WHO Human Reproduction program (HRP) Equitable access to self-care interventions – results from a global values and preferences study

16 July, 2022

The webinar had some excellent videos of patients experiencing self care in Uruguay, Morocco and Kenya. The areas of self care included - self testing for HIV which increased uptake and reduced the fear of stigma that had prevented patients attending for testing - The self administration of a 12 week progesterone contraceptive agent and - the self administration of a home abortifactient contraceptives in Uruguay which had reduced deaths from illegal abortions to nil. View Recording (gotowebinar.com)

<https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/viewRecording/189092402780198...

Patient stories which seem powerful from minute 27 onwards and here are some references given by the webinar organisers:

WHO Global Values and Preferences Survey Report:

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/356986/9789240052215-en...

WHO Guideline on self-care interventions:

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/357828/9789240052192-en...

WHO Classification of self-care interventions:

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240039469

WHO Health topic webpages on self-care interventions:

https://www.who.int/health-topics/self-care#tab=tab_1

and here is a bit of my personal extractions from the WHO and HRP background and I feel that these pieces of self cared could be directed to patients through patient portals such as the NHS App NHS App and your NHS account - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

WHO guideline on self-care interventions for health and well-being, 2022 revision

WHO, Human Reproduction Program (UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, World Bank), *Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030: Reporting at Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly*

“Health systems can only function with health workers; improving health service coverage and realizing the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is dependent on their availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality.

“WHO estimates a projected shortfall of 15 million health workers by 2030, mostly in low- and lower-middle income countries.

“However, countries at all levels of socioeconomic development face, to varying degrees, difficulties in the education, employment, deployment, retention, and performance of their workforce.

“The chronic under-investment in education and training of health workers in some countries and the mismatch between education and employment strategies in relation to health systems and population needs are contributing to continuous shortages. These are compounded by difficulties in deploying health workers to rural, remote and underserved areas. Moreover, the increasing international migration of health workers may exacerbate health workforce shortfalls, particularly in low- and lower-middle income countries. Human resources for health information systems are often weak to take stock of selected health workers from the public sector.

“Self-care is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health worker.

"Currently 3.6 billion people – half of the world – lack access to essential health services. WHO recommends self-care interventions for every country and economic setting, as a critical path to reach universal health

coverage, promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.

"Self-care recognises individuals as active agents in managing their own health care, in areas including health promotion; disease prevention and control; self-medication; providing care to dependent persons, and

rehabilitation, including palliative care.

Self-care interventions are evidence-based, quality tools <https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/self-care-health-interv... that support self-care. They include medicines, counselling, diagnostics and/or

digital technologies which can be accessed fully or partially outside of formal health services. Depending on the intervention, they can be used with or without the direct supervision of health workers.

Self-care interventions can:

- empower individuals and communities to manage their health and well-being

- strengthen national institutions with efficient use of domestic resources for health

- improve primary healthcare (PHC) and contribute to achieving UHC

--

HIFA profile: Richard Fitton is a retired family doctor - GP. Professional interests: Health literacy, patient partnership of trust and implementation of healthcare with professionals, family and public involvement in the prevention of modern lifestyle diseases, patients using access to professional records to overcome confidentiality barriers to care, patients as part of the policing of the use of their patient data

Email address: richardpeterfitton7 AT gmail.com