How are health professionals earning their living in Malawi?

Abstract:

BACKGROUND:The migration of health professionals from southern Africa to developed nations is negatively affecting the delivery of health care services in the source countries. Oftentimes however, it is the reasons for the out-migration that have been described in the literature. The work and domestic situations of those health professionals continuing to serve in their posts have not been adequately studied. METHODS:The present study utilized a qualitative data collection and analysis method. This was achieved through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with health professionals and administrators to determine the challenges they face and the coping systems they resort to and the perceptions towards those coping methods. RESULTS:Health professionals identified the following as some of the challenges there faced: inequitable and poor remuneration, overwhelming responsibilities with limited resources, lack of a stimulating work environment, inadequate supervision, poor access to continued professionals training, limited career progression, lack of transparent recruitment and discriminatory remuneration. When asked what kept them still working in Malawi when the pressures to emigrate were there, the following were some of the ways the health professionals mentioned as useful for earning extra income to support their families: working in rural areas where life was perceived to be cheaper, working closer to home village so as to run farms, stealing drugs from health facilities, having more than one job, running small to medium scale businesses. Health professionals would also minimize expenditure by missing meals and walking to work. CONCLUSION:Many health professionals in Malawi experience overly challenging environments. In order to survive some are involved in ethically and legally questionable activities such as receiving "gifts" from patients and pilfering drugs. The efforts by the Malawi government and the international community to retain health workers in Malawi are recognized. There is however need to evaluate of these human resources-retaining measures are having the desired effects.

journal_name

BMC Health Serv Res

authors

Muula AS,Maseko FC

doi

10.1186/1472-6963-6-97

subject

Has Abstract

pub_date

2006-08-09 00:00:00

pages

97

issn

1472-6963

pii

1472-6963-6-97

journal_volume

6

pub_type

杂志文章
  • Does it matter whose opinion we seek regarding the allocation of healthcare resources? - a case study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Societal preferences have to be taken into consideration to ensure difficult healthcare decisions are legitimate and acceptable. It has been interesting to ascertain whether attitudes towards the principles of public healthcare resources allocation are homogenous. In particular, it has been thought provoking...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-015-1210-8

    authors: Kolasa K,Lewandowski T

    更新日期:2015-12-18 00:00:00

  • Do coder characteristics influence validity of ICD-10 hospital discharge data?

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Administrative data are widely used to study health systems and make important health policy decisions. Yet little is known about the influence of coder characteristics on administrative data validity in these studies. Our goal was to describe the relationship between several measures of validity in coded ho...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-10-99

    authors: Hennessy DA,Quan H,Faris PD,Beck CA

    更新日期:2010-04-21 00:00:00

  • Race/ethnicity, and Americans' perceptions and experiences of over- and under-use of care: a cross-sectional study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Despite widespread documentation of racial/ethnic disparities in care (predominantly under-use of needed care), differences in population-wide attitudes or experiences about under- or overuse (care where harms may outweigh potential benefits) of care are not well understood. We examined whether race/ethnicit...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-015-1106-7

    authors: Kressin NR,Lin MY

    更新日期:2015-10-01 00:00:00

  • Considering the case for an antidepressant drug trial involving temporary deception: a qualitative enquiry of potential participants.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Systematic reviews of randomised placebo controlled trials of antidepressant medication show small and decreasing differences between pharmacological and placebo arms. In part this finding may relate to methodological problems with conventional trial designs, including their assumption of additivity between ...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-7-64

    authors: Dowrick CF,Hughes JG,Hiscock JJ,Wigglesworth M,Walley TJ

    更新日期:2007-04-30 00:00:00

  • Knowledge and experience sharing practices among health professionals in hospitals under the Addis Ababa health bureau, Ethiopia.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Health professionals need updated health information from credible sources to improve their knowledge and provide evidence based health care services. Various types of medical errors have occurred in resource-limited countries because of poor knowledge and experience sharing practices among health profession...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-14-431

    authors: Asemahagn MA

    更新日期:2014-09-24 00:00:00

  • User experiences with clinical social franchising: qualitative insights from providers and clients in Ghana and Kenya.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Clinical social franchising is a rapidly growing delivery model in private healthcare markets in low- and middle-income countries. Despite this growth, little is known about providers' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of social franchising or clients' reasons for choosing franchised facilities over...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0709-3

    authors: Sieverding M,Briegleb C,Montagu D

    更新日期:2015-02-01 00:00:00

  • Brief screening items to identify spanish-speaking adults with limited health literacy and numeracy skills.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Limited health literacy (HL) and numeracy have been shown to be associated with a wide array of poor health-related outcomes, knowledge, and behaviors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of brief HL and numeracy screening items in identifying Spanish-speaking adults' HL and numera...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-015-1046-2

    authors: Singh R,Coyne LS,Wallace LS

    更新日期:2015-09-14 00:00:00

  • Psychosocial, behavioural and health system barriers to delivery and uptake of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy in Tanzania - viewpoints of service providers in Mkuranga and Mufindi districts.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) using sulphurdoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is one of key malaria control strategies in Africa. Yet, IPTp coverage rates across Africa are still low due to several demand and supply constraints. Many countries implement the IPTp-SP strategy at anten...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-14-15

    authors: Mubyazi GM,Bloch P

    更新日期:2014-01-13 00:00:00

  • Associations between workplace affiliation and phlebotomy practices regarding patient identification and test request handling practices in primary healthcare centres: a multilevel model approach.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Clinical practice guidelines aim to enhance patient safety by reducing inappropriate variations in practice. Despite considerable efforts to enhance the use of clinical practice guidelines, adherence is often suboptimal. We investigated to what extent workplace affiliation explains variation of self-reported...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-015-1157-9

    authors: Nilsson K,Juthberg C,Söderberg J,Bölenius K,Grankvist K,Brulin C,Lindkvist M

    更新日期:2015-11-10 00:00:00

  • Opportunities to encourage mail order pharmacy delivery service use for diabetes prescriptions: a qualitative study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Medication non-adherence is a major contributor to poor outcomes in diabetes. Previous research has shown an association between use of mail order pharmacy delivery and better medication adherence, but little is known about the barriers and facilitators to mail order pharmacy use in diabetes patients. This q...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-019-4250-7

    authors: Schmittdiel JA,Marshall CJ,Wiley D,Chau CV,Trinacty CM,Wharam JF,Duru OK,Karter AJ,Brown SD

    更新日期:2019-06-25 00:00:00

  • A longitudinal examination of the association between nurse staffing levels, the practice environment and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes in hospitals.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:The level of patient safety and outcomes accomplished depends on the quality of care provided. Previous studies found that nurse-to-patient ratio, practice environment, and nursing education were significant predictors of patient outcomes. However, the outcomes measured in previous studies were mainly inpati...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-015-1198-0

    authors: Chau JP,Lo SH,Choi KC,Chan EL,McHugh MD,Tong DW,Kwok AM,Ip WY,Lee IF,Lee DT

    更新日期:2015-12-04 00:00:00

  • Determinants of aggregate length of hospital stay in the last year of life in Switzerland.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:In contrast to individual preferences, most people in developed countries die in health care institutions, with a considerable impact on health care resource use and costs. However, evidence about determinants of aggregate length of hospital stay in the last year preceding death is scant. METHODS:Nationwide...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1725-7

    authors: Hedinger D,Braun J,Kaplan V,Bopp M,Swiss National Cohort Study Group.

    更新日期:2016-09-01 00:00:00

  • Factors affecting general practitioners' decisions to adopt new prescription drugs - cohort analyses using Australian longitudinal physician survey data.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:We investigate factors affecting Australian general practitioners' decisions to adopt novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) for the prevention of stroke/systemic embolism among patients with atrial fibrillation. Australia has a national homogeneous review and coverage system, which enables us to distinguish phys...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-019-3889-4

    authors: Zhang Y,Méndez SJ,Scott A

    更新日期:2019-02-07 00:00:00

  • Facilitators and barriers of implementing and delivering social prescribing services: a systematic review.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Social Prescribing is a service in primary care that involves the referral of patients with non-clinical needs to local services and activities provided by the third sector (community, voluntary, and social enterprise sector). Social Prescribing aims to promote partnership working between the health and the ...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章,评审

    doi:10.1186/s12913-018-2893-4

    authors: Pescheny JV,Pappas Y,Randhawa G

    更新日期:2018-02-07 00:00:00

  • Cost comparison of MRSA screening and management - a decision tree analysis.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections represent a serious challenge for health-care institutions. Rapid and precise identification of MRSA carriers can help to reduce both nosocomial transmissions and unnecessary isolations and associated costs. The practical details of MRSA screening...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-12-438

    authors: Tübbicke A,Hübner C,Hübner NO,Wegner C,Kramer A,Fleßa S

    更新日期:2012-12-01 00:00:00

  • Health care use and treatment-seeking for depression symptoms in rural India: an exploratory cross-sectional analysis.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:There is a large "treatment gap" for depression worldwide. This study aimed to better understand the treatment gap in rural India by describing health care use and treatment-seeking for depression. METHODS:Data were analysed from a two round cross-sectional community survey conducted in rural Madhya Pradesh...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-020-05162-0

    authors: Roberts T,Shidhaye R,Patel V,Rathod SD

    更新日期:2020-04-06 00:00:00

  • Choice of healthcare provider following reform in Vietnam.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:In Vietnam, the health-sector reforms since 1989 have lead to a rapid increase in out-of-pocket expenses. This paper examines the choice of medical provider and household healthcare expenditure for different providers in a rural district of Vietnam following healthcare reform. METHODS:The study consisted of...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-8-162

    authors: Thuan NT,Lofgren C,Lindholm L,Chuc NT

    更新日期:2008-07-30 00:00:00

  • Determinants of client satisfaction with family planning services in public health facilities of Jigjiga town, Eastern Ethiopia.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Client satisfaction is the best indicator of quality service provision and has been found to correlate with continuity of care perceived by the client. The measurement of client satisfaction helps in understanding willingness and decisions to return for future services. Thus, this study aimed at assessing th...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-019-4475-5

    authors: Gebreyesus A

    更新日期:2019-09-02 00:00:00

  • Risk perception of blood transfusions - a comparison of patients and allied healthcare professionals.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Due to an increasing demand in health care services plans to substitute selective physician-conducted medical activities have become attractive. Because administration of a blood transfusion is a highly standardized procedure, it might be evaluated if obtaining a patient's consent for a blood transfusion can...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-018-2928-x

    authors: Graw JA,Eymann K,Kork F,Zoremba M,Burchard R

    更新日期:2018-02-17 00:00:00

  • Medication safety in community pharmacy: a qualitative study of the sociotechnical context.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:While much research has been conducted on medication safety, few of these studies have addressed primary care, despite the high volume of prescribing and dispensing of medicines that occurs in this setting. Those studies that have examined primary care dispensing emphasised the need to understand the role of...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-9-158

    authors: Phipps DL,Noyce PR,Parker D,Ashcroft DM

    更新日期:2009-09-07 00:00:00

  • Can vouchers make a difference to the use of private primary care services by older people? Experience from the healthcare reform programme in Hong Kong.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:As part of its ongoing healthcare reform, the Hong Kong Government introduced a voucher scheme, intended for encouraging older patients to use primary healthcare services in the private sector, thereby, reducing burden on the overwhelmed public sector. The voucher program is also considered one of the strate...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-11-255

    authors: Yam CH,Liu S,Huang OH,Yeoh EK,Griffiths SM

    更新日期:2011-10-07 00:00:00

  • Measuring physiotherapy performance in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a prospective study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Patients with knee osteoarthritis [OA] are commonly treated by physiotherapists in primary care. Measuring physiotherapy performance is important before developing strategies to improve quality. The purpose of this study was to measure physiotherapy performance in patients with knee OA by comparing clinical ...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-8-145

    authors: Jamtvedt G,Dahm KT,Holm I,Flottorp S

    更新日期:2008-07-08 00:00:00

  • Treatment variation in patients diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in Alberta from 2002 to 2010: a population-based study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) followed by radiotherapy is generally the preferred treatment for women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. This study aimed to investigate the proportion of patients who receive BCS versus mastectomy and post-BCS radiotherapy, and explore factors associated with receipt...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0680-z

    authors: Fisher S,Gao H,Yasui Y,Dabbs K,Winget M

    更新日期:2015-01-22 00:00:00

  • Service provision of non-invasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome in public and private healthcare sectors: a qualitative study with obstetric providers.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Cell-free fetal DNA sequencing based non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for Down syndrome (DS) has become widely available. In Hong Kong, obstetric providers in the public sector refer women identified at high risk of having a child with Down syndrome to obstetric providers in the private sector for NIPT. ...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3540-9

    authors: Ngan OMY,Yi H,Ahmed S

    更新日期:2018-09-21 00:00:00

  • Use frequency of traditional Chinese medicine in Taiwan.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Use of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), an important category of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), has increased substantially in Western countries during the past decade. Use of TCM is also widespread in the Chinese population. However, few informative data have been obtained to date by large...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-7-26

    authors: Chen FP,Chen TJ,Kung YY,Chen YC,Chou LF,Chen FJ,Hwang SJ

    更新日期:2007-02-23 00:00:00

  • The challenges in monitoring and preventing patient safety incidents for people with intellectual disabilities in NHS acute hospitals: evidence from a mixed-methods study.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:There has been evidence in recent years that people with intellectual disabilities in acute hospitals are at risk of preventable deterioration due to failures of the healthcare services to implement the reasonable adjustments they need. The aim of this paper is to explore the challenges in monitoring and pre...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章,多中心研究

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-14-432

    authors: Tuffrey-Wijne I,Goulding L,Gordon V,Abraham E,Giatras N,Edwards C,Gillard S,Hollins S

    更新日期:2014-09-24 00:00:00

  • Using a population-based approach to prevent hepatocellular cancer in New South Wales, Australia: effects on health services utilisation.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Australians born in countries where hepatitis B infection is endemic are 6-12 times more likely to develop hepatocellular cancer (HCC) than Australian-born individuals. However, a program of screening, surveillance and treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in high risk populations could significantly reduce...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-10-215

    authors: Robotin MC,Kansil MQ,George J,Howard K,Tipper S,Levy M,Phung N,Penman AG

    更新日期:2010-07-21 00:00:00

  • Improvement of psychometric properties of a scale measuring inpatient satisfaction with care: a better response rate and a reduction of the ceiling effect.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:The objective was to solve two problems of an already validated scale measuring inpatient opinion on care: 1) a high non-response rate for some items due to the "not applicable" response option and 2) a skewed score distribution with high ceiling effect. METHODS:The EQS-H scale ("échelle de qualité des soin...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-7-197

    authors: Moret L,Nguyen JM,Pillet N,Falissard B,Lombrail P,Gasquet I

    更新日期:2007-12-03 00:00:00

  • Parent's perspectives of the pathway to diagnosis of childhood cancer: a matter of diagnostic triage.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Early diagnosis is crucial for the treatment of childhood cancer as it in some cases can prevent progression of disease and improve prognoses. However, childhood cancer can be difficult to diagnose and barriers to early diagnosis are multifactorial. New knowledge about factors influencing the pathway to diag...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/s12913-020-05821-2

    authors: Pedersen LH,Wahlberg A,Cordt M,Schmiegelow K,Dalton SO,Larsen HB

    更新日期:2020-10-22 00:00:00

  • The effect of hospital mergers on long-term sickness absence among hospital employees: a fixed effects multivariate regression analysis using panel data.

    abstract:BACKGROUND:Hospitals are merging to become more cost-effective. Mergers are often complex and difficult processes with variable outcomes. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of mergers on long-term sickness absence among hospital employees. METHODS:Long-term sickness absence was analyzed among hospital emp...

    journal_title:BMC health services research

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1186/1472-6963-14-50

    authors: Kjekshus LE,Bernstrøm VH,Dahl E,Lorentzen T

    更新日期:2014-02-03 00:00:00