Field Research
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Field research Papers, abstracts, posters from cooperation activities in Africa 2015 Photo: © Nicola Berti © Nicola Photo: Doctors with Africa CUAMM Doctors with Africa CUAMM is the largest Italian organization involved in promotion and protection of health in Africa. A long arduous, daily journey alongside the poorest of the poor, living on the fringes and unseen by most eyes. Since 1950, when it was founded under the name of CUAMM (University College for Aspiring Missionaries and Mission- ary Doctors), Doctors with Africa CUAMM conducts long-term projects, from a develop- ment and cooperation perspective, to ensure improved access to health services for all. In more than 60 years of history: 1,569 people have departed to work on projects: 422 of these departed on more than one occasion 1,053 students have been accommodated at the college; 163 key programmes have been carried out in cooperation with the Italian Foreign Ministry and various international agencies; 217 hospitals have been served; 41 countries have benefited from intervention; 5 , 0 2 1 years of service have been provided, with an average of 3 years per expatriated person Doctors with Africa Cuamm is currently operating in Angola, Etiopia, Mozambico, Sierra Leone, Sud Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda through: • 42 key cooperation projects and aroundone hundred micro support actions, trhough which the organization supports: - 16 hospitals - 34 districts (for public health activities, mother-child care, fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, training); - 3 nursing schools; - 2 universities (in Mozambique and Ethiopia). • 180 international professionals: - Doctors - Health workers - Nursing schools - Admin workers - 7 logisticians Doctors with Africa CUAMM has long been active in Europe as well, carrying out projects to raise awareness and educate people on the issues of international health cooperation and equity. In particular, CUAMM works with universities, institutions and other NGOs to bring about a society that understands the value of health as both a fundamental human right and an essential component for human development. Field research Papers, abstracts, posters from cooperation activities in Africa 2015 Doctors with Africa CUAMM via San Francesco, 126 - 35121 Padova - tel 049 8751279 www.mediciconlafrica.org [email protected] c/c postale 17101353 Design by Publistampa Arti Grafiche Photography Nicola Berti Drafting Chiara Di Benedetto Giovanni Putoto Valentina Isidoris Padova, February 2016 “Field research is part of a larger research that aims to define new models and measures of cooperation” Prof. Anacleto Dal Lago, Doctors with Africa Cuamm December 14, 1984 Preface 2015 was a forward-looking year – the year in which the international community laid out clear plans for the future, celebrating a new global Agenda for Sustainable Develop- ment that includes a set of goals and specific targets to be achieved by 2030. Some of these goals (known as the SDGs) are well-aligned with the work done by Doctors with Africa CUAMM for years now, for example “zero hunger” (SDG 2) and “good health and well-being” (SDG 3). 2015 was also the year in which we, Doctors with Africa CUAMM, undertook a thorough analysis of our own activities with the help of outside experts, and developed a strategic plan for the future. Based on our resolve to continue tackling poverty and strengthening fragile health care systems, the plan lays out the geographic and thematic priorities that will keep us busy in the African region in upcoming years: over the medium- to long-term, CUAMM will continue to support communities and individuals living in conditions of ex- treme poverty and vulnerability in the weakest states, in cross-border regions, in remote rural areas and in urban slums. In other words, we will continue to travel down the path we have been on since 1950, when CUAMM’s commitment to Africa first began, carrying out activities to improve maternal and child health, to combat the worst infectious disease epidemics, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as chronic diseases, and to prevent and treat injuries and acute and chronic malnutrition. But we also plan to invest increasingly in innovation and operational research, because we know how essential they can be for international health cooperation. Specifically, we intend to use new technologies and innovations to help overhaul health care processes, without ever losing sight of our foremost goal: to support the poorest and most vulnerable. Using the qualitative and quantitative tools provided by operational re- search, we will undertake rigorous evaluations of these innovations as well as of the out- comes of our projects. And we will continue to work in partnership with others, as part of networks that include young researchers, public and private entities, and international and African research centers. Finally, 2015 was also a year of research and innovation for CUAMM, a year in which we generated a rich scientific output that we are pleased to share with you here. Indeed, we produced 11 articles for publication in scientific journals, 11 oral presentations for scientific congresses and 17 posters for conferences in Africa, Europe and Asia, all dealing with the topics most vital to us. This allowed us to share our findings, data and methodologies with the broader scientific community and with other institutions and organizations active in the field; it also helped us to evaluate our own work and to gain further insight into the kinds of projects to undertake in coming years – projects whose concrete findings we can then leverage to influence international policy. Don Dante Carraro Director, Doctors with Africa CUAMM Operational research in 2015: continuity, innovation and thematic focus How to consult this volume in the most fruitful way Conducting research is nothing new for Doctors with Africa CUAMM; this is the third collection of research that we have published since 20131, driven by the wish to share our ex- periences, methodologies and findings. But CUAMM embraced research as an integral part of its work long before then, seeing it as an essential component for developing high-quality projects and assessing their effectiveness. Indeed, we have studies that were done as far back as the 1950s, when CUAMM’s first doctors set out not only for Africa but also Asia, Oceania and Latin America. These “pioneers” often corresponded with Francesco Canova, our organization’s founder, who always applauded and encouraged their research efforts. 2015 was an especially busy year for CUAMM. For the first time, we have included in this volume not only articles published in international scientific journals, but also abstracts for oral presentations given at conferences and posters displayed in high-level scientific set- tings. We presented our work both in more traditional European venues and in new hubs for the exchange of ideas and experiences, such as workshops and congresses in Africa and In- dia. Overall, the volume is comprised of 39 pieces produced by Doctors with Africa CUAMM in 2015, concrete evidence of the marked upswing in our scientific output in recent years. The research topics make clear the strategic priorities of Doctors with Africa CUAMM. More than half of the studies focus on maternal and child health, covering subjects that range from the management of obstetric emergencies to solutions to one of the most com- mon gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa, namely the need for transport systems able to “refer” patients to the most suitable health centers. There is work on infectious diseases –Ebola , of course, but also HIV and tuberculosis – as well as nutrition, with a study on child malnu- trition. Other topics include equity and universal health coverage, with pieces focused on training and on incentives to encourage the use of health services. Our focus on the five thematic areas included inthe 2016-2030 strategic plan recent- ly approved by Doctors with Africa CUAMM – maternal and child health; nutrition; univer- sal health coverage, financial protection and equity; chronic diseases; and infectious and neglected diseases – will vary this year in terms of our work on the ground. This is not, of course, because we intend to “overlook” any of them, but rather to take a new integrated approach, following the guidelines laid out in the plan and gradually broadening our work in upcoming years to cover new thematic areas and build bridges among all the areas we work on. For example, nutrition will become a key component in our work to improve fetal and neonatal health, and we will study non-transmissible chronic diseases such as diabetes with a special focus on cases of co-morbidity with infectious diseases such as HIV. Thus our work will slowly branch out into new areas, with the valuable findings ofoperational research there to bolster it. In conclusion, a few technical notes: this volume is divided into thematic sections based on the five areas mentioned above. Each section includes a selection of journal articles, conference abstracts and posters, each of which indicates the respective country of focus. However, there is also a geographical index at the back of the book for readers who wish to take a country-based approach. Finally, since all of the contributions were presented in international venues, the original texts are in English or, in some cases, Portuguese, but we have provided a brief summary in Italian at the beginning of each. 1 Field research. Articles, posters and scientific abstracts from CUAMM’s international health care cooperation activ- ities, 2003-2013, Doctors with Africa CUAMM and Operational research in the field. Articles, posters and scientific abstracts from CUAMM’s health care cooperation activities in Africa, 2014, Doctors with Africa CUAMM. Operational research areas: a map medical education reproductive health global health determinants of health ebola children and maternal health referral system emergency obstetric care TB hospitals hiv lab medicine safe motherhood Index MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH PAPERS 1..................................................................................................................................................................................