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WHO disability-inclusive health services training package: a companion to the Disability-inclusive health services toolkit. A resource for health facilities in the Western Pacific Region

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) WESTERN PACIFIC
June 2023

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The WHO Disability-Inclusive Health Services Training Package is a companion to the “WHO Disability-Inclusive Health Services Toolkit: A resource for health facilities in the Western Pacific Region” published by WHO in 2020. This package offers a range of additional training materials including presentations, workbooks and videos that will allow users to develop the foundational skills and understanding of the Toolkit for its implementation. Together the Toolkit and Training Package will help ensure equitable access to health services, best-quality outcomes and improved quality of life for all people with disabilities to achieve universal health coverage.

Preventing lifelong impairment: Access to clubfoot treatment in low and middle income countries

CLINTON HEALTH ACCESS INITIATIVE (CHAI)
July 2021

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Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV), commonly known as clubfoot is one of the most common congenital conditions, affecting 1 in 800 births. Left untreated, it can lead to life-long impairment, impacting participation in society, education, and employment. Most children with clubfoot can be successfully treated with the Ponseti method, a low-cost, cost-effective, and minimally invasive treatment protocol. Despite progress, less than 1 in 5 children born with clubfoot in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) currently receive treatment

Clubfoot services require coordination and leadership between different departments within health ministries. Both are often missing

 

Provisional guidance on the recovery and rehabilitation for patients following the pandemic

WALDMANN, Carl
MEYER, Joel
SLACK, Andy
May 2020

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There has been much work related to the evolution of recovery pathways following critical illness. COVID-19 presents a real opportunity to ensure full implementation of existing hospital and community based rehabilitation services for people recovering from critical illness, and to identify areas requiring further development in the post-COVID-19 era. The Life After Critical Illness (LACI) work stream of the Faculty (of Intensive Care Medicine, UK) was halfway to being delivered when the pandemic struck. This position statement and provisional guidance has been produced to support the pandemic and provide a national framework for future Critical Illness Recovery Services.

Delivering trauma and rehabilitation interventions to women and children in conflict settings: a systematic review

JAIN, Reena P
METEKE, Sarah
GAFFEY, Michelle F
et al
May 2020

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In recent years, more than 120 million people each year have needed urgent humanitarian assistance and protection. Armed conflict has profoundly negative consequences in communities. Destruction of civilian infrastructure impacts access to basic health services and complicates widespread emergency responses. The number of conflicts occurring is increasing, lasting longer and affecting more people today than a decade ago. The number of children living in conflict zones has been steadily increasing since the year 2000, increasing the need for health services and resources. This review systematically synthesised the indexed and grey literature reporting on the delivery of trauma and rehabilitation interventions for conflict-affected populations.

A systematic search of literature published from 1 January 1990 to 31 March 2018 was conducted across several databases. Eligible publications reported on women and children in low and middle-income countries. Included publications provided information on the delivery of interventions for trauma, sustained injuries or rehabilitation in conflict-affected populations. A total of 81 publications met the inclusion criteria, and were included in the review.

 

BMJ Global Health 2020;5:e001980

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001980

How to Cope With Being Short Of Breath

April 2020

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People with lung problems often feel short of breath. Many daily tasks can make you breathless, such as walking, getting dressed or doing jobs around the house. Being breathless can make you panic or feel frightened. When you learn how to control your breathing these feelings will not trouble you as much and you will be able to do more. When you are breathless, do not panic. Your breathing will settle.
 

Optimising the performance of frontline implementers engaged in the NTD programme in Nigeria: lessons for strengthening community health systems for universal health coverage

OLUWULE, A
et al
November 2019

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This research article focuses on optimising the performance of frontline implementers engaged with NTD programme delivery in Nigeria. Three broad themes are examined: technical support, social support and incentives

Qualitative data was collected through participatory stakeholder workshops. Eighteen problem-focused workshops and 20 solution-focussed workshops were held  in 12 selected local government areas (LGA) across two states in Nigeria, Ogun and Kaduna States

 

Human Resources for Health, 2019 Nov 1;17(1):79

doi: 10.1186/s12960-019-0419-8

Sightsavers' approach to making health services inclusive for everyone

Sightsavers
April 2019

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Sightsavers has produced a new film that sets out our work to make health care services accessible and inclusive for everyone. It focuses on our programmes in Bhopal, India and Nampula, Mozambique. This highlights how we work and share learnings globally, but also shows how programmes can be made locally relevant by working with partners with direct experience.

The film showcases some of the people who work hard to make our inclusive health programmes a success, from Sightsavers experts and government health workers to leaders of disabled people’s organisations.

To find out more our inclusive health work and how we are developing best practice in terms of inclusive health programmes, visit our website: https://www.sightsavers.org/disability/health/

Learning From Experience: Guidelines for locally sourced and cost-effective strategies for hygiene at home for people with high support needs.

World Vision/CBM Australia
May 2018

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This learning resource is the result of a partnership between World Vision Australia and CBM Australia that aims to improve inclusion of people with disabilities in World Vision’s Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) initiatives, including in Sri Lanka. The guidelines are based on experiences and observations from World Vision’s implementation of the Rural Integrated WASH 3 (RIWASH 3) project in Jaffna District, Northern Province, funded by the Australian Government’s Civil Society WASH Fund 2. The four year project commenced in 2014. It aimed to improve the ability of WASH actors to sustain services, increase adoption of improved hygiene practices, and increase equitable use of water and sanitation facilities of target communities within 11 Grama Niladari Divisions (GNDs) in Jaffna District.

To support disability inclusion within the project, World Vision partnered with CBM Australia. CBM Australia has focused on building capacities of partners for disability
inclusion, fostering connections with local Disabled People’s Organisations, and providing technical guidance on disability inclusion within planned activities. World Vision also partnered with the Northern Province Consortium of the Organizations for the Differently Abled (NPCODA) for disability assessment, technical support and capacity building on inclusion of people with disabilities in the project.

HYGIENE AT HOME FOR PEOPLE WITH HIGH SUPPORT NEEDS
This document is one of two developed in the Jaffna District and describes strategies that used to assist households and individuals in hygiene tasks at home. The strategies were designed to be low cost and were developed using locally available materials and skills in the Jaffna District of Sri Lanka.

NOTE: The development of this learning resource was funded by the Australian Government's Civil Society WASH Fund 2.

Where there is no psychiatrist A mental health care manual

PATEL, Vikram
HANLON, Charlotte
March 2018

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This is a practical manual about mental health care, aimed at community health workers, primary care nurses, social workers and primary care doctors, particularly in low resource settings. It describes more than 30 clinical problems associated with mental illness, using a problem-solving approach to guide the reader through their assessment and management. It addresses the lack of understanding of mental health among many health workers. Mental health issues as they arise in specific contexts are described - in refugee camps, in school health programmes, as well as in mental health promotion. The final section helps the reader to personalise for a particular location, for example, by entering local information on voluntary agencies, the names and costs of medicines and words in the local language for symptoms.

 

This product is an update of the first edition 2003. It is also available as Open Access.

Learning from experience: Guidelines for locally sourced and cost-effective strategies to modify existing household toilets and water access

WORLD VISION
CBM Australia
2018

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This learning resource is the result of a partnership between World Vision Australia and CBM Australia that aims to improve inclusion of people with disabilities in World Vision’s Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) initiatives, including in Sri Lanka. The guidelines are based on experiences and observations from World Vision’s implementation of the Rural Integrated WASH 3 (RIWASH 3) project in Jaffna District, Northern Province, funded by the Australian Government’s Civil Society WASH Fund 2. The four year project commenced in 2014. It aimed to improve the ability of WASH actors to sustain services, increase adoption of improved hygiene practices, and increase equitable use of water and sanitation facilities of target communities within 11 Grama Niladari Divisions (GNDs) in Jaffna District.

To support disability inclusion within the project, World Vision partnered with CBM Australia. CBM Australia has focused on building capacities of partners for disability
inclusion, fostering connections with local Disabled People’s Organisations, and providing technical guidance on disability inclusion within planned activities. World Vision also partnered with the Northern Province Consortium of the Organizations for the Differently Abled (NPCODA) for disability assessment, technical support and capacity building on inclusion of people with disabilities in the project.

HOME MODIFICATIONS FOR WASH ACCESS
This document is one of two developed in the Jaffna District and describes the strategies which were used to assist people with disabilities to access toilet and water facilities at their own home. The strategies were designed to be low cost and were developed using locally available materials and skills in the Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. Houses and toilet structures in the region were made of brick and concrete. No new toilets were built and modifications involved only minor work to existing household structures, water points and toilets.

NOTE:
The development of this learning resource was funded by the Australian Government's Civil Society WASH Fund 2.

Strengthening environmental sustainability and inclusion in health and other development programs. Practical guidance for environmental sustainability, accessibility, gender, safeguarding and disaster risk reduction

CBM
2018

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The purpose of this booklet is to promote discussion and innovation for strengthening environmental sustainability and inclusion in health and other development activities. The case studies and checklists are designed to foster creative thinking and the ongoing gathering of evidence related to these topics. The booklet will be useful to anyone seeking high quality outcomes from health and other development programs. The information was first compiled for CBM’s engagement in the General Assembly of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness 2016, however will be useful for advancing sustainable development with inclusion in any context.

The case sutdies are: Environmental Sustainability in Eye Health, Caritas Takeo Eye Hospital (CTEH), Cambodia; and  Strengthening Accessibility and Inclusion in Eye Health. UMC Kissy Eye Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa

Hearing aid systems in low-resource settings (Community Ear & Hearing Health, vol.15, no.19, 2018)

RICARD, Paddy
Ed
2018

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Articles in this issue are:

  • Hearing aid systems in low-resource settings
  • How hearing aids work and how to take care of them
  • The impact of hearing aid use in low and middle-income countries
  • Barriers to the use of hearing aid systems in low-and middle-income countries
  • Beyond devices: what to consider when providing hearing aids in LMICs
  • Improving access to hearing care and hearing rehabilitation in the Philippines
     

Ensuring universal access to eye health in urban slums in the Global South: the case of Bhopal (India).

PREGEL, Andrea
et al
October 2017

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In the context of its Urban Eye Health Programme in Bhopal (India), Sightsavers launched a pilot approach aimed at developing an Inclusive Eye Health (IEH) model and IEH Minimum Standards.

Accessibility audits were conducted in a tertiary eye hospital and four primary vision centres located within urban slums, addressing the accessibility of physical infrastructures, communication and service provision. The collection and analysis of disaggregated data inform the inclusion strategy and provide a baseline to measure the impact of service provision. Trainings of eye health staff and sensitisation of decision makers on accessibility, universal design, disability and gender inclusion are organised on a regular basis.

A referral network is being built to ensure participation of women, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups, explore barriers at demand level, and guarantee wider access to eye care in the community. Finally, advocacy interventions will be developed to raise awareness in the community and mainstream disability and gender inclusion within the public health sector.

Rehabilitation in health systems

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO)
2017

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This document provides evidence-based, expert-informed recommendations and good practice statements to support health systems and stakeholders in strengthening and extending high-quality rehabilitation services so that they can better respond to the needs of populations. The recommendations are intended for government leaders and health policy-makers and are also relevant for sectors such as workforce and training. The recommendations and good practice statements may also be useful for people involved in rehabilitation research, service delivery, financing and assistive products, including professional organisations, academic institutions, civil society and nongovernmental and international organisations. The recommendations focus solely on rehabilitation in the context of health systems. They address the elements of service delivery and financing specifically. The recommendations were developed according to standard WHO procedures, detailed in the WHO handbook for guideline development

Physiotherapy care for adults with paraplegia due to traumatic cause: A review

GUPTA, Nalina
RAJA, Kavitha
2016

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Purpose: This review aimed to identify the practice guidelines/ recommendations for physiotherapy management in acute /post-acute/ chronic/long-term phase of rehabilitation of clients with paraplegia due to traumatic causes.

 

Methods: Of the 120 articles retrieved, 26 met the inclusion criteria. After quality appraisal, 16 articles were included in the study. Data were extracted under the sub-headings: physiotherapy care in acute, chronic and long-term community stage; expected outcomes; effect of physical interventions; morbidities; wheelchair characteristics and standing.

 

Results: There is strong evidence in support of strength and fitness training, and gait training. Parameters of strength training (frequency, duration and intensity) vary. There is lack of evidence on passive movements, stretching, bed mobility, transfers and wheelchair propulsion. Preservation of upper limb functions is an important consideration in caring for clients with paraplegia.

 

Conclusion: Many areas of rehabilitation interventions remain inadequately explored and there is a need for high quality studies on rehabilitation protocols. Client preferences and feasibility are other areas that should be explored.

 

Limitations: The search criteria of articles in the English language or articles translated in English is a reason for this limitation. Articles related to advanced therapeutic interventions such as robot-assisted training, and transcranial electrical and magnetic stimulation were excluded from the study.

Living in hell : how people with mental health conditions in Indonesia are treated

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (HRW)
March 2016

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This report examines the abuses—including pasung—that persons with psychosocial disabilities face in the community, mental hospitals, and various other institutions in Indonesia, including stigma, arbitrary and prolonged detention, involuntary treatment, and physical and sexual violence. It also examines the government’s shortcomings in addressing these problems.

Based on research across the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra, Human Rights Watch documented 175 cases of persons with psychosocial disabilities in pasung or who were recently rescued from pasung. 

 

Living in hell : abuses against people with psychosocial disabilities in Indonesia

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (HRW)
March 2016

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This article with a video is related to a report examining the abuses—including pasung—that persons with psychosocial disabilities face in the community, mental hospitals, and various other institutions in Indonesia, including stigma, arbitrary and prolonged detention, involuntary treatment, and physical and sexual violence. It also examines the government’s shortcomings in addressing these problems.

Based on research across the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra, Human Rights Watch documented 175 cases of persons with psychosocial disabilities in pasung or who were recently rescued from pasung. 

 

Injuries, death, and disability associated with 11 years of conflict in Baghdad, Iraq : a randomized household cluster survey

LAFTA, Riyadh
et al
August 2015

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“The objective of this study was to characterize injuries, deaths, and disabilities arising during 11 years of conflict in Baghdad.” The quantitative study shows the methodology used in the collection of data, the findings discovered through evaluation of the data gathered, and interpretation of how to best use those findings to serve specific populations”

 

 PLOS ONE, 10(8)

The need for a rehabilitation model to address the disparities of public healthcare for people living with HIV in South Africa

CHETTY, Verusia
HANASS-HANCOCK, Jill
June 2015

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This article advocates for the development and implementation of a model of care to guide rehabilitation of people living with HIV in South Africa. The paper begins by presenting the emerging evidence of rehabilitation in the context of HIV, and goes on to identify appropriate steps to develop a model of care based on this that would be applicable to South Africa

African Journal of Disability 4(1), Art. #137

Physiotherapy exercises for people with spinal cord injuries and other neurological conditions

MESSENGER, Peter
2015

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This website allows users to search for exercises appropriate for people with spinal cord injuries and other neurological conditions. Users can select exercises, save exercises into booklets and can access previously created booklets. This website is useful for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other rehabilitation professionals
Note: users must be logged on to the website to save exercises into booklets and to access previously created booklets. Recommend that first time users review first time user information prior to logging on

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