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Biomedical subjects

J F Naimoli

Publications and source records attributed to J F Naimoli.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Strengthening patient education for ORT services in the Central African Republic.

This paper describes the design and implementation of a health worker training program in diarrhea case management and its effect on patient education in health facilities in the Central African Republic (C.A.R.). In 1989, a facility-based assessment of health worker practices in managing diarrheal disease in children under 5 years of age documented serious deficiencies in patient education as performed by health workers. Based on these results, the Ministry of Health (MOH) designed an inservice training program that promoted education as an integral component of curative care. The training program was implemented in all five health regions of the country. An evaluation of the training's impact on the delivery of patient education indicated dramatic increases in the number of messages health workers communicated to mothers. This experience demonstrated that the patient education practices of health workers can be improved through inservice training that integrates the teaching of clinical and communication skills. Additional study in C.A.R. is needed to (1) further improve the quality of patient education for diarrhea and other childhood communicable diseases, (2) determine the impact of patient education on the care provided by mothers in the home following a clinic visit, and (3) assess how operational research can be conducted within the limitations of inservice training programs and routine clinical operations.

Central African Republic↗
PubMed1994

Evaluation of national malaria control programmes in Africa.

Evaluation is an essential management tool for the improvement of public health programmes or projects. As malaria morbidity and mortality continue to increase in most countries in Africa, international agencies and malaria control programme managers have identified the strengthening of programme evaluation as an important strategy for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of malaria control programmes. Managers can develop an evaluation strategy only after they have defined programme objectives and planned specific programme activities. Indicators should be directly related to programme objectives and should be selected on the basis of the following criteria: their validity; reliability; ability to detect change within a reasonable time period and as a result of successful programme implementation; ability to be interpreted; and usefulness in guiding programme change. Only those indicators that can be measured with available programme resources should be selected. Managers will also need to identify the sources of indicator data and to determine how often each indicator will be measured. Programme managers should develop criteria or indicators for the following: programme policies and plans; the process of programme implementation; the outcomes of malaria control interventions in disease management and prevention; and programme impact in terms of reductions in malaria-related mortality and morbidity. Key issues related to the management of evaluation activities within a national programme include the need to begin with available resources and build incrementally; to explore options for administering evaluation activities; to select, train and supervise staff who carry out evaluation activities; to develop quality control strategies; and to ensure that data are managed and communicated in ways that support effective programme decision-making. For evaluation to lead to improvements in malaria control programmes it must be clearly defined as a part of the programme management process. Programme managers should lead this developmental process, ensuring that evaluation methods produce the information they need to monitor and improve their programmes at reasonable cost.

Africa↗