IPCHS Practices

Learn from real-life experiences with health services reform. We distinguish three types: emerging, promising and leading practices. Share your practice by clicking "Add practice".

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Sept. 6, 2016 Europe

Engaging and empowering people and communities, Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Creating an enabling environment

Shifting towards community-oriented mental health care in Belgium

Changes to legislation, policy and care guidelines at the national level guided mental health reform and government funding was made available to promote the implementation of local community mental health projects aligned with the new national vision for mental health; top-down support for bottom-up ideas ensured both the necessary resources and local ownership needed to optimize mental health reform; a supportive legislative framework helped solidify a common vision for mental health reform, providing a unified focus for local efforts to align with; space for experimentation in the delivery of mental health care was allowed for, motivating locally-adapted projects and sparking ...

Sept. 6, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Creating an enabling environment

Strengthening prenatal and obstetric care in Belarus

Improving maternal and child health was established as a key government priority. Strong top-down support for change reinforced by legislation provided a guiding framework for transformations; Investigation into key challenges leading to a strong understanding of root causes ensured health reforms responded to needs; prenatal screening recommendations were developed and changes to resource distribution, provider training and incentives were implemented to promote uptake and adherence to new guidelines; financial incentives for patients helped encourage desired participation in prenatal care by women; service delivery reforms took time and adoption of a long-term vision was needed.

Sept. 6, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Creating an enabling environment

Comprehensive health system reform to improve health in Azerbaijan

A health sector reform project was launched by the Government of Azerbaijan with the financial and technical support of the World Bank, leading to the adoption of a comprehensive National Master Plan for health in 2008; a strong understanding of the political context and environment proved important in determining an acceptable pace for proposed reforms; top-down leadership from the Ministry of Health ensured national ownership over internationally-supported reforms; strengthening the stewardship capacity of the Ministry was important; investment in human resources, including formalizing medical training and developing new medical specializations, was critical to driving sustainable change.

Aug. 30, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Creating an enabling environment

Establishing a unified emergency medical service in Latvia

Latvia’s 39 separate emergency service organizations were merged to form the single, centralized State Emergency Medical Service; implementing a unified structure for the provision of prehospital emergency medical services reduced fragmentation, standardized care and improved the coordination of services; formalizing provider training and education embedded new practices as the professional norm and helped ensure high-quality care delivery according to the guidelines in place; strong national leadership, along with a clear narrative and communication plan, helped gain stakeholder support for the initiative; widespread population support was secured by making services available free of charge.

Aug. 30, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Creating an enabling environment

Introducing compassionate use treatment for extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in Armenia

Compassionate use TB treatment with the experimental drug Bedaquiline was introduced by MSF in partnership with the Government of Armenia to expand treatment options available to XDR-TB patients; MSF’s prior experience of compassionate use initiatives in other contexts supported the initiative’s effective implementation and provided an immediate solution to the lack of available treatment options; donor support and a close partnership with the Ministry of Health allowed initial barriers, including the lack of a comprehensive legal framework, to be overcome; closely aligning reforms with ongoing programmes reduced the investment needed in new infrastructure and helped secure greater professional ...

June 24, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Creating an enabling environment

Developing an integrated e-health system in Estonia

A system-wide electronic health information system was introduced by the government and a national e-health foundation was established to guide change; development of e-health aligned with a broader government information strategy, enabling change and motivating necessary political support; early introduction of legislation provided a clear framework for activities and the Estonian Health Information System Development Plan 2005–2008 mapped out the change process; legislation coupled with aligned incentives encouraged widespread uptake of e-health by providers; partnerships with the private sector, universities and research organizations helped drive innovation; features of the electronic system (including electronic medical records, digital imaging, e-prescriptions and ...

June 24, 2016 Europe

Engaging and empowering people and communities, Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Coordinating services within and across sectors, Creating an enabling environment

National rollout of Healthy Life Centres in Norway

Municipally-managed Healthy Life Centres staffed by multidisciplinary public health teams were established across Norway to advance local health promotion; government commitment to addressing chronic disease through strengthening health promotion provided a platform for change and fostered widespread scale-up of activities; the Healthy Life Centre concept was invented locally and continues to depend on locally-driven efforts, with municipalities given significant autonomy over activities; a structured approach to the rollout of Healthy Life Centres from the outset (including research, piloting and creation of national guidelines) ensured accountability and systematic evaluation; collaborative partnerships between primary care providers, Centre staff and patients proved integral ...

June 24, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Creating an enabling environment

Implementing clinical audits to improve care standards in Turkey

Clinical audits were implemented to improve adherence to national guidelines through increasing transparency and accountability for service delivery across health care institutions; lengthy discussions with stakeholders and clear communication of the initiative’s aims were essential for establishing sufficient buy-in to begin implementation; establishing data collection and analysis systems was a critical step for improving and optimizing care. Strong data collection, followed up with monitoring and evaluation, was paramount to the initiative’s success; while the initiative was led by the Ministry of Health, regional health authorities played an increasingly important role in supporting auditing processes and providing local oversight ...

May 23, 2016 Europe

Engaging and empowering people and communities, Strengthening governance and accountability, Creating an enabling environment

Disparity reduction strategy in Israel’s Clalit Health Services

Creation of a composite disparity score allowed health disparities in Clalit Health Services to be identified, assessed and then targeted for intervention; top-down leadership from senior management within Clalit Health Services was essential for creating the conditions needed for change; locally-designed initiatives provided tailored solutions for achieving targets set by senior management; capitalizing on preexisting strengths and resources minimized the need for costly investments; data-driven performance measures were the backbone of the initiative and provided evidence of the need for intervention, helped incentivize performance improvements and allowed monitoring and evaluation of progress; regular feedback and monitoring fostered a culture of ...