Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37488651›Full record

ArticleHuman resources for health2023

Using the integration of human resource management strategies at district level to improve workforce performance: analysis of workplan designs in three African countries.

Tim Martineau, Wesam Mansour, Marjolein Dieleman, Patricia Akweongo, Samuel Amon, Kingsley Chikaphupha, Paul Mubiri, Joanna Raven

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Article in Human resources for health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Tim MartineauLiverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0003-4833-3149
Wesam MansourLiverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom. wesamatif@hotmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-8146-5381
Marjolein DielemanKIT Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-8399-7114
Patricia AkweongoDepartment of Health Policy, Planning and Management, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.ORCID 0000-0001-6728-3365
Samuel AmonDepartment of Health Policy, Planning and Management, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.ORCID 0000-0003-3937-175X
Kingsley ChikaphuphaResearch for Equity and Community Health (REACH) Trust, Lilongwe, Malawi.ORCID 0000-0002-3534-3172
Paul MubiriMakerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda.ORCID 0000-0002-2259-3455
Joanna RavenLiverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-4112-6959

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is a worldwide shortage of health workers against WHO recommended staffing levels to achieve Universal Health Coverage. To improve the performance of the existing health workforce a set of integrated human resources (HR) strategies are needed to address the root causes of these shortages. The PERFORM2Scale project uses an action research approach to support district level management teams to develop appropriate workplans to address service delivery and workforce-related problems using a set of integrated human resources strategies. This paper provides evidence of the feasibility of supporting managers at district level to design appropriate integrated workplans to address these problems.

methodsThe study used content analysis of documents including problem trees and 43 workplans developed by 28 district health management teams (DHMT) across three countries between 2018 and 2021 to identify how appropriate basic planning principles and the use of integrated human resource and health systems strategies were used in the design of the workplans developed. Four categories of HR strategies were used for the analysis (availability, direction, competencies, rewards and sanctions) and the relationship between HR and wider health systems strategies was also examined.

resultsAbout half (49%) of the DHMTs selected service-delivery problems while others selected workforce performance (46%) or general management (5%) problems, yet all workplans addressed health workforce-related causes through integrated workplans. Most DHMTs used a combination of strategies for improving direction and competencies. The use of strategies to improve availability and the use of rewards and sanctions was more common amongst DHMTs in Ghana; this may be related to availability of decision-space in these areas. Other planning considerations such as link between problem and strategy, inclusion of gender and use of indicators were evident in the design of the workplans.

conclusionsThe study has demonstrated that, with appropriate support using an action research approach, DHMTs are able to design workplans which include integrated HR strategies. This process will help districts to address workforce and other service delivery problems as well as improving 'health workforce literacy' of DHMT members which will benefit the country more broadly if and when any of the team members is promoted.

Indexed as

Health LiteracyHealth WorkforceGhanaHealth PersonnelHumansWorkforceDistrict planningHealth workforceHuman resource managementWorkforce performance

Identifiers

PMID37488651
PMCPMC10367416

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