A Checklist for Implementing Rural Pathways to Train, Develop and Support Health Workers in Low and Middle-Income Countries

Frontiers in Medicine

article

Belinda O'Sullivan¹  Sankha Randenikumara²  James Rourke³  Sarah Strasser¹  Paul Worley⁴  Bruce Chater¹  Amie Bingham¹  John Wynn-Jones⁵  Ian Couper⁶  Nagwa Nashat Hegazy⁷  Raman Kumar⁸  Henry Lawson⁹  Viviana Martinez-Bianchi^1,10 

[1] Faculty of Medicine, Rural Clinical School, University of Queensland;Planning and Quality Management Unit, Base Hospital;Center for Rural Health Studies, Memorial University of Newfoundland;College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University;Keele Medical School, Keele University, United Kingdom;Ukwanda Center for Rural Health, Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University;Medical Education and Human Resources Center, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University;Family Medicine Practitioner, DOC24 Family Practice Clinic;Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons;Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Duke University, United States

关键词: rural workforce;    rural health workers;    training;    education;    professional support;    implement;    LMICs;    guide;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2020.594728

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Background: There is an urgent need to scale up global action on rural workforce development. This World Health Organization-sponsored research aimed to develop a Rural Pathways Checklist. Its purpose was to guide the practical implementation of rural workforce training, development, and support strategies in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). It was intended for any LMICs, stakeholder, health worker, context, or health problem. Method: Multi-methods involved: (1) focus group concept testing; (2) a policy analysis; (3) a scoping review of LMIC literature; (4) consultation with a global Expert Reference Group and; (5) field-testing over an 18-month period. Results: The Checklist included eight actions for implementing rural pathways in LMICs: establishing community needs; policies and partners; exploring existing workers and scope; selecting health workers; education and training; working conditions for recruitment and retention; accreditation and recognition of workers; professional support/up-skilling and; monitoring and evaluation. For each action, a summary of LMICs-specific evidence and prompts was developed to stimulate reflection and learning. To support implementation, rural pathways exemplars from different WHO regions were also compiled. Field-testing showed the Checklist is fit for purpose to guide holistic planning and benchmarking of rural pathways, irrespective of LMICs, stakeholder, or health worker type. Conclusion: The Rural Pathways Checklist provides an agreed global conceptual framework for the practical implementation of “grow your own” strategies in LMICs. It can be applied to scale-up activity for rural workforce training and development in LMICs, where health workers are most limited and health needs are greatest.

【 授权许可】

CC BY