Task shifting in HIV/Aids
Opportunities, challenges and proposed actions for sub-Saharan Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23348247 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rony Zachariah (0000-0002-2915-9328, Médecins Sans Frontières, corresponding author), Nathan Ford (0000-0001-8752-9078, Médecins Sans Frontières), Mit Philips (0000-0002-3211-768X, Médecins Sans Frontières), S Lynch S Lynch, Sonya Lynch (Médecins Sans Frontières), Moses Massaquoi (0000-0001-6732-5422, Médecins Sans Frontières), V Janssens (Médecins Sans Frontières), Anthony Harries (0000-0001-6113-9741, University of London), A D Harries |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 103 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 549-558 |
| Publication date | 2009-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0035-9203 • E-ISSN: 1878-3503 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.trstmh.2008.09.019 |
| PMID | 18992905 |
| OpenAlex | W2154118520 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 69 |
| References cited | 39 |
Sub-Saharan Africa is facing a crisis in human health resources due to a critical shortage of health workers. The shortage is compounded by a high burden of infectious diseases; emigration of trained professionals; difficult working conditions and low motivation. In particular, the burden of HIV/AIDS has led to the concept of task shifting being increasingly promoted as a way of rapidly expanding human resource capacity. This refers to the delegation of medical and health service responsibilities from higher to lower cadres of health staff, in some cases non-professionals. This paper, drawing on Médecins Sans Frontières' experience of scaling-up antiretroviral treatment in three sub-Saharan African countries (Malawi, South Africa and Lesotho) and supplemented by a review of the literature, highlights the main opportunities and challenges posed by task shifting and proposes specific actions to tackle the challenges. The opportunities include: increasing access to life-saving treatment; improving the workforce skills mix and health-system efficiency; enhancing the role of the community; cost advantages and reducing attrition and international 'brain drain'. The challenges include: maintaining quality and safety; addressing professional and institutional resistance; sustaining motivation and performance and preventing deaths of health workers from HIV/AIDS. Task shifting should not undermine the primary objective of improving patient benefits and public health outcomes.
Business · Economic growth · Economics · Human resources · Political science · Public health · Public relations · Workforce · Global Maternal and Child Health · Healthcare Systems and Reforms · HIV/AIDS Impact and Responses · Medicine · Nursing
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Patient satisfaction with task shifting of antiretroviral services in Ethiopia
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| Unique citing works | 69 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4,31 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2025 (16) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 64 |