TB Online Learning Resources

The International Council of Nurses has gathered a few good links to online learning resources for the care, prevention and management of Tuberculosis. Besides their own interactive e-course, they have included links to the Training Manual from the International Hospital Federation IHF, as well as for the World Medical Association's TB and MDR-TB online courses.

The 63rd World Health Assembly Establishes Ethical Principles for International Health Worker Recruitment

This years World Health Assembly, held in Geneva in May, saw the adoption of multiple resolutions on a variety of pressing global health issues. The Assembly brought together Health Ministers and senior health officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) Member States.
High on the agenda was the development of a global code of practice to govern the international recruitment of health personnel. The goal was to establish and promote voluntary, ethical principles and practices that strengthen the health systems of developing countries, discouraging states from actively recruiting from developing countries that are facing critical shortages of health workers. The goal was also to encourage facilitation of the "circular migration of health personnel" to maximize skills and share knowledge. The new code also seeks to ensure equal rights for both migrant and non-migrant health workers.
[Photo thanks to WHO / Chris Black]

"Thanks to some all-night efforts, we now have a code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel," said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General.

Click for PDF: WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.

Countdown to 2015: Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival

Countdown to 2015: Decade Report (2000-2010): .pdf released
Taking stock of maternal, newborn and child survival
The Countdown to 2015 Initiative tracks coverage levels for health interventions proven to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality. It calls on governments and development partners to be accountable, identifies knowledge gaps and proposes new actions to reach Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health.

More on the Caribbean 'Brain Drain'

The Economist recently published this thought-provoking article on an old, yet persistant problem ~ the impact at home in the Caribbean of nurse migration to 'greener pastures'!
With the World Health Organization and the Global Health Workforce Alliance currently developing a 'code of practice' to bring before the General Assembly next month, this blog will continue to keep it's ear to the ground on this topic! Click on the post title to read the full article published in The Economist on April 8, 2010.

UPDATE April 23/2010:
More on this topic from the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian.

International Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration

To develop a fuller understanding of global nursing faculty migration, thirty global nurse leaders will convene with key stakeholder organizations such as the World Health Organization, International Organisation on Migration, International Labour Organisation, and the World Trade Organization next July (2010).
An Elsevier Foundation grant has been awarded to the International Council on Nurses (ICN) and the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) to hold “The International Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration”. It is hoped that the outcomes from the summit will advance this pressing issue at the global level; while consulting, coordinate and implementing results at the local level.

“Learning from past lessons, we know that nurse faculty migration may pose a high risk problem for many countries,” said David Benton, CEO, International Council of Nurses. The goal is to "proactively manage the looming crisis and improve healthcare delivery by preparing sufficient numbers of nurses to meet the needs of the future.”

Watch for further information about this event...

Championing Global Nursing Education

ICN Nursing Education Network (ICNEN) Memership is Growing!
"With the new international realities of migration, advances in communication technology, and a worldwide nursing shortage, educating and preparing a diverse nursing workforce has become a critical priority. To address this, the International Council of Nurses has established the ICN Nursing Education Network (ICNEN) in order to provide a forum to address nursing education issues worldwide."

Protection for Healthcare Workers in the Caribbean

Protection of healthcare workers in the Caribbean region is receiving some attention at last. The First Regional Meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean on Health Protection for Health-Care Workers was held September 22nd-24th, 2009 in Maracay, Venezuela.

The meeting was organized by "PAHO/WHO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Venezuela, the Instituto de Altos Estudios de Salud Dr.Arnoldo Gabaldon, and the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)" and brought together "policymakers, academics, hospital managers, epidemiologists, front line workers, and civil society from across the region".

"Healthcare workers are often exposed simultaneously to a variety of work hazards from various natures, including biological, chemical, physical, and psycho-social ones."

During the meeting "participants had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience on EPINet, a surveillance system for tracking needlestick injures and blood and body fluid exposure among healthcare workers."
Click on the title to read more from the PAHO website.

Working in Health

"An estimated shortage of over 4 million doctors, nurses and other health workers in developing countries acts as a major roadblock to economic and human development. Working in Health considers the fiscal issues in expanding the health workforce and the policy options available to governments. Through case studies in Dominican Republic, Kenya, Rwanda, and Zambia, it also examines recruitment, promotion, and pay policies in the public sector and their important influence on health workforce performance."

published by The World Bank. Click on title to access ebook.

Leading Change: Building Healthier Nations

The ICN 24th Quadrennial Congress, its first in Africa, will showcase the key role nursing plays in leading the way to healthier nations. The Congress will permit access to and dissemination of nursing knowledge and leadership across specialities, cultures and countries.
The three ICN pillars [International Council of Nurses]- Professional Practice, Regulation and Socio-economic Welfare - will frame the Congress sessions and programmes.

The main objectives of the Congress are:
1. To lead informed and sustainable improvement in policy and nursing practice
2. To demonstrate nursing's contribution to building healthier nations
3. To encourage leadership development in the health sector

27 June – 4 July 2009 Durban, South Africa

Caribbean Stepping up Fight Against HIV/ AIDS

Dr. Goulda A. Downer, a Jamaican-born top official at Howard University's College of Medicine in Washington, DC, was recently awarded a US$400,000 Ford Foundation grant.
The purpose of the grant will be to engage Caribbean clinicians in capacity building preceptorships that will increase interdisciplinary communication and collaboration, enhance clinical skills and improve the quality of HIV care.
Preceptorships will be open to the following groups of practitioners: physicians, registered nurses, pharmacists, dentists, nutritionists/dieticians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.
Jamaica Information Service, Washington DC, Dec 6/08

Nursing Body Charts Future Course for Profession

“This issue [nursing shortage] has generated the necessity to convene significant forums to evaluate the health workforce issues worldwide with an overall aim of determining policies and strategies to deal with what is now believed to be a ‘crisis’ situation affecting the quality of health care delivery.”

Click on the title to access the artilce in the Antigua Sun.

New Fact Sheet from ICHRN

The latest edition to the wealth of information on the website of the
International Centre for Human Resources in Nursing (ICHRN)
is a Fact Sheet entitled:
~ Health Human Resources Planning
Other Fact Sheets available:
~ Positive Practice Environments
~ Workplace Bullying in the Health Sector
~ An Ageing Nursing Workforce

HIFA 2015

Healthcare Information for All by 2015

“Applying what we know already will have a bigger impact on health and disease than any drug or technology likely to be introduced in the next decade."
Pang T, Gray M,Evans T. A 15th grand challenge for global public health. Lancet 2006; 367:2846.

"Information poverty in the ‘information age’!"
"We live in the information age, but the reality is that tens of thousands of people die every day, often for the simple reason that the parent, carer or health worker lack the information and knowledge they need to save them. And for each person who dies, many others suffer serious harm due to ineffective or unsafe care."
"People are dying from lack of knowledge"
Dr. Neil Pakenham-Walsh

The HIFA 2015 goal:
By 2015, every person worldwide will have access to an informed healthcare provider.

The Campaign framework is based on
Communication, Understanding and Advocacy.

Communication: Promoting international, regional and national cooperation HIFA 2015 brings all stakeholders together around a common purpose: healthcare providers, producers of health reference and learning materials, librarians and information professionals, health researchers, policymakers, development workers and the general public.

Understanding: Building a picture of information needs and how to meet them HIFA 2015 harnesses experience and expertise to create a web-based resource specifically about information needs and different methods to meet those needs.

Advocacy: Seeking and advocating cost-effective solutions
HIFA 2015 promotes the development of evidence-based solutions to address the information and learning needs of healthcare providers, and advocates for the political and financial commitment needed to support information and learning initiatives worldwide.

Click to listen to the Web Conference recorded January 31, 2008
entitled "Knowledge Management for Public Health ~ WHO"