Creating synergies for health systems strengthening through partnerships in Pakistan - a case study of the national eye health programme

Aa, Khan; Nu, Khan; Km, Bile; Awan, Haroon

doi:10.26719/2010.16.supp.61

Cited by 15 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Four papers described the importance of health systems strengthening with regards to eye health [55-57,72,73]. Table 1 shows that most of the 173 papers included in this review, 43 of which are reviews, contain information from sub-Saharan Africa (76) or from low- and middle-income countries (47).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is however insufficient evidence to show improvements in outcomes in patients with multi-morbidity in primary care and community settings [132]. The eye health program in Pakistan reported some challenges in aligning eye health with the national health systems, but attributes the success of their program to their health systems strengthening approach and integration into primary health care [73]. …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence for integrating eye health into primary health care in Africa: a health systems strengthening approach

Toit¹,

Faal²,

Etya’ale

et al. 2013

BMC Health Serv Res

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BackgroundThe impact of unmet eye care needs in sub-Saharan Africa is compounded by barriers to accessing eye care, limited engagement with communities, a shortage of appropriately skilled health personnel, and inadequate support from health systems. The renewed focus on primary health care has led to support for greater integration of eye health into national health systems. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate available evidence of integration of eye health into primary health care in sub-Saharan Africa from a health systems strengthening perspective.MethodsA scoping review method was used to gather and assess information from published literature, reviews, WHO policy documents and examples of eye and health care interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Findings were compiled using a health systems strengthening framework.ResultsLimited information is available about eye health from a health systems strengthening approach. Particular components of the health systems framework lacking evidence are service delivery, equipment and supplies, financing, leadership and governance. There is some information to support interventions to strengthen human resources at all levels, partnerships and community participation; but little evidence showing their successful application to improve quality of care and access to comprehensive eye health services at the primary health level, and referral to other levels for specialist eye care.ConclusionEvidence of integration of eye health into primary health care is currently weak, particularly when applying a health systems framework. A realignment of eye health in the primary health care agenda will require context specific planning and a holistic approach, with careful attention to each of the health system components and to the public health system as a whole. Documentation and evaluation of existing projects are required, as are pilot projects of systematic approaches to interventions and application of best practices. Multi-national research may provide guidance about how to scale up eye health interventions that are integrated into primary health systems.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for integrating eye health into primary health care in Africa: a health systems strengthening approach

Toit¹,

Faal²,

Etya’ale

et al. 2013

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Also in India, in Orissa, a leprosy programme was integrated into general care without impact on quality or effectiveness 59. In Pakistan, blindness prevention was gradually and successfully integrated into routine primary care over an extended period; and in the Philippines, diabetes prevention and management were integrated into the work of existing staff yielding positive clinical outcomes 60. Facilitators of integration included strong health managers, provider engagement, and careful planning and co-ordination.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study of a gatekeeping trial reported reduced hospital utilisation, but noted PHC infrastructure enhancements were needed to attract patients. Other studies found that contracting services to non-state providers offered savings by reducing the cost of delivering care mainly due to better administrative, managerial and absorptive capacity among these providers 60 63–65. The importance of contract management skills in government, and trust between government and providers, were highlighted as a critical factors.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organisation of primary health care systems in low- and middle-income countries: review of evidence on what works and why in the Asia-Pacific region

et al. 2019

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IntroductionThis paper synthesises evidence on the organisation of primary health care (PHC) service delivery in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the Asia Pacific and identifies evidence of effective approaches and pathways of impact in this region.MethodsWe developed a conceptual framework describing key inputs and outcomes of PHC as the basis of a systematic review. We searched exclusively for intervention studies from LMICs of the Asia-Pacific region in an effort to identify ‘what works’ to improve the coverage, quality, efficiency, equity and responsiveness of PHC. We conducted a narrative synthesis to identify key characteristics of successful interventions.ResultsFrom an initial list of 3001 articles, we selected 153 for full-text review and included 111. We found evidence on the impact of non-physician health workers (NPHWs) on coverage and quality of care, though better integration with other PHC services is needed. Community-based services are most effective when well integrated through functional referral systems and supportive supervision arrangements, and have a reliable supply of medicines. Many studies point to the importance of community engagement in improving service demand. Few studies adopted a ‘systems’ lens or adequately considered long-term costs or implementation challenges.ConclusionBased on our findings, we suggest five areas where more practical knowledge and guidance is needed to support PHC systems strengthening: (1) NPHW workforce development; (2) integrating non-communicable disease prevention and control into the basic package of care; (3) building managerial capacity; (4) institutionalising community engagement; (5) modernising PHC information systems.

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“…Visual impairment and blindness are two significant problems associated with public health[ 1 2 3 ] because they can affect the lives of individuals, families, and societies. [ 4 ] The most important effects of visual impairment and blindness are negative health consequences (increase in mortality rate and reduction in quality of life)[ 2 5 6 7 8 ] and negative social-economic implications (loss of employment, economic power, and productivity).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eye health information systems in selected countries

Hashemi

Moghaddasi

Rabiei

et al. 2018

J Ophthalmic Vis Res

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One of the important factors for achieving “Vision 2020” targets is the availability and accessibility of eye health information systems. This study aimed to describe eye health information systems in selected countries. The status of eye health information systems in Australia, the United States, and England was reviewed. Data were gathered from the PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases. The main key terms used included, but were not limited to “National Action plan”, “Eye Health Information System”, “Database”, and “Registery”. Also, the websites of the World Health Organization, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, and Departments of Health in the selected countries were accessed. Fifty documents and articles of 170 retrieved references related to the research goals were used in this study. In all three countries, the issue of eye health is considered to be a national health priority. Concerning data gathering, the most common point in these countries was data gathered directly (health information systems, eye registries) and indirectly (studies, projects, and surveillance systems) by the organizations that participated in eye health programs. Producing accessible, timely, and highly quality information about eye health is one of the most important goals in the formation of eye health information systems in the selected countries, which facilitates achievement of the goals of the “Vision 2020: The Right to Sight” initiative.

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Creating synergies for health systems strengthening through partnerships in Pakistan - a case study of the national eye health programme

Cited by 15 publications

References 11 publications

Evidence for integrating eye health into primary health care in Africa: a health systems strengthening approach

Evidence for integrating eye health into primary health care in Africa: a health systems strengthening approach

Organisation of primary health care systems in low- and middle-income countries: review of evidence on what works and why in the Asia-Pacific region

Eye health information systems in selected countries

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