Inclusion Health: Education and Training for Health Professionals: END of STUDY REPORT

The concept of Inclusion Health is founded on the premise that not all UK citizens have access to the highest standards of healthcare. Meeting the health needs of a small group of socially excluded individuals and their communities remains a challenge. This population has poorer predicted health outcomes and a shorter life expectancy than the average population. The National Inclusion Health programme for England was launched in March 2010 as a cross-government programme led by the Department of Health. It provides a framework for driving improvements in health outcomes for socially excluded groups. The rationale for setting up this framework is to increase the understanding and visibility of the health needs and health outcomes of socially excluded groups. The framework will also ensure that the services which support this population continue to improve, including continuity of care and building capability and capacity. One key activity within the framework is to ...

4th International Congress of Person Centered Medicine

The 4th International Congress of Person Centered Medicine will be held in Madrid, Spain, from the 7-9 of November 2016, in Campus of the Francisco de Vitoria University. 

The main topics for this congress are:

• Person Centered Medical Education: Need for a new Model
• Role of Humanities and Humanism in Medical Education
• Doctor – Patient Clinical Communication as “core theme” in Humanizing Clinical Practice
• Humanism and Bioethics in Medical Education
• Clinical Simulation in Medical Education
• Person Centered Medicine: Perspective from Healthcare Systems
• Person Centered Medicine: Perspective from Perspective from patients

Deadline for abstracts: September 15, 2016

Preliminary Scientific Program

For more information: Website

Creating a sustainable model of spine care in underserved communities in Botswana

As identified in the Global Burden of Disease report (2012), spine disorders present an enormous burden on individuals, their families, communities and societies and are the leading cause of disability worldwide. In Botswana, the burden of low back pain has been estimated to be the 5^th leading cause of disability adjusted life years (DALYS) in 2013 and neck and back pain combined is ranked as the number 1 cause of years lived with disability (YLDs), increasing from the third position in 1990 to the first position in 2013.  In the developing world the burden of spine disorders is expected to be higher than in high income countries; there is a critical lack of access to patient-centred, evidence based spine care in low income countries due to poor prioritization and integration of spine services and lack of available trained health workforce to manage these conditions.

Visionary leadership and reaching out ...

Fourth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health

The global community is presented with an unprecedented challenge and an opportunity: to avert a potential 18 million health worker shortfall and shape increasing demand for additional health and social workforce jobs. In doing so, we will make progress towards universal health coverage and global health security while also contributing to gains across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (e.g. quality education, gender equality, reduced inequalities, decent jobs and inclusive economic growth).

Last year brought forward a wave of exciting opportunities to markedly change the global health workforce situation. The Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 and the UN High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth’s report, Working for Health and Growth present a vital road map to ensure an adequate, fit for purpose and sustainable workforce to address current and future needs. Together, they make the case for more and better investments, with ...

Imperial child health general practice hubs

For most children, the GP is their main point of contact with the health servivce. While children make up nearlyy one-fifth of the population in England, they are estimated to account for two-fifths of a typical GP´s workload. Despite this, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health estimate that in many parts of the country, between 40 and 50 per cent of GPs have a had little or no formal paediatric training. Evidence suggest that many of these case could be managed outside an acute setting. 

A scoping review of mentorship of health personnel to improve the quality of health care in low and middle-income countries

Most Low and Middle-Income Countries are facing a crisis in human resources for health which compromises their ability to meet health related targets outline by the Sustainable Development Goals. The crisis is not limited to the availability of health personnel but also the quality of care and the training and development of the workforce. To address these challenges evidence based education strategies are urgently required. 

Barriers to, and opportunities for, palliative care development in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

The 22 countries of WHO´s Eastern Mediterranean Region are experiencing an increase in the burden of non-communicable deseases (NCDs), including cancer. Of the six WHO regions, the Eastern Mediterranean Region is projected to have the greatest increase in cancer incidence in the next 15 years. With increasing numbers of deaths from cancer, palliative care should be available to relieve suffering in patients with advance desease and at the end of life. However, in the Eastern Mediterranean Reion, the palliative care available is variable and inconsistent. 

Integrated care workforce development: university-community collaboration

Behavioral health workforce shortages to provide quality care services for children, adolescents, and transitional age youth are well established. This paper highlights the workforce shortage and the need to infuse interprofessional education to engage in integrated care for children, adolescents and transitional age youth with behavioral health needs. 

Digital Solutions: Adoption, Adaption and their role in post-Covid19 health and social care delivery

As each integrated care building block is reliant on information, digital solutions could be seen as the cement that holds the blocks together. Albeit, the arguments for greater use and investment have become increasingly compelling, the rate of adoption remains below expectations; that is until COVID-19.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, countries have seen a rapid citizen-led proliferation of digital solutions being used for remote working, socialisation between family, friends and communities, and education, to name but a few. This rapid pace of change has been mirrored by national and local government and public health through the use of social media to effectively reach individuals to provide guidance, support, collect well-being and COVID infection data, and undertake tracing through Apps. Furthermore, many countries have created fully functioning field hospitals with IT departments working around the clock to ensure these new care facilities can be up and running to provide safe ...

Patient-centred care: The patients’ perspective – A mixed-methods pilot study

Patient centredness is a broad concept, a moral philosophy. Patient-centred care can be viewed as the actions of patient-centredness. One of the most pertinent actions that a healthcare practitioner can utilise to deliver patient-centred care is empathic communication. Whilst many medical programmes include empathetic communication skills as part of their curricula, the recipients of this care are not asked about the relevance of this teaching.

Social work student reflections on training in integrated care: opportunities for social work educators

Integrated care, an approach designed to improve health/ behavioral health outcomes and increase quality of life, has received international interest. Given the important roles social workers play in this approach, American universities have begun novel training programs to better prepare social workers to work in integrated care. The aim of this study is to better understand the experiences of recent MSW trainees, and how they can inform future educational/ training programs. Focus groups of MSW students who recently completed integrated care training programs were conducted (N = 9). Content analysis of the focus group data resulted in three main themes: Gaps in Knowledge about Integrated Care, Developing Professional Identity on a Team, and Adaptation of Core Social Work Skills. Student feedback aligns with current literature, highlighting variability among placements, need for additional training resources, and value of social workers on interprofessional teams. There were also unique findings, include challenges and rewards ...

Lessons in the Design and Initial Implementation of the System on Prevention, Early Identification, Referral, and Intervention for Delays, Disorders, and Disabilities in Early Childhood in the Philippines

Approximately 1 in every 10 children has a disability and in developing countries, fewer than one out of 10 of them go to school (1) (2). Persons with disabilities experience overlapping deprivations that contribute to marginalization, significant discrimination, and ultimately, exclusion in societal participation, perpetrating the vicious cycle of disability and poverty (3) (4).

Early childhood is the time when the impact of disability into adulthood can be maximally mitigated. It is, therefore, crucial for identification to be carried out at the earliest possible instance and appropriate intervention is provided.

In the Philippines, efforts are underway to implement a system on prevention, early identification, referral, and intervention for delays, disorders, and disabilities in early childhood in select subnational areas. This is a project that is being implemented through the national Early Childhood Care and Development Council and the Department of Health with support from UNICEF and Humanity and Inclusion.

Important ...

Long Term Exercise Engagement of Adults Living With Type Two Diabetes Is Enhanced by a Person-Centred Care Approach Delivered by Knowledgeable, Well Trained Health Care Professionals

Regular engagement in exercise or physical activity is a key evidence-based recommendation in the self-management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study explores Diabetes Community Exercise Programme (DCEP). The Diabetes Community Exercise Programme did motivate people with T2D to engage in exercise. Important to this was the emphasis on a person-centred approach that focussed on the health status monitoring and educational and social aspects of the programme, which in turn facilitated exercise engagement.

Global Competency and Outcomes Framework for Universal Health Coverage

The goal of this Global Competency and Outcomes Framework for UHC is to advance improvements in health and progress towards UHC through aligning health worker education approaches with population health needs and health system demands. More specifically, the primary objective of this document is to provide guidance for the specification of pre-service and in-service competency-based education outcomes for health workers, which in turn inform the development of relevant curricula, learning activities and assessment approaches. Its main target audience is health workforce educators, but it can be of relevance also for licensing and regulatory authorities and health service and facility managers. With this framework, WHO sets out its recommended approach to competency-based health worker education outcomes; in so doing, it also provides conceptual and terminological clarity.

The Global Competency and Outcomes Framework for Universal Health Coverage identifies the health worker competencies towards the achievement of UHC organized within six domains: people-centredness ...

Skill-mix Innovation, Effectiveness and Implementation: Improving Primary and Chronic Care

What are skill-mix innovations and why are they relevant? This systemic analysis of health workforce skill-mix innovations provides an overview of the evidence and lessons for implementation across multiple countries.

The authors focus on six core segments of health systems: health promotion and prevention, acute care, chronic care, long-term and palliative care, as well as access for vulnerable groups and people living in underserved areas.

‘Sometimes you need an eye-opener’: A qualitative study on nursing assistants' experiences of developing communication skills through an educational intervention on person-centred communication

To explore nursing assistants' (NAs') experiences of developing communication skills while participating in an educational intervention on person-centred communication. The findings describe NAs' experiences concerning the communication skills needed for building relationships with older persons and handling emotionally challenging situations. The educational intervention increased their knowledge and awareness of the importance of communication skills and how such skills are developed and refined.

The future integrated care workforce

This toolkit brings together those with first-hand experience of designing, delivering, evaluating and participating in a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) within a UK Higher Education Institution and those working closely on programmes focussing on Health Education England (HEE)'s and NHS England's national priorities.

In August 2022, a collaborative workshop was held for students and tutors participating in a London-based LIC in 2021–2022, faculty with prior experience in running LICs, and HEE representatives. The aim of the workshop was to co-produce a toolkit to guide undergraduate institutions, who may wish to introduce an LIC within their medical school curriculum that aligns to these national priorities. Although this toolkit primarily focuses on a UK audience, we anticipate that other health systems facing a need for similar educational reform may also find use for this toolkit.

Supporting critically conscious integrated care: A toolbox for the health professions

Health professions education has a growing obligation to develop practitioners who are conscious of health inequalities and the sociocultural dynamics of health care. This obligation is reflected in many of the competency and regulatory frameworks that drive current curricula. The central aim of integrated care is to improve patient experiences across health care settings by enhancing service coordination. Although addressing health inequalities is one of the core purposes of integrated care and its systems, educators have little guidance on how to effectively translate this into teaching activities. The reality of health care funding and constraints means that integrated care services may struggle to challenge health inequalities in a meaningful way. Patients from minoritised and marginalised backgrounds are more likely to fall through the cracks between health care services, experiencing fragmented care and negative effects on their physical and mental health due to poor integration. Further, scholars have continually drawn attention ...