Workforce Development for Health EDRM - Case Studies

Learning from Existing Workforce Development Initiatives 

WHO Kobe Centre supports research projects to provide evidence for workforce capacity development in order to strengethen effective disaster risk management.

WKC's project (2019-2021) conducted and published case studies related to workforce initiatives. These case studies offer valuable insights and recommendations from real experiences to enhance the Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health EDRM) workforce development.

 

Regional/global level

  • Filling the Gaps in the Pharmacy Workforce in Post-Conflict Areas: Experience from Four Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study explored the challenges and barriers to pharmacy health workforce development in post-conflict areas in sub-Saharan Africa. Nine participants were interviewed, and the results showed that unpredictable health needs, transport difficulties, and a shortage of pharmacy workforce due to brain drain or interrupted schooling were identified as conflict-specific challenges. Barriers to health workforce retention and growth were identified to be brain drain, the perception of an unsafe work environment, and a career pathway or commitment duration that does not fit the diaspora or expatriate staff. Policy solutions and efforts that can bring about long-term improvement are essential to achieve universal health coverage and the targets of the sustainable development goals for conflict affected areas.

    Wong A, Hung KKC, Mabhala M, Tenney JW, Graham CA. Filling the Gaps in the Pharmacy Workforce in Post-Conflict Areas: Experience from Four Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(15):8132. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158132

 

  • Italy: WHO Emergency Medical Teams (EMT). The World Health Organization Emergency Medical Teams (WHO-EMTs) offer a critical international network of highly skilled healthcare professionals and volunteers. These teams are equipped with essential medical supplies and equipment and are capable of rapid deployment to provide emergency medical care in response to major public health crises and humanitarian emergencies. The deployment of WHO-EMTs has demonstrated the ability to enhance access to medical care, reduce health disparities, and minimize the impact of disasters and epidemics on vulnerable populations.

 

National Level

  • Hart A, Rodríguez Á, Carvajal J, & Ciottone, G. 2021. Earthquake response in Chile: A case study in health emergency and disaster risk management. American Journal of Disaster Medicine. 2021. 16(4), 313-318. doi:https://doi.org/10.5055/ajdm.2021.0413

    Chile has invested heavily in earthquake mitigation strategies, resulting in low death tolls after earthquakes. However, there is still room for improvement, such as providing universal, standardized response training and coordinating training among responders. Mitigation and prevention of disasters should be a priority, particularly for fast onset disasters like earthquakes.
     

  • Kawa N, Abisaab J, Abiad F, Badr K, El-Kak F, Alameddine M, Balsari S. The toll of cascading crises on Lebanon's health workforce. The Lancet. Open Access. Published November 17, 2021.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00493-9

    The health system in Lebanon is on the brink of collapse due to a variety of factors, including economic deceleration, public distrust, refugee crises, and a decrease in the health workforce. The American University of Beirut has called for international assistance to prevent a complete shutdown of services.
     

  • Dalal S, Singh P. Chapter 16: Mainstreaming safety within hospitals and institutionalizing emergency preparedness in healthcare sector. In Gupta AK, Barwal A, Madan A, Sood A, Bindal MK. (eds.) (2021) Health Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change and Related Disasters: A Compendium of Case Studies. National Institute of Disaster Management. New Delhi, pp 332

 

Local/community level

  • Bhattarai HK, Hung KKC, MacDermot MK, Hubloue I, Barone-Adesi F, Ragazzoni L, Della Corte F, Acharya R, Graham CA. Role of Community Health Volunteers Since the 2015 Nepal Earthquakes: A Qualitative Study. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2022 Mar 15:1-7. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2022.47. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35287784.

    The study explored the facilitating factors and barriers of female community health volunteers (FCHVs) during health emergencies in Nepal. FCHVs were the first responders to provide services after the earthquakes and were well accepted by the local communities. Lack of prior training and access to adequate medical supplies were identified as major barriers for FCHVs in the 2015 earthquakes. Providing regular disaster response training and strong leadership from the public sector with sustained investments will be essential for increasing the capacities of community health workforces to prepare for and reduce the impacts of future health emergencies in resource-poor settings.
     

  • Hung KKC, MacDermot MK, Chan EYY, Liu S, Huang Z, Wong CS, Walline JH, Graham CA. CCOUC Ethnic Minority Health Project: A Case Study for Health EDRM Initiatives to Improve Disaster Preparedness in a Rural Chinese Population. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(10):5322. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105322

    The Ethnic Minority Health Project (EHMP) has provided community-based Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health EDRM) education interventions since 2009 in 16 ethnic minority-based villages in remote areas of China. This case study outlines the first EHMP project in Ma’an Qiao Village in Sichuan Province, China and highlights the key elements for planning and managing such a project. It is a good demonstration of an effective Health EDRM workforce development project in rural communities, and concludes with five recommendations for setting up a sustainable and effective Health EDRM education intervention in similar contexts.

Research Themes