Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
Early next week Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen from the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH) has been invited to present online at the International Evidence Synthesis Workshop on November 13th in Qatar. His presentation will focus on key aspects of writing up systematic reviews. The workshop is organised by the WHO (World Health Organization) Collaborating Centre for Healthy Ageing and Dementia. 
This week the Nepal Federal Health System Team published its latest paper the international journal Health Research Policy & Systems [1]. This Open Access paper ‘Overcoming the challenges facing Nepal’s health system during federalisation: an analysis of health system building blocks‘ reports on two separate methods: interviews and participatory policy analysis workshops, to offer an in-depth understanding of stakeholders’ practical learning, experiences, and opinions. Participants included policymakers, health service providers, local elected members, and other local stakeholders. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated into English, and analysed thematically using the six WHO (World Health Organization) health system building blocks [2] as its theoretical framework. 
Wasti et al. found that participants noted both opportunities and challenges around each building block. Identified opportunities were: (a) tailored local health policies and plans, (b) improved health governance at the municipality level, (c) improved health infrastructure and service capacity, (d) improved outreach services, (e) increased resources (health budgets, staffing, and supplies), and (f) improved real-time data reporting from health facilities. At the same time, several challenges were identified including: (a) poor coordination between the tiers of government, (b) delayed release of funds, (c) maldistribution of staff, (d) problems over procurement, and (e) limited monitoring and supervision of the quality of service delivery and data reporting.
The paper concludes that since federalisation, Nepal’s health system performance is improving, although much remains to be accomplished. For Nepal to succeed in its federalisation process, understanding the challenges and opportunities is vital to improving each level of the health system in terms of (a) leadership and governance, (b) service delivery, (c) health financing, (d) health workforce, (e) access to essential medicines and technologies and (f) health information system.
This publication is the fourth one originating from our Nepal Federal Health System Project, our major collaborative project examining the consequences for the health system of Nepal’s move to a federal government structure [2-5]. This is a joint project (2020-2024) led by the University of Sheffield and in collaboration with Bournemouth University, the University of Huddersfield, Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) and PHASE Nepal. This longitudinal interdisciplinary study is funded by the UK Health Systems Research Initiative [Grant ref. MR/T023554/1].
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)
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On Friday 26th May Dr. Sheetal Sharma (BU PhD awarded in 2017) was invited to speak at a Strategic Round Table “A safer and healthier tomorrow by restoring essential immunization today”, at the UN (United Nations) Palais during the 2023 World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switserland. The round table included the Director General of WHO (World Health Organization), the Head of Immunization of WHO & the CEO of GAVI Vaccine Alliance with ministers of health of Nepal, Moldova, Somalia, and other health representatives from Ghana and Canada. Sheetal said it was a great opportunity to share solutions to health and immunization equity as health services recover from the pandemic.
Sheetal’s PhD thesis Measuring what Works: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Women’s Groups on Maternal Health was supervised by Professors Vanora Hundley and Edwin van Teijlingen, Associate Professor Catherine Angell, BU Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada and Dr Elisa Sicuri from the ISGlobal Foundation based in Barcelona, Spain.
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery & Women Health
The THET (Tropical Health & Education Trust)-funded project ‘Mental Health Training for Rural Community-based Maternity Care Workers in Nepal‘ [1], led by Bournemouth University, has been showcased on the webpages of Public Health England (PHE). 
PHE hosts the WHO (World Health Organization) Collaborating Centre for Public Health Nursing and Midwifery. A WHO collaborating centre is an institution designated by the Director-General of the WHO to form part of an international collaborative network set up by WHO in support of its programme at the country, intercountry, regional, interregional and global levels. In line with the WHO policy and strategy of technical cooperation, a WHO collaborating centre also participates in the strengthening of country resources, in terms of information, services, research and training, in support of national health development.
This THET project was organised by Tribhuvan University in collaboration with Bournemouth University and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Mental health is high on the global agenda and this project raised the importance of the issue in Nepal. The three universities collaborated on an education intervention training Auxiliary Nurse Midwives in Nawalparasi on mental health issues and mental health promotion. The project was supported by Green Tara Nepal, an Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) with whom BU has been working for over a decade. More details on this exciting project can be found in previous BU Research Blogs written in 2016 (see here) and 2017 (see here) and 2018 (see here)! The project has resulted in several academic publications including Dr. Preeti Mahato in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH), Dr. Catherine Angell (CMMPH), Dr. Bibha Simkhada (formerly BU lecturer in Nursing) and FHSS Visiting Faculty Prof. Padam Simkhada and Jillian Ireland. Jillian is Professional Midwifery Advocate at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. [2-6].
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Congratulations to Prof. Vanora Hundley who co-authored an important commentary ‘WHO next generation partograph: revolutionary steps towards individualised labour care’ in the international journal BJOG [1]. The authors comment on the partograph which is widely used across the globe as part of the assessment of labour progress. It was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the early 1990s as a routine tool for displaying the progress of labour. Despite its global acceptance, utilization and correct completion rates as low as 31% and 3% respectively, have been reported.
Congratulations!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH (Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health)
Reference:
Hofmeyr, GJ, Bernitz S, Bonet M, Bucagu M, Dao B, Downe S, Galadanci H, Homer CSE, Hundley V, et al. (2021) WHO next generation partograph: revolutionary steps towards individualised labour care (Commentary), BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, First published: 8 March 2021
Last week the Regional Office for South East Asia of the WHO (World Health Organization) published its strategy for strengthening midwifery [1]. The report highlights how Bangladesh, India and Nepal have recently introduced midwifery education. They joined DPR Korea, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and TimorLeste in establishing midwives as an independent cadre of the health workforce.
This report cited our 2015 paper on midwifery developments in Nepal which appeared in the Journal of Asian Midwives [2]. The lead author Jillian Ireland is a Visiting Faculty in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) and Professional Midwifery Advocate at Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, my other co-author, Joy Kemp, is Global Professional Adviser at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). The paper reflects on the RCM Global Midwifery Twinning Project in Nepal. The paper argues that the presence of a strong professional association of midwives in a country yields double benefits. On one side, the association provides inputs into framing policies and developing standards of care, and on the other, it ensures quality services by continuously updating its members with information and evidence for practice.
Bournemouth University’s work in Nepal is ongoing with a project run by CMMPH helping to develop midwifery education and training the trainers funded by the German aid organisation GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit).
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Congratulations to Dr. Nirmal Aryal and Dr. Pramod Regmi in BU’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences on the acceptance of their latest paper ‘Adolescents left behind by migrant workers: Call for community-based mental health interventions in Nepal’ [1]. This paper has just been accepted by WHO South East Asia Journal of Public Health. This academic journal is Open Access and published by the Regional Office for South-East Asia of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Delhi, India. Co-authors of this scientific paper are: Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH); BU Visiting Prof. Padam Simkhada (based at Liverpool John Moores University);and Dr. Pashupati Mahat from CMC-Nepal (Center for Mental Health & Counselling- Nepal).
The paper argues that there exists an increased risk of mental health problems in Nepali adolescents, especially those left-behind by migrant workers. There is a paucity of research on mental health intervention among adolescents in low and middle income countries (LMICs) such as Nepal. The paper calls for more and better community-based mental health intervention in Nepali adolescents including the special group of left-behind adolescents. Doing this work in Nepal, a country with a very high proportion of its population working abroad will have a broader implication for a other low-and middle-income countries. This article is a welcome addition to BU’s growing publications on migrant workers and health in Nepal [2-11].
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Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition
C.A.I.R.E.E.S. Conference: Harnessing AI for a sustainable future
Writing for The Conversation interactive workshop – Wednesday 5th March
Congratulations on new paper by BU PhD graduate
Update on UKRO services
European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease
BU Professor has been invited to a series of plenary and invited lectures.
Research Information Network