Month: November 2013

The Wellcome Trust, the UK Department for International Development, the UK Medical Research Council and the UK Economic and Social Research Council are committed to strengthening the evidence base for improving health in low- and middle-income countries. Together we are investing a total of £15 million over three years to fund research aimed at providing evidence to strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The £15m total funds will be allocated through three annual calls for proposals of £5m per call. The costs of each call will be shared between all four funders.

Health systems in LMICs face the challenges of substantial socioeconomic and health inequalities, rapid globalisation and evolving disease burdens. The aim of the scheme is to fund rigorous, high-quality research that will inform the delivery of evidence-based interventions or structural changes, and provide evidence that is of direct relevance to decision makers and users in the field, in overcoming these challenges.

The scope of the scheme covers a broad range of health systems research questions that address the following principles:

• Health systems are broad and comprise many elements (e.g. governance, workforce, financing, information systems, products and technologies, and service delivery) and are affected by factors such as health education, community and individual action, the legislative and regulatory context and current and emerging social, economic and cultural circumstances. Applications from multidisciplinary teams are encouraged which address questions within this broader context.
• All proposals should have health improvement as the main objective.
• Research should generate practical solutions to implementing health system improvements, including technical, economic, and cultural or governance/managerial components of implementation and sustainability.
• Projects should identify and address the key barriers to implementation of evidence-based interventions at local and national levels, paving the way for their successful adoption into routine practice with improved access and use by the populations in need.
• Methodologies will need to be clearly explained and well justified as methodological rigour will be an important aspect of peer review.
• Priority will be given to research that benefits the most vulnerable populations and/or those in poorly resourced settings.
• No particular diseases or health-related problems are prioritised for this call. Projects should address ethical, economic, social, cultural and political aspects of the problem as appropriate to the research question.
• Source: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Biomedical-science/Funding-schemes/Strategic-awards-and-initiatives/WTP054078.htm

25th International Nursing Research Congress

Engaging Colleagues: Improving Global Health Outcomes
The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International’s research priorities are advancing healthy communities through health promotion; preventing disease and recognizing social, economic, and political determinants; implementing evidence-based practice; targeting the needs of vulnerable populations such as the chronically ill and poor; and developing nurses’ capacity for research.

Opportunities are available to submit abstracts for the 25th International Nursing Research Congress. Research – and evidence-based practice abstracts are currently being accepted. If you would like to submit an abstract or for suggested topics and submission guidelines, please select one of the abstract categories below.
Abstracts for translational research that demonstrate a direct link to the theme Engaging Colleagues: Improving Global Health Outcomes are invited.

Research sessions will serve as networking forums to bring together researchers, educators, administrators, clinicians, and policy makers to address the global health of the world’s people. Through the presentation of research findings, nurses can further the scholarship and health care of the world’s populations.

Congress Objectives

• Analyze innovative strategies to engage in interprofessional collaboration to improve global health outcomes.
• Promote the translation of evidence toward achieving health outcomes through research, education, and practice.
• Examine variations in interprofessional approaches to global health and social issues.
• Evaluate evidence that influences policy and increases funding opportunities.

Suggested Topics for Submission

• Complementary health practices
• Culturally diverse health behaviors
• Global nursing education (Accepted abstracts from this category are eligible to receive the Excellence in Educational Research Award.pdf, a program of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International and the Chamberlain College of Nursing Center for Excellence in Nursing Education).
• Global nursing research
• Health promotion/disease prevention
• International collaborations
• Nursing leadership
• Technologies to influence research
• Theoretical/methodological issues

Link: http://www.nursingsociety.org/STTIEvents/ResearchCongress/Pages/2014_HongKong_Abstracts.aspx

Harianjogja.com, JOGJA-Profesi perawat masih dianggap sebelah mata meski memiliki peran penting. Hal itu terlihat dari proses kerja mereka yang tidak terfasilitasi dengan baik. Selain itu, jumlah perawat di Indonesia masih belum ideal.

Menurut Ketua Umum Ikatan Perawat Kesehatan Komunitas Indonesia (IPKKI) Pusat Nes Ariyanto, Kementerian Kesehatan menghapus satu dari tujuh program inti pusat kesehatan masyarakat (Puskesmas). Salah satu program penting yang dihapus yakni Perawat Kesehatan Masyarakat (Perkesmas). Akibatnya, para perawat tidak maksimal menjalankan profesinya untuk menjaga kesehatan masyarakat.

Hilangnya program Perkesmas tersebut menyebabkan posisi Perkesmas hanya sebagai pengembangan, bukan program inti puskesmas yang wajib dijalankan. Padahal, jelas Ariyanto, Perkesmas sebenarnya juga profesi yang tersertifikasi dan memiliki pendidikan khusus tentang kesehatan masyarakat. Idealnya, kata dia, Perkesmas bertugas tidak hanya membantu dokter di Puskesmas tapi juga melakukan kunjungan ke rumah pasien dan masyarakat lainnya.

Selain untuk melakukan upaya pencegahan penyakit, lanjutnya, mereka juga bisa melakukan pemeriksaan, perawatan, tindakan medis umum, pelayanan obat, laboratorium tingkat pertama, transfusi darah hingga konsultan kesehatan. “Yang terjadi, perawat hanya di tempatkan di tiap puskesmas untuk membantu dokter. Mereka tidak bisa melayani kesehatan primer untuk ‘merawat’ masyarakat karena tidak ditunjang oleh fasilitas yang layak,” ujar ditemui usai pembukaan Kongres Nasional IPKKI ke-2 di Hotel Sheraton Jogja, Rabu (30/10/2013).

Diungkapkan Ariyanto, tiap Puskesmas idealnya memiliki sembilan tenaga Perkesmas. Namun kenyataannya, saat ini baru ada 1.200 Puskesmas dari sekitar 10.000 Puskesmas di Indonesia yang menjalankan peran Perkesmas. Itupun jumlahnya tidak ada yang mencapai sembilan tenaga Perkesmas.

“Di sini, butuh komitmen bagi setiap pemerintah daerah untuk mengakomodasi para Perkesmas. Kami berharap pemerintah mampu memfasilitasi kebutuhan Perkesmas yang ada dengan sarana pendukung agar mereka bisa bekerja sesuai dengan kompetensi yang dimiliki,” tukasnya.

Wakil Menteri Kesehatan Prof. Ali Ghufron Mukti mengakui pentingnya peran Perkesmas dalam upaya pemeliharaan kesehatan masyarakat. Karena itu, Kemenkes mulai berupaya mengembalikan peran Perkesmas yang sebenarnya. Hal itu dilakukan juga untuk menyukseskan pelaksanaan Sistem Jaminan Sosial Nasional Kesehatan oleh Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial (BPJS) mulai 1 Januari 2014 mendatang. “Perkesmas tentu mampu berperan sebagai penopang dan pendorong program BPJS dengan menjamin kesehatan masyarakat,” kata Ghufron.

Dia menambahkan, karena berperan untuk memantau langsung ke tempat tinggal masyarakat, Perkesmas tentu mampu membantu kesembuhan yang sedang sakit, mencegah yang sehat agar tidak sakit sekaligus mensosialisasikan program BPJS. Terkait minimnya jumlah Perkesmas saat ini, Ghufron mengatakan saat ini Kemenkes sedang melakukan pemetaan kebutuhan tenaga kesehatan di seluruh wilayah Indonesia. Hanya, katanya, Puskesmas yang dibolehkan merekrut tenaga Perkesmas hanya Puskesmas yang mengantongi izin sebagai Badan Layanan Umum Daerah (BLUD).

http://www.harianjogja.com/baca/2013/10/31/program-perkesmas-dihapus-perawat-meradang-461286