Does ratification of human-rights treaties have effects on population health?

Human-rights treaties indicate a country's commitment to human rights. Here, we assess whether ratification of human-rights treaties is associated with improved health and social indicators. Data for health (including HIV prevalence, and maternal, infant, and child [<5 years] mortalities) and social indicators (child labour, human development index, sex gap, and corruption index), gathered from 170 countries, showed no consistent associations between ratification of human-rights treaties and health or social outcomes. Established market economy states had consistently improved health compared with less wealthy settings, but this was not associated with treaty ratification. The status of treaty ratification alone is not a good indicator of the realisation of the right to health. We suggest the need for stringent requirements for ratification of treaties, improved accountability mechanisms to monitor compliance of states with treaty obligations, and financial assistance to support the realisation of the right to health

Understanding Engagement and the Potential Impact of an Electronic Drug Repository: Multi-Methods Study

BackgroundCentralized drug repositories can reduce adverse events and inappropriate prescriptions by enabling access to dispensed medication data at the point of care; however, how they achieve this goal is largely unknown. ObjectiveThis study aims to understand the perceived clinical value; the barriers to and enablers of adoption; and the clinician groups for which a provincial, centralized drug repository may provide the most benefit. MethodsA mixed methods approach, including a web-based survey and semistructured interviews, was used. Participants were clinicians (eg, nurses, physicians, and pharmacists) in Ontario who were eligible to use the digital health drug repository (DHDR), irrespective of actual use. Survey data were ranked on a 7-point adjectival scale and analyzed using descriptive statistics, and interviews were analyzed using qualitative descriptions. ResultsOf the 161 survey respondents, only 40 (24.8%) actively used the DHDR. Perceptions of the utility of the DHDR were neutral (mean scores ranged from 4.11 to 4.76). Of the 75.2% (121/161) who did not use the DHDR, 97.5% (118/121) rated access to medication information (eg, dose, strength, and frequency) as important. Reasons for not using the DHDR included the cumbersome access process and the perception that available data were incomplete or inaccurate. Of the 33 interviews completed, 26 (79%) were active DHDR users. The DHDR was a satisfactory source of secondary information; however, the absence of medication instructions and prescribed medications (which were not dispensed) limited its ability to provide a comprehensive profile to meaningfully support clinical decision-making. ConclusionsDigital drug repositories must be adjusted to align with the clinician’s needs to provide value. Ensuring integration with point-of-care systems, comprehensive clinical data, and streamlined onboarding processes would optimize clinically meaningful use. The electronic provision of accessible drug information to providers across health care settings has the potential to improve efficiency and reduce medication errors