TY - JOUR
T1 - Visualizing the drivers of an effective health workforce
T2 - a detailed, interactive logic model
AU - Sonderegger, Serena
AU - Bennett, Sara
AU - Sriram, Veena
AU - Lalani, Ummekulsoom
AU - Hariyani, Shreya
AU - Roberton, Timothy
N1 - Funding Information:
Initial financial support for the development of this model was provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation via a grant to the University of Manitoba and a sub-award to the Johns Hopkins University (Grant ID# OPP1161434). The funding body had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, and manuscript development.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - Background: A strong health workforce is a key building block of a well-functioning health system. To achieve health systems goals, policymakers need information on what works to improve and sustain health workforce performance. Most frameworks on health workforce planning and policymaking are high-level and conceptual, and do not provide a structure for synthesizing the growing body of empirical literature on the effectiveness of strategies to strengthen human resources for health (HRH). Our aim is to create a detailed, interactive logic model to map HRH evidence and inform policy development and decision-making. Methods: We reviewed existing conceptual frameworks and models on health workforce planning and policymaking. We included frameworks that were: (1) visual, (2) comprehensive (not concentrated on specific outcomes or strategies), and (3) designed to support decision-making. We compared and synthesized the frameworks to develop a detailed logic model and interactive evidence visualization tool. Results: Ten frameworks met our inclusion criteria. The resulting logic model, available at hrhvisualizer.org, allows for visualization of high-level linkages as well as a detailed understanding of the factors that affect health workforce outcomes. HRH data and governance systems interact with the context to affect how human resource policies are formulated and implemented. These policies affect HRH processes and strategies that influence health workforce outcomes and contribute to the overarching health systems goals of clinical quality, responsiveness, efficiency, and coverage. Unlike existing conceptual frameworks, this logic model has been operationalized in a highly visual, interactive platform that can be used to map the research informing policies and illuminating their underlying mechanisms. Conclusions: The interactive logic model presented in this paper will allow for comprehensive mapping of literature around effective strategies to strengthen HRH. It can aid researchers in communicating with policymakers about the evidence behind policy questions, thus supporting the translation of evidence to policy.
AB - Background: A strong health workforce is a key building block of a well-functioning health system. To achieve health systems goals, policymakers need information on what works to improve and sustain health workforce performance. Most frameworks on health workforce planning and policymaking are high-level and conceptual, and do not provide a structure for synthesizing the growing body of empirical literature on the effectiveness of strategies to strengthen human resources for health (HRH). Our aim is to create a detailed, interactive logic model to map HRH evidence and inform policy development and decision-making. Methods: We reviewed existing conceptual frameworks and models on health workforce planning and policymaking. We included frameworks that were: (1) visual, (2) comprehensive (not concentrated on specific outcomes or strategies), and (3) designed to support decision-making. We compared and synthesized the frameworks to develop a detailed logic model and interactive evidence visualization tool. Results: Ten frameworks met our inclusion criteria. The resulting logic model, available at hrhvisualizer.org, allows for visualization of high-level linkages as well as a detailed understanding of the factors that affect health workforce outcomes. HRH data and governance systems interact with the context to affect how human resource policies are formulated and implemented. These policies affect HRH processes and strategies that influence health workforce outcomes and contribute to the overarching health systems goals of clinical quality, responsiveness, efficiency, and coverage. Unlike existing conceptual frameworks, this logic model has been operationalized in a highly visual, interactive platform that can be used to map the research informing policies and illuminating their underlying mechanisms. Conclusions: The interactive logic model presented in this paper will allow for comprehensive mapping of literature around effective strategies to strengthen HRH. It can aid researchers in communicating with policymakers about the evidence behind policy questions, thus supporting the translation of evidence to policy.
KW - Evidence-to-policy
KW - Framework
KW - Governance
KW - Health policy
KW - Health services administration and management
KW - Health workforce
KW - Human resources for health
KW - Logic model
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U2 - 10.1186/s12960-021-00570-7
DO - 10.1186/s12960-021-00570-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 33706778
AN - SCOPUS:85102426070
SN - 1478-4491
VL - 19
JO - Human resources for health
JF - Human resources for health
IS - 1
M1 - 32
ER -