentary procedures. In 2017/18, improved Community Health Fund (iCHF) was introduced to make short-term improvements in coverage and financial risk protection for the informal sector. Improvements involved purchaser-provider split, portability of services, uniformity in premium and risk pooling at the regional level. Using qualitative methods and drawing on the policy analysis triangle framework (context, content, actors and process) and criteria for procedural fairness, we examined the decision-making process around iCHF and the extent to which it met the criteria for a fair process. Data collection involved a document review and key informant interviews (n = 12). The iCHF reform was exempt from following the mandatory legislative procedures, including processes for involving the public, for policy reforms in Tanzania. The Ministry of Health, leading the process, formed a technical taskforce to review evidence, draw lessons from pilots and develop plans for implementing iCHF. The taskforce included representatives from ministries, civil society organizations and CHF implementing partners with experience in running iCHF pilots. However, beneficiaries and providers were not included in these processes. iCHF was largely informed by the evidence from pilots and literature, but the evidence to reduce administrative cost by changing the oversight role to the National Health Insurance Fund was not taken into account. Moreover, the iCHF process lacked transparency beyond its key stakeholders. The iCHF reform provided a partial solution to fragmentation in the health financing system in Tanzania by expanding the pool from the district to regional level. However, its decision-making process underscores the significance of giving greater consideration to procedural fairness in reforms guided by technical institutions, which can enhance responsiveness, legitimacy and implementation.
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Administración Financiera , Salud Pública , Humanos , Tanzanía , Programas de Gobierno , Programas Nacionales de Salud , Seguro de SaludRESUMEN
In 2017, Ukraine's Parliament passed legislation establishing a single health benefit package for the entire population called the Programme of Medical Guarantees, financed through general taxes and administered by a single national purchasing agency. This legislation was in line with key principles for financing universal health coverage. However, health professionals and some policymakers have been critical of elements of the reform, including its reliance on general taxes as the source of funding. Using qualitative methods and drawing on deliberative democratic theory and criteria for procedural fairness, this study argues that the acceptance and sustainability of these reforms could have been strengthened by making the decision-making process fairer. It suggests that three factors limited the extent of stakeholders' participation in this process: first, a perception among reformers that fast-paced decision-making was required because there was only a short political window for much needed reforms; second, a lack of trust among reformers in the motives, representativeness, and knowledge of some stakeholders; and third, an under-appreciation of the importance of dialogic engagement with the public. These findings highlight a profound challenge for policymakers. In retrospect, some of those involved in the reform's design and implementation believe that a more meaningful engagement with the public and stakeholders who opposed the reform might have strengthened its legitimacy and durability. At the same time, the study shows how difficult it is to have an inclusive process in settings where some actors may be driven by unconstrained self-interest or lack the capacity to be representative or knowledgeable interlocutors. It suggests that investments in deliberative capital (the attitudes and behaviours that facilitate good deliberation) and in civil society capacity may help overcome this difficulty.
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Financiación de la Atención de la Salud , Participación de los Interesados , Humanos , Ucrania , ImpuestosRESUMEN
Objective: This scoping review investigates the status of research focusing on the nexus of community action, climate change, and health and wellbeing in anglophone Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Methods: This review was guided by Arksey and O'Malley framework and utilized the PRISMA-ScR checklist. We searched Medline/OVID, PsychInfo, VHL, Sociological Abstracts, Google Scholar, and Scopus to capture interdisciplinary studies published from 1946 to 2021. Results: The search yielded 3,828 records of which fourteen studies met the eligibility criteria. The analysis assessed study aim, geographic focus, community stakeholders, community action, climate perspective, health impact, as well as dimensions including resources/assets, education/information, organization and governance, innovation and flexibility, and efficacy and agency. Nearly all studies were case studies using mixed method approaches involving qualitative and quantitative data. Community groups organized around focal areas related to fishing, farming, food security, conservation, and the environment. Conclusion: Despite the bearing these areas have on public health, few studies explicitly examine direct links between health and climate change. Research dedicated to the nexus of community action, climate change, and health in the anglophone Caribbean warrants further study.