Diffusion of e-health innovations in 'post-conflict' settings: a qualitative study on the personal experiences of health workers.

BACKGROUND: Technological innovations have the potential to strengthen human resources for health and improve access and quality of care in challenging 'post-conflict' contexts. However, analyses on the adoption of technology for health (that is, 'e-health') and whether and how e-health can strengthen a health workforce in these settings have been limited so far. This study explores the personal experiences of health workers using e-health innovations in selected post-conflict situations. METHODS: This study had a cross-sectional qualitative design. Telephone interviews were conducted with 12 health workers, from a variety of cadres and stages in their careers, from four post-conflict settings (Liberia, West Bank and Gaza, Sierra Leone and Somaliland) in 2012. Everett Roger's diffusion of innovation-decision model (that is, knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, contemplation) guided the thematic analysis. RESULTS: All health workers interviewed held positive perceptions of e-health, related to their beliefs that e-health can help them to access information and communicate with other health workers. However, understanding of the scope of e-health was generally limited, and often based on innovations that health workers have been introduced through by their international partners. Health workers reported a range of engagement with e-health innovations, mostly for communication (for example, email) and educational purposes (for example, online learning platforms). Poor, unreliable and unaffordable Internet was a commonly mentioned barrier to e-health use. Scaling-up existing e-health partnerships and innovations were suggested starting points to increase e-health innovation dissemination. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study showed ICT based e-health innovations can relieve information and communication needs of health workers in post-conflict settings. However, more efforts and investments, preferably driven by healthcare workers within the post-conflict context, are needed to make e-health more widespread and sustainable. Increased awareness is necessary among health professionals, even among current e-health users, and physical and financial access barriers need to be addressed. Future e-health initiatives are likely to increase their impact if based on perceived health information needs of intended users

Support for UNRWA's survival

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides life-saving humanitarian aid for 5·4 million Palestine refugees now entering their eighth decade of statelessness and conflict. About a third of Palestine refugees still live in 58 recognised camps. UNRWA operates 702 schools and 144 health centres, some of which are affected by the ongoing humanitarian disasters in Syria and the Gaza Strip. It has dramatically reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, mortality, and illiteracy. Its social services include rebuilding infrastructure and homes that have been destroyed by conflict and providing cash assistance and micro-finance loans for Palestinians whose rights are curtailed and who are denied the right of return to their homeland

A narrative review of health research capacity strengthening in low and middle-income countries: lessons for conflict-affected areas

Abstract Conducting health research in conflict-affected areas and other complex environments is difficult, yet vital. However, the capacity to undertake such research is often limited and with little translation into practice, particularly in poorer countries. There is therefore a need to strengthen health research capacity in conflict-affected countries and regions. In this narrative review, we draw together evidence from low and middle-income countries to highlight challenges to research capacity strengthening in conflict, as well as examples of good practice. We find that authorship trends in health research indicate global imbalances in research capacity, with implications for the type and priorities of research produced, equity within epistemic communities and the development of sustainable research capacity in low and middle-income countries. Yet, there is little evidence on what constitutes effective health research capacity strengthening in conflict-affected areas. There is more evidence on health research capacity strengthening in general, from which several key enablers emerge: adequate and sustained financing; effective stewardship and equitable research partnerships; mentorship of researchers of all levels; and effective linkages of research to policy and practice. Strengthening health research capacity in conflict-affected areas needs to occur at multiple levels to ensure sustainability and equity. Capacity strengthening interventions need to take into consideration the dynamics of conflict, power dynamics within research collaborations, the potential impact of technology, and the wider political environment in which they take place

Ecdysteroid mediated uptake and secretion of larval haemolymph proteins by the male accessory reproductive glands of Chilo partellus

The in vitro uptake and fate of biosynthetically labelled haemolymph proteins in the male accessory reproductive gland secretion has been investigated. 20-Hydroxyecdysone stimulates the uptake and secretion of larval haemolymph proteins while juvenile hormone I inhibits the same. Fluorographic results show that the proteins are sequestered and secreted in the intact form. This process of sequestration and secretion is also confirmed by autoradiography and immunohistochemistry in the accessory glands from 5 to 6-day-old pupae and 8-10-h-old adults

Progesterone receptor function is required for mammary ductal side-branching and alveologenesis

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Progesterone receptors - animal models and cell signaling in breast cancer: Progesterone's role in mammary gland development and tumorigenesis as disclosed by experimental mouse genetics"</p><p>Breast Cancer Research 2002;4(5):191-196.</p><p>Published online 5 Jul 2002</p><p>PMCID:PMC138743.</p><p>Copyright © 2002 BioMed Central Ltd</p> The salient postnatal stages of mammary gland development. Whole mounts of transplanted progesterone receptor knockout (PRKO) mammary glands and wild-type mammary glands taken from a nulliparous host, and transplanted PRKO mammary glands and wild-type mammary glands taken from a parous host. Scale bar in (b) denotes 500 m and applies to all whole mounts. Adapted from Lydon . []