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Health research capacity building is essential to the success and sustainability of research programmes. This article describes the development and use of a tool for determining whether the required infrastructure is present in a given setting, and for designing and evaluating capacity-building programmes in health research. It provides an analysis of published models and effective capacity-building principles, together with structured reflection and action by stakeholders at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana

This is a report on a technical consultation on treatment education held in Paris November 22-23, 2005, which aimed to assess the current state of HIV treatment literacy and community preparedness, identify needs and recommend strategies for the future. The effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and medical care relies on timely HIV testing and treatment adherence. Treatment education interventions addressing issues of stigma and complacency, have been shown to contribute to a wider uptake of testing services and to improve adherence to ART. The report calls for an integrated and synergetic collaboration between all stakeholders, including people with HIV, and for the adoption of a participatory, person-centred approach. It also acknowledges that while there is a wealth of initiatives aimed at improving community preparedness, there is also a need to scale up programmes that have shown to work. The report concludes with a number of key recommendations for future activities. Those include: providing support to partnership and inter-sectoral collaborations; integrating treatment education across HIV education programmes and health systems; differentiating and customising approaches according to settings and audiences; involving affected communities and individuals; monitoring and evaluating treatment education initiatives

This is a report on some of the findings of a global survey on eHealth carried out by the Global Observatory for eHealth (GOe), concerning the needs for eHealth tools and services. The survey found that WHO Member States would welcome an active involvement of WHO in the development of generic eHealth tools, while particularly non-OECD members would benefit form guidance on eHealth issues. It also found that needs vary even among OECD countries, and that existing eHealth tools and services should be better known. The report recommends that WHO should actively intervene in the provision of generic tools (eg, drug registries, patient record systems, health professional directories), facilitate access to existing tools, promote knowledge exchange, provide eHealth information and promote eLearning programmes

This workplan focuses on how advocacy, communication and social mobilitation can contribute to TB control policies and programmes. In particular, it aims to: provide guidance to national initiatives designed to implement the Global Plan TB 2006-2025; foster advocacy, communication and social mobilization capacity (ACSM); and encourage behavioural and social changes, tailored to specific local context, that will result in increased TB case detection and cure rates. A successful strategy will need to: develop national and sub-national ACSM capacity; build inclusion of patients and communities affected; ensure political commitment and accountability; build country-level ACSM partnerships; learn and build on good ACSM practices. This is key tool for policy makers, at national and local level, health authorities and organisations working with TB and health communication

Information is an integral part of healthcare: the need for patients to give informed consent is the basis of all care and treatment. For patients to be able to make informed choices they need information that is reliable, comparative and adapted to users, and that is not linked to advertising and drug promotion