Recent publication on social innovation in health (2) Seveloping the WHO Community Engagement Package

21 June, 2022

Dear HIFA Forum colleagues,

One of the papers included in the recently published BMJ Innovations special supplement devoted to social innovation in health [ https://www.bmj.com/company/social-innovations-for-health/ ] was the paper entitled “Description of global innovative methods in developing the WHO Community Engagement Package”, available at the following link: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/6/e063144

The article describes the experience of co-creation, with the participation of a diverse group of partners, including different teams from WHO, the Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) hubs, UNICEF and community practitioners, among others, in developing a package aimed to guide practitioners to promote local action and enhance skills for community engagement (CE). The package includes 1) a database of CE experiences, 2) an online CE learning package of lessons and tools, and 3) a workshop package for identifying CE experiences to enrich the CE database and ensure regular updates of learning resources.

This project responded to a need for CE documentation and tools based on different local contexts and with a broad range of health and social development activities. The design process was based on CE principles, developed primarily through remote online environments. Therefore, adjustment may be needed for face-to-face implementation.

For the Honduras Node of the SIHI Latin America and the Caribbean Hub (https://socialinnovationinhealth.org/americas/), it was a great opportunity to participate in this project. The young Honduran professionals that collaborated, had the possibility for global networking and contribute to a large-scale relevant initiative during pandemic times.

Jackeline

HIFA-es Moderator

HIFA profile: Jackeline Alger, MD, PhD, is a parasitologist associated to the Department of Clinical Laboratory of the University Hospital; Executive Director of the Antonio Vidal Institute for Infectious Diseases and Parasitology; Tegucigalpa, Honduras. HIFA Country Representative of the Year for the years 2015 and 2018. Email jackelinealger AT gmail.com

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