SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Development Policy”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 559 records · Page 31Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Difficulties after leaving TANF: inner-city women talk about reasons for returning to welfare.

People who leave welfare commonly return, and this phenomenon has become more pressing in the time-limited TANF program. Fostering stable TANF exits may be particularly difficult in poor inner-city areas because of job shortages and neighborhood deterioration. Perspectives of TANF leavers from five focus groups in Chicago about problems leading to welfare returns are presented. Participants indicated that low wages and unstable jobs were most often responsible for TANF returns. Obtaining health care and child care and inconsistent performance of TANF caseworkers were stressed as contributing factors. Participants also focused on strengths helpful in sustaining exits from TANF, particularly psychological benefits associated with working and informal supports received from family members and friends. The implications of recipient-identified problems and strengths are discussed, including balancing "work first" employment policies with substantive educational and job development policies. Strategies for improving the performance of TANF case planning are discussed.

Aid to Families with Dependent Children↗

PubMed1999

Improvements in the performance of local public health agencies.

Local health agencies in Iowa were surveyed in 1995 and 1997 to ascertain their performance in the areas of assessment, policy development, and assurance. Some improvements were noted in the assessment function. However, development of health plans and a policy agenda as well as evaluation of programs remain weak. Structural changes may be needed to increase the effectiveness of small, rural, public health agencies. Options discussed in this article include increases in funding, consolidation into districts, specialized training, a shift of responsibilities to the state level, and a merger with local hospitals.

Data Collection↗

PubMed1998

Sexual harassment policies in Florida school districts.

Until recently, little attention has focused on the sexual harassment that occurs in primary and secondary schools. Several school-related lawsuits and study results heightened awareness of the issue. This study investigated the extent to which Florida's school districts complied with the Florida Department of Education's (FDOE) recommendation and guidelines for addressing sexual harassment in schools. District equity coordinators were surveyed regarding policy development, implementation, promotion, education, and effects. Policies were collected for analysis. Most districts responded to the strong encouragement of the FDOE and approved a sexual harassment policy incorporating many of the suggested components. However, policies included only basic information when compared with suggestions from the literature. Results suggest problems with sexual harassment will continue due to lack of efforts in promoting awareness of the policy and education about the issue, which scholars insist are necessary for effectiveness.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ten organizational practices of public health: a historical perspective.

In 1988, the Institute of Medicine took a major step forward when it defined the functions of governmental public health agencies as assessment (monitoring the health of the American people), policy development (promoting the development of scientifically sound public health policy), and assurance (guaranteeing the benefits of public health for all citizens). The effort to further describe and measure the practice of public health began in January 1989 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) convened a meeting of public health leaders including representatives of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, National Association of County Health Officials, United States Conference of Local Health Officers, Public Health Foundation, American Public Health Association, Association of Schools of Public Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, and CDC. Consensus was reached that these core functions provided an appropriate framework. A beginning effort was made to identify the specific practices or processes required to carry out the core functions. The result of this two-year effort was the delineation of 10 organizational practices that functionally define the practice of public health, provide a basis for measuring the three core functions of public health, and also describe a continuum of problem-solving activity from problem identification to evaluation in order to redirect resources and interventions. Although extensive external examination and validation of these 10 organizational practices is called for, early application and investigation of this framework seem promising.

Public Health Administration↗

PubMed2005

Abstain or die: the development of HIV/AIDS policy in Botswana.

This paper traces the development of policies dealing with HIV/AIDS in Botswana from their beginning in the late 1980s to the current programme to provide population-wide anti-retroviral therapy (ARV). Using a variety of source material, including long-term ethnographic research, it seeks to account for the failure of Western-inspired approaches in dealing with the pandemic. It does this by looking at the cultural and institutional features that have created resistance to the message and inhibited effective implementation. The negative response to the first educational campaign stressing condom use is described and contextualized in terms of Tswana ideas of morality and illness. Nor, as was initially expected, did the introduction of free ARV therapy operate to break the silence and stigma that had developed around the disease. Take-up was very slow, and did not operate to encourage widespread testing. In 2003, key policymakers in Botswana began to argue for a break with the AIDS 'exceptionalism' position, with its emphasis on voluntarism, confidentiality and the human rights of patients. This resulted in routine testing being introduced in 2004. This links to a major argument running through the paper which is that the failure of policy cannot be attributed solely to the nature of local populations. Western cultural assumptions about 'good practice' also require critical examination.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2003

Health and environmental policy issues in Canada: the role of watershed management in sustaining clean drinking water quality at surface sources.

Sustaining clean and safe drinking water sources is increasingly becoming a priority because of global pollution. The means of attaining and maintaining clean drinking water sources requires effective policies that identify, document, and reduce watershed risks. These risks are defined by their potential impact to human health. Health and risk are, therefore, indelibly linked because they are in part defined by each other. Understanding pathogen ecology and identifying watershed sources remains a priority because of the associated acute risks. Surface water quality changes resulting from inputs of human waste, nutrients and chemicals are associated with higher drinking water risks. Nutrient input can increase primary production and the resulting increase of organic matter results in greater disinfection by-product formation or requires greater treatment intensity. Many drinking water disease outbreaks have resulted from breaches in treatment facilities, therefore, even with greater treatment intensity poor source water quality intrinsically has greater associated health risks. Government and international agencies play a critical role in developing policy. The goal of maintaining water supplies whose availability is maximized and risks are minimized (i.e. sustainable) should be a vital part of such policy. Health risks are discussed in the context of a multi-barrier perspective and it is concluded that both passive (protection) and active (prescriptive management) management is necessary for sustainability. Canadian aboriginal water systems, British Columbian water policy and US EPA policies are given as examples. The basis for developing effective policies includes a strong reliance on sound science and effective instrumentation with careful consideration of stakeholders' interests. Only with such directed policies can the future availability of clean drinking water sources be ensured.

Canada↗

PubMed1999

National treatment systems in global perspective.

Drug policy development is mostly viewed as emerging within the nation state. Processes of diffusion of innovative policies have been neglected to a large extent. The comparative study of public policy has demonstrated, however, that diffusion is an important predictor of early policy adaptation. Thus, the analysis asks the general question of the relative importance of endogenous and exogenous effects on the development of drug policies in various countries. Specifically it describes the Swiss debate leading to the popular initiative on 'Youth Without Drugs' as well as the international reactions regarding its liberal outcome. Results of an expert survey show two broad types of reactions. There is one set of countries where chances for the introduction of limited heroin-prescription trials during the next 5 years are considered probable and a second set of countries which seems to be strictly status quo oriented. In the concluding section a model is suggested which systematically considers endogenous as well as exogenous predictors of 'soft' or 'hard' drug policy adoption. Results of a first tentative test of the model are encouraging for future empirical research on diffusion processes of drug policies.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1987

Health Services Development Plan, 1983-1987.

The following are excerpts from this Plan [Health Services Development Plan] relating to family planning: "5. Family Life Development: Emphases must be given to Family Life Development in place of Family Planning. As a result the demographic characteristics of the population must be studied in relation to their impact on health and the quality of life, and programs developed in answer to these needs. This Government interprets Family Planning as much more than reduction of the birthrate. It accepts as its concept a program which includes Family and Family Life Development. The concept fundamentally includes programs for raising the quality of life and social well-being. The basic tenet to be stressed is the return to a greater sense of respect for womanhood and a greater responsibility for men and women in terms of their interpersonal relationships and ultimately the total development of the individual and family in society. The Government sees family life development as the main stay and principal fabric of the society and its heritage. However it accepts that in the short term both traditional and improved procedures of family planning will have to be followed until the message of family life development can bring about the desired results. Further, the Government now firmly intends to develop policies in population planning and to cause the Ministry of Health in conjunction with other Ministries and organizations to develop and introduce new policies in family planning and family life development which will be consonant with the high standard of life and lifestyle now being enjoyed by Barbadians."

Americas↗

PubMed1994

Towards a higher priority for health on the development agenda.

Over the last few years major international agencies (particularly the World Health Organisation and the World Bank) have increasingly recognised that investing in health is crucial for development. Development policies have the potential to enhance or impede progress in achieving Health for All. At the macro-economic level it is broadly recognised that the state of the economy of a country has a strong influence on its health level. The growing number of the population below the poverty line in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to have a substantial impact on health in the future. Further, structural adjustment programmes' impact on health has yet to be adequately evaluated. Rapid population growth in sub-Saharan Africa needs to be innovatively addressed as a matter of extreme urgency. The education of women is strongly related to child survival. Over the next few years the prospects for global disarmament are increasing. Options for using both the technology, financial savings, and personnel for improving health need to be investigated. A broader range of policy options for health needs to be considered by governments. A greater focus on information, education, and communication for health is needed that draws upon both the private and the public sector; greater use of regulation and legislation as solid policy instruments, for example, for pollution control, and banning tobacco and alcohol advertising, is required. Financial strategies using a combination of taxes and subsidies have not been adequately used in developing countries. The previous emphasis on urban-based expensive hospitals has proved to be inappropriate, resulting in severe inefficiency and inequity in the health systems of developing countries. Greater attention must be given to funding those areas with a high potential for positive externalities and that yield public goods. The final policy instrument involves using research to extend the options for intervention choice.

Africa South of the Sahara↗

PubMed2000

Pharmaceutical sector in transition--a cross sectional study in Vietnam.

Increasing efforts are being made to improve pharmaceutical sector performance in low- and middle-income countries. An essential tool for such work is an objective and standard method of assessment which can be used to promote evidenced based National Drug Policy development and implementation. The average drug expenditure per capita has steadily increased in Vietnam and at the time of this study a National Drug Policy was being developed. This study assessed the Vietnamese pharmaceutical sector 1991-1994, focusing on the standard of the drug quality control system, availability of drugs and rational use of essential drugs in the private and public sectors by means of standardised indicators. The results from this study show that the quality control system is impaired and does not have capacity to quality control all drugs on the market. The availability of essential drugs is good whereas essential drugs are poorly prescribed, injections common and there is a high average number of drugs per prescription, both in the public and private sectors. Violations are common and enforcement of regulations weak. On top of this there is an active commercial advertising and marketing of drugs. These findings identify priorities for action to improve the present situation where the development and implementation of the Vietnamese National Drug Policy will be of major importance.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗

PubMed2005

Dispelling the disability stereotype: embracing a universalistic perspective of disablement.

BACKGROUND: The notion of universalism was introduced to me during my first year of PhD studies in Rehabilitation Science. During a class discussion, we debated the merits of two theoretical perspectives that offered contradicting views as to the most effective means to facilitating a shift in societal perceptions of disability. As exemplified by the World Health Organization's current model of health, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), there has been a shift from a minority group analysis towards a universalistic perspective of disablement. PURPOSE: This paper introduces readers to the underlying concepts of both minority group analysis and universalism and, in doing so, proposes that universalism is closely aligned with the underlying constructs of occupational therapy. Universalism provides a comprehensive framework that can be utilized by occupational therapists to encourage the development of health and social-related policies that promote inclusiveness, yet still the respect the differences that exist among individuals. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS By improving their familiarity with such theories, occupational therapists may be better positioned to contribute to policy development within their respective treatment and/or community settings.

Persons with Disabilities↗

PubMed2003

Developing integrated CAM services in Primary Care Organisations.

OBJECTIVES: To explore policy development and the provision of integrated NHS CAM therapy services following the reorganisation of UK primary care services in 1999. DESIGN: Structured survey interviews with Chairpersons in a stratified random sample of 72 Primary Care Organisations (PCOs) in England in 1999 and 2000; semi-structured telephone interviews with purposive samples of (i) providers of primary care CAM services (mostly General Practitioners), and (ii) Commissioners of primary care services in two purposive sub-samples of PCOs involved in positive policy formation in relation to CAM. RESULTS: By the end of 2000, it is estimated that 85% of PCOs in England (95% CI 78-91%) had discussed CAM at board level, and 37% (95% CI 26-48%) had at least one CAM policy in place. The dominant strategy that emerged was a policy of "provide and review", particularly in practices that had managed their own budgets under the previous fundholding system. We found that a small number of PCOs were developing area-wide services. Positive influences or "drivers" for CAM policy formation were identified as: existing services, local enthusiasm and expertise, patient demand, a willingness to consider the wider evidence-base for CAM, and a perception that complementary therapies could help the PCOs to meet national NHS targets. Negative influences included: the cost of ensuring equitable access to services, a perception that CAM lacks the credibility required for public funding, the need to prioritize services and the need to direct funding towards meeting national and local health objectives. CONCLUSIONS: Opportunities for development of integrated NHS services are most likely to occur where CAM provision is seen as a potential solution to an NHS problem. Locality-based, integrated CAM services that are responsive to NHS priorities may offer a model for the future development of CAMs in primary care.

Complementary Therapies↗

PubMed1990

The farm family perception of occupational health: a multistate survey of knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and ideas.

It is vitally important to integrate the views and concerns of the farm family into the process of policy development. If the input is not there, policy planners could implement programs that are philosophically separated from the farm families' concerns and attitudes. This would destroy credibility and future farmer support of any new program development. From May of 1988 to April of 1989, a phone and mail survey of approximately 1,500 farmers and spouses was conducted to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding agricultural safety and health. The survey was conducted in Iowa, New York, South Carolina, and Washington state. Preliminary results from Iowa and New York indicated that: 1) farmers value highly, and are concerned with, occupational health and safety issues; 2) farmers report that their major concerns include stress, trauma and respiratory problems; 3) farmers would like access to an occupational health and safety service; and 4) any new farm health and safety programs must include farmer input to ensure practicality, applicability, and acceptance.

Agriculture↗

PubMed1991

AIDS in the workplace: implications for hospice programs.

AIDS presents health care providers with complex medical management issues as well as the need to confront their own fears and prejudices. Hospice programs provide specialized care to persons who are in the final stages of the disease. As the epidemic grows, they increasingly also must respond to HIV-infected staff. A comprehensive workplace program prepares the hospice provider for these challenges and ensures an appropriate response. The four essential elements of such a program are policy development, staff education, supervisory training, and compliance monitoring. Policies to consider include infection control, occupational exposure, confidentiality, and the response to HIV-infected patients and employees. Comprehensive education ensures quality care for AIDS patients. Particularly crucial is the education of managers and supervisors. After policy implementation and training, procedures must be instituted to monitor compliance and develop corrective action. A bibliography of additional resource materials is provided.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2002

The commercialization of human stem cells: ethical and policy issues.

The first stage of the human embryonic stem (ES) cell research debate revolved around fundamental questions, such as whether the research should be done at all, what types of research may be done, who should do the research, and how the research should be funded. Now that some of these questions are being answered, we are beginning to see the next stage of the debate: the battle for property rights relating to human ES cells. The reason why property rights will be a key issue in this debate is simple and easy to understand: it costs a great deal of money to do this research, to develop new products, and to implement therapies; and private companies, researchers, and health professionals require returns on investments and reimbursements for goods and services. This paper considers arguments for and against property rights relating to ES cells defends the following points: (1) It should be legal to buy and sell ES cells and products. (2) It should be legal to patent ES cells, products, and related technologies. (3) It should not be legal to buy, sell, or patent human embryos. (4) Patents on ES cells, products, and related technologies should not be excessively broad. (5) Patents on ES cells, products, and related technologies should be granted only when applicants state definite, plausible uses for their inventions. (6) There should be a research exemption in ES cell patenting to allow academic scientists to conduct research in regenerative medicine. (7) It may be appropriate to take steps to prevent companies from using patents in ES cells, products, and related technologies only to block competitors. (8) As the field of regenerative medicine continues to develop, societies should revisit issues relating to property rights on a continuing basis in order to develop policies and develop regulations to maximize the social, medical, economic, and scientific benefits of ES cell research and product development.

Biotechnology↗

PubMed2002

Health care transition: destinations unknown.

The movement of young adults with special health care needs from pediatric-oriented care to adult-oriented care has been a growing concern in the health care literature over the past 20 years. This article reviews the development and evaluation of health care transition policy over that period of time. These health care transition policies are discussed in light of the preliminary results from a qualitative study of the experience of health care transition. This article concludes with suggestions regarding future policy development and research efforts around health care transition.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Development of behaviorally-based policy guidelines for the promotion of exercise.

We describe the results of a project to develop policy guidelines to promote increased levels of participation in regular physical activity in Australia. Theories of behavior change, and research findings concerning factors influencing the adoption and maintenance of exercising, were used as an information base for policy development. This information was presented and organized in the form of eleven behaviorally-based principles designed to be of use to practitioners, administrators and policy makers. Nine policy recommendations were developed from these principles, and from the contributions of people with practical administrative and political expertise in the field. Specific, focused campaigns, the provision of pleasant and convenient facilities, and an awareness of the process of behavior change and of the limitations imposed by environmental and social factors were emphases of the final recommendations. These may have relevance for similar work in North America and other developed countries. Some comments on the process involved in moving from an interpretation of behavior-change theories and basic research to the development of usable recommendations are offered. The project illustrates an approach to using a behavioral-science knowledge base for the development of public health principles and policies which have the potential to be of practical use.

Australia↗

PubMed1999

Contraceptive introduction reconsidered: a new methodology for policy and program development.

Although new contraceptive technology has the potential for providing women with expanded options for fertility control, the historical record of international family planning shows that, in practice, introduction of new methods has not always broadened reproductive choice. Using the example of introduction of intrauterine devices into the Indian family planning program in the 1960s, we show that an exclusive focus on the technology itself is problematic and argue that methodologies are needed that relate introduction of new methods to user needs and program capacities. We summarize key findings from the Indonesian experience with Norplant introduction. Although an effort was made to address problems with previous approaches, major deficiencies in both the technical and interpersonal dimensions of care arose when the implants were made broadly available within the program. We subsequently present a methodology for contraceptive introduction developed by the World Health Organization. This methodology emphasizes the social and institutional context in which technology is used and suggests a participatory and research-based approach to program and policy development. We illustrate results from this new approach in its implementation in Vietnam and suggest areas for further evaluation.

Contraception↗