Deb's Web Site
<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-47423994-1', 'fortunecity.ws'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script> <center> <br> <div> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.broadcaststation.net/ads/show_ad.php?width=728&height=90"></script> </div> </center> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="040d4c00dduajq.gif"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="95" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 46 WIDTH="91"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="46" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="91" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Responsibility is a great thing. To shoulder responsibility, not to shirk it. If we learned early in life not to avoid responsibility, the world would be brighter</div> <div> -Albert Schweitzer </div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Deb's Web Site</B></div> <bR> <div> Welcome to Deb's web site.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="My Pets"><U>My Pets</U></A> | <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Favorite Links"><U>Favorite Links</U></A> | <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Me"><U>Contact Me</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Consequences of past and current systems of care</div> <div> The position and perspective of the person judging the adequacy of a health care delivery system is paramount. The politician, the doctor, the nurse, the minister of finance, the hospital administrator, an advocacy group lobbying for better care, and the parent searching for quality health care for their sick baby all have varying opinions as to improve healthcare delivery. The World Health Organization (WHO) aims to improve <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.who.int/whr/2000/en/dgmessage.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.who.int/whr/2000/en/dgmessage"><U><U>health systems development</U></U></A></FONT> for all parties concerned with improving health, which, of course, presents a phenomenal challenge. </div> <div> Gro Harlem Brundtland, WHO's Director General since 1998, recognizes that policy-makers require a knowledge of the primary functions of the health care system in order to make appropriate decisions about reforming health care models. Four key functions that allow measurement of a system's performance include: services provided, resources (human and physical) required for health care delivery, source of resources to pay for the health care, and stewardship “-setting and enforcing the rules of the game and providing strategic direction for all the different actors involved” (<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.who.int/whr/2000/en/dgmessage.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.who.int/whr/2000/en/dgmessage"><U><U>http://www.who.int/whr/2000/en/dgmessage.htm</U></U></A></FONT>). </div> <div> Director Brundtland believes that the government holds the responsibility for the ultimate implementation of a health system, and therefore has focused her efforts on health systems development. Low-income countries especially need to recognize that the public sector is not their only source of resources. They need to broaden their horizons to include the voluntary and private sectors to permit improved health systems performance. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Nursing Role in WHO </B></div> <div> <B> </B> Nurses have been essential as health care delivery workers in all nations involved in the WHO since its development. In 1948, the <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.icn.ch/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.icn.ch/"><U><U>International Council of Nurses</U></U></A></FONT> (ICN) was welcomed into formal relations with WHO. The ICN concentrates their efforts on nursing: education, practice, service, legislation, research, cooperation of nurses with other healthcare professionals, and health matters in general. In accordance with the needs of the community, the ICN aspires to change nursing education and practice to better serve people with primary health care. They focus on safe motherhood, family health, HIV/AIDS education and counseling, school and environmental health, and health promotion and education. The ICN has collaborated with WHO programs related to the above concerns including: Health Technology and Pharmaceuticals, Social Change and Mental Health, Programme on Substance Abuse, Reproductive Health and Research, and the HIV/AIDS/STI program. The ICN works with Dr. N. Al-Gasseer in the Organization of Health Services Delivery division of WHO. It is apparent that the advanced practice nurse can make a tremendous difference when collaborating with these organizations that focus on changing policies, legislation, and improving the delivery of health care systems internationally.</div> <bR> <div> Health Services Delivery</div> <div> <B> </B>WHO concentrates efforts on improving health care service delivery. Their <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.who.int/health-services-delivery/performance/accreditation/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.who.int/health-services-deliv"><U><U>Department of Organization of Health Care Services Delivery</U></U></A></FONT> looks at the managerial aspects of delivery including the quality assurance of specific agents, equipment and supplies, and technology. They work to develop a systematic approach to ensure the quality of everything from blood products safety, to vaccines and pharmaceuticals. The system can be used to improve a local or district health care system, national health services, and coordination of care between various organizations. The management of national health services measuring appropriateness of services according to morbidity and mortality rates, coordinating public and private sectors, licensing, credentialing, and national accreditation “as an alternative to governance by a civil service approach” (<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.who.int/health-services-delivery/performance/accreditation/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.who.int/health-services-deliv"><U><U>http://www.who.int/health-services-delivery/performance/accreditation/index.htm</U></U></A></FONT>).</div> <div> This department continues to implement and provide support for developing countries that are attempting to improve quality of care and measuring improvement in existing delivery systems.</div> <bR> <div> Future Concerns</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.who.int/health-services-delivery/information/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.who.int/health-services-deliv"><U>Health information systems</U></A></FONT> (HIS) are changing rapidly in some areas of health care delivery, and not quickly enough in underdeveloped countries. This is a great concern when attempting to improve health care across the world as the WHO strives to accomplish now and in the future. A health information system gives information regarding the management of a health program and it's activities. A HIS monitors access to delivery, coverage, quality, expenditures, equity, resources, and outcomes to services provided by the particular health care delivery system. Obviously, it is essential to record this information to determine the need for services in a particular population served by the delivery system. Without this information, it is difficult if not impossible to determine if the system is reaching its target population, if the services are effective in decreasing disease, if the services are cost effective, if the services are not adequate for the population, if the services are being accessed, or even if the services are needed. It is apparent that health information systems are necessary for improved management of health systems. Complete access to this vital information is necessary, or it is difficult to change policies and strategies to better serve the populations in need. </div> <bR> <div> Health Policy Reform</div> <div> The WHO regularly holds forums on <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.who.int/dsa/cat98/healthpol8htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.who.int/dsa/cat98/healthpol8h"><U><U>health care reform</U></U></A></FONT> to trace the successes and failures of health policy reform in various countries. In a nine country analysis of <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.who.int/dsa/cat98/healthpol8htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.who.int/dsa/cat98/healthpol8h"><U><U>community involvement in health care development</U></U></A></FONT>, it was concluded that there I potentia; for civil society groups to encourage and aid in community health development. Both public and private sectors could be merged with positive outcomes, but a method of management and implementation is needed to guide this process.</div> <div> A forum in 1999 discussed the fundamental shifts from isolated <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.who.int/dsa/cat98/healthpol8htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.who.int/dsa/cat98/healthpol8h"><U><U>health projects in Ghana</U></U></A></FONT> that served sponsor interests with short-term goals, to long-term funding of the government health sector. With a holistic perspective that does not require immediate results, the government manages pooled monies. The sector-wide experiment in Ghana is being regarded as successful, and could be used as a prototype for other countries.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.trellix.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.trellix.com"><U><IMG SRC="04752280.gif" border=0 width="82" height="40" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>