September 2017

September 06, 2017

Leading Voices: Meet Seneca Moore [2]

Management Sciences for Health [3]

[2]

We’re excited to launch MSH Leading Voices, a monthly profile that features the incredible talent that makes up MSH.

We’re chatting with Seneca, our technical advisor for quality of care. Seneca is a Utah native with a passion for improving the health services that every person receives, no matter who they are or where they live. She’s responsible for integrating quality of care initiatives into all MSH health programs.

What do you think makes MSH different?

Our legacy of working in health systems strengthening and capacity building. Excellence in quality can't be achieved by only one intervention; it's a multi-dimensional mosaic resulting from holistic thinking about an entire system that is enveloped in compassion, equity, and leadership. To that end, I am so excited about the work MSH has done around local leadership development.This is a powerful asset for cultivating a local culture of excellence toward quality of care across the healthcare spectrum.

What are you most proud of in your work?

Improving Quality of Health Care with Smartphones [6]

Samy Rakotoniaina [7]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]

[6]Community health volunteers use a mobile phone app to guide their patient interaction in rural Madagascar.Photo credit: Samy Rakotoniaina, MSH

How community health volunteers are using mobile technology to provide better care in remote areas of Madagascar

In remote villages of Madagascar, people who live miles away from a health center largely depend on community health volunteers for basic health care, such as family planning services, or the diagnosis and treatment of simple childhood infections. These volunteers are identified and elected by the community, and are then trained and supervised by the head of the nearest health center. The country's national Community Health Policy places them at the foundation of the health pyramid, as they are serving the most isolated communities. However, ensuring the quality care provided by these volunteers can be challenging: one study reported that only 49% of health volunteers offer family planning in accordance with national standards, and only 53% of children under the age of five are correctly treated for diarrhea, malaria, and pneumonia by health volunteers.

Being a community health volunteer is a tricky job. Among the many difficulties they already face, they are expected to report their activities by completing paper registers on a daily basis. But these paper tools, which are long and time-consuming, often result in delays and errors in the reporting process.

To Improve Quality of Perinatal Care, Pregnancy Clubs Show Great Promise [9]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]

Women & Gender [10]

[9]Women learn about their pregnancies during a pregnancy club session in eastern Uganda.Photo credit: Kate Ramsey/MSH

Earlier this year we wrote [11] about our ongoing experience reaching pregnant women in Uganda with a model that we called “pregnancy clubs” – an effort to improve the quality of health services women receive during pregnancy and after delivery by organizing them into groups to discuss their personal experiences and learn important self-care skills, guided by a healthcare provider. The region where we are working is particularly vulnerable because there are very high rates of adolescent pregnancy (30.6%), and younger women often find that services are unable to meet their specific needs – especially for the first pregnancy. It can be a lonely time for younger women, especially if they are in a new household and a new marriage, or if experiencing stigma from pregnancy outside of marriage.

Self-Care: a Vital Component of Any Comprehensive Maternal and Newborn Health Strategy [13]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]

Women & Gender [10]

[13]Women leaders at a fair in Bolivia share healthy eating tips to pregnant and breastfeeding women.Photo credit: MSH-Perú staff

A partnership with MSH-Perú and White Ribbon Alliance is promoting self-care in Bolivia

On a bright July day in San Ignacio de Moxos, Bolivia, 13 indigenous women leaders gathered in the central plaza around a long table decorated with bowls of beans, rice, plantains, corn, tomatoes, greens, and other foods. As part of an all-day fair to promote the health and nutrition of pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, these indigenous women leaders presented their dishes to over 150 community members and local officials, gathered in the plaza to celebrate the town’s anniversary, and offered ideas on how to cook with locally- grown ingredients provided by the national government’s food subsidy program.

Through the White Ribbon Alliance’s Self-Care Initiative [14], MSH-Perú [15] is organizing workshops and other outreach activities, to motivate women in 11 indigenous Bolivian communities to actively care for themselves, especially during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, by practicing healthy behaviors, and preparing nutritious meals.

The Complex Truth of Health Tech [17]

JoAnn Paradis [18]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]

Women & Gender [10]

[17]A pregnant woman is given an ultrasound.Photo Credit: Rui Pires

(This post originally appeared on the Next Billion website [19].)

Why Greater Ultrasound Availability Doesn’t Always Benefit Patients

Advances in health technologies have reshaped the lives of communities, families and individuals, undoubtedly contributing to better health outcomes around the world. For the most vulnerable populations, technology may significantly improve access to preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services and help increase demand for greater quality care. Yet, despite their potential, new technologies can also add new challenges, risking potential gains in quality, safety or cost. Particularly in settings where health systems are weak, the introduction of technological interventions requires thoughtful execution.

Health Systems Strengthening Highlighted at UNGA72 [21]

Fragile States [22]

Health Systems Strengthening [4]

Universal Health Coverage [23]

Women & Gender [10]

[21]From left: Ugochi Daniels, UNFPA; Chunmei Li, Johnson & Johnson; Antoine Ndiaye, MSH; Lara Zakaria, Syrian American Medical Society; Irene Koek, USAID; Loyce Pace, Global Health Council.Photo credit: Alison Corbacio/MSH

Health systems strengthening was front and center in discussions held in New York on the sidelines of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly. MSH hosted three events spotlighting how strong health systems are critical to resiliency and stability in fragile environments, at the core for global health security and essential for achieving universal health coverage. Here are some highlights from the week. See more on Twitter @MSHHealthImpact [24], @MSHACTS [25] and @FCIatMSH [26].

Read more [21]

Links
[1] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/06/leading-voices-meet-seneca-moore#comments
[2] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/06/leading-voices-meet-seneca-moore
[3] https://www.msh.org/users/management-sciences-for-health
[4] https://www.msh.org/blog-categories/health-systems-strengthening
[5] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/11/improving-quality-of-health-care-with-smartphones#comments
[6] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/11/improving-quality-of-health-care-with-smartphones
[7] https://www.msh.org/users/samy-rakotoniaina
[8] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/18/to-improve-quality-of-perinatal-care-pregnancy-clubs-show-great-promise#comments
[9] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/18/to-improve-quality-of-perinatal-care-pregnancy-clubs-show-great-promise
[10] https://www.msh.org/blog-categories/women-gender
[11] http://www.msh.org/blog/2017/06/20/person-centered-group-antenatal-care-in-eastern-uganda-reaching-women-through
[12] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/19/self-care-a-vital-component-of-any-comprehensive-maternal-and-newborn-health#comments
[13] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/19/self-care-a-vital-component-of-any-comprehensive-maternal-and-newborn-health
[14] http://whiteribbonalliance.org/self-care/
[15] http://www.mshperu.org/
[16] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/26/the-complex-truth-of-health-tech#comments
[17] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/26/the-complex-truth-of-health-tech
[18] https://www.msh.org/users/joann-paradis
[19] https://nextbillion.net/
[20] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/28/health-systems-strengthening-highlighted-at-unga72#comments
[21] https://www.msh.org/blog/2017/09/28/health-systems-strengthening-highlighted-at-unga72
[22] https://www.msh.org/blog-categories/fragile-states
[23] https://www.msh.org/blog-categories/universal-health-coverage
[24] http://twitter.com/MSHHealthImpact
[25] http://twitter.com/MSHACTS
[26] http://twitter.com/FCIatMSH