Causes, consequences, and policy responses to the migration of health workers: key findings from India.

BACKGROUND: This study sought to better understand the drivers of skilled health professional migration, its consequences, and the various strategies countries have employed to mitigate its negative impacts. The study was conducted in four countries-Jamaica, India, the Philippines, and South Africa-that have historically been "sources" of health workers migrating to other countries. The aim of this paper is to present the findings from the Indian portion of the study. METHODS: Data were collected using surveys of Indian generalist and specialist physicians, nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists, dieticians, and other allied health therapists. We also conducted structured interviews with key stakeholders representing government ministries, professional associations, regional health authorities, health care facilities, and educational institutions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression models. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. RESULTS: Shortages of health workers are evident in certain parts of India and in certain specialty areas, but the degree and nature of such shortages are difficult to determine due to the lack of evidence and health information. The relationship of such shortages to international migration is not clear. Policy responses to health worker migration are also similarly embedded in wider processes aimed at health workforce management, but overall, there is no clear policy agenda to manage health worker migration. Decision-makers in India present conflicting options about the need or desirability of curtailing migration. CONCLUSIONS: Consequences of health work migration on the Indian health care system are not easily discernable from other compounding factors. Research suggests that shortages of skilled health workers in India must be examined in relation to domestic policies on training, recruitment, and retention rather than viewed as a direct consequence of the international migration of health workers.

Periodicity of Deliveries - Findings from Six Selected North Indian Hospitals.

We present here a report, based on data obtained from six selected North Indian hospitals, on variations in the number of human deliveries over the period from 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011. We tried to identify whether there are any cycles exhibited by the data. We discover cyclicity over different months of the year and days of the week whereas cyclicity over different phases of the lunar cycle is not clearly established.

Indian Perspective on Migration of Health Professionals from India.

As part of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) project the author conducted 15 interviews with key informants in New Delhi and reported on the same at a CIHR-sponsored conference held in September 2013 in Ottawa, Canada. On the basis of these interviews as well as other work concurrently conducted by the author, some tentative conclusions are arrived at to facilitate forming a suitable policy framework for the out-migration of health professionals from India.

Attitudes of undergraduate nursing students toward Objective Structure Practical Examination: An Exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) is a method of assessment of clinical competence. The examination is conducted at multiple stations. Besides practical and problem-solving skills, theoretical knowledge is also tested. OSPE can be traced back more than 40 years. OSPE has been included more than two decades, as a part of assessment in the College of Nursing, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to determine nursing students' attitudes towards OSPE as an assessment tool. PARTICIPANTS: The responses of all the 252 Undergraduate nursing students studying at the College of Nursing, AIIMS were obtained for this study (77 from B.Sc.(H) Nursing first year, 61 from the second year, 69 from the third year and 45 from the fourth year). METHODS: The students attitudes towards OSPE were assessed by using a validated questionnaire containing 28 item statements on Likert's 5-point scale (LS) and 11 bipolar adjectives on Osgood's 7-point Semantic' Differential Scale (OSDS). RESULT: Most of the students approved of OSPE and felt that it was fair, useful, good, effective, exciting, interesting, practical, skill oriented but also taxing. The study also revealed that amongst the second years' students there was a strong correlation between Overall Rank in the Class and Assessment of OSPE. CONCLUSION: The study supports the introduction of OSPE as one of the methods of assessment of B.Sc. (Hons.) Nursing students.