Leadership in health and medical education: lessons from a symposium on health sector development in Ghana

The Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) has established an annual leadership symposium celebrating innovative leadership in the health sector. The 2022 symposium under the theme "Health Sector Development in Ghana; The Power of Good Leadership" was held in honour of Professor Samuel Ofosu-Amaah (the laureate), an Emeritus Professor of Public Health at the University of Ghana, about his leadership legacy. This article reflects on the leadership challenges in the health sector, the lessons learnt from the symposium, and the way forward. Leadership challenges identified in the health sector included the need for mentorship and coaching, the importance of teamwork and networking for delivering high-quality healthcare, and the role of leadership and governance in the health system. Key lessons from the symposium focused on skills in leading an event organisation, effective collaboration and teamwork, and learning from recognising prominent leaders' contributions to the health sector while these leaders are still alive. Key lessons from the personal and professional life of the laureate included a focus on giving back to the community, building mentorship of health leaders, being a catalyst of change, leadership and governance in public health institutions and publication of research findings. Suggestions were made to name the School of Public Health of the University of Ghana after Professor OfosuAmaah, to include a leadership and management module in all training modules at the GCPS and to establish a health leadership "Observatory" to focus on research on how leadership influences

Implementing an intensified mentorship approach towards accelerated medical laboratory accreditation in 10 counties in Kenya

Background: Despite Kenya's roll-out of the Strengthening Laboratory Management Towards Accreditation programme in 2010, most laboratories had not made significant or tangible improvements towards accreditation by 2016. In April 2016, the University of Maryland, Baltimore enrolled 27 facilities in the standard Strengthening Laboratory Management Towards Accreditation programme. Objective: This study aimed to describe and evaluate the implementation of an intensified mentorship strategy on laboratory accreditation. Methods: In October 2017, the University of Maryland, Baltimore implemented intensive mentorship in 27 hospital laboratories in Nairobi, Kiambu, Meru, Embu, Muranga, Nyeri, Laikipia, Nyandarua, Tharaka-Nithi, and Kirinyaga counties in Kenya. Laboratories were paired with competent mentors whose skills were matched to facility gaps. Baseline and follow-up assessments were done between April 2016 and March 2019 using the World Health Organization's Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation Checklist and overall scores of the 12 Quality System Essentials and star ratings (from zero to five, based on scores) used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intensified mentorship.Results: In September 2017, 14 laboratories scored zero stars, three scored one star, eight scored two stars, one scored three stars, and one laboratory was accredited. By March 2019, eight laboratories were accredited, five scored four stars, 10 scored three stars, three scored two stars, and only one scored one star. The average score change with the intensified approach was 81.5 versus 53.9 for the standard approach.Conclusion: The intensified mentorship strategy resulted in fast-tracked progress towards laboratory accreditation and can be adopted in similar resource-limited settings

A structured approach to effective mentoring of women health researchers in Africa

Objectives: To formatively evaluate the HIGHER Women consortium's Mentor Protégée Program (MPP) and derive lessons for successful African women scientist mentorship. Design: Desk review of program documents and cross-sectional surveys of mentors and protégées. Setting: All 10 regions of Cameroon Participants: Women working in health research participating in the MPP. Interventions: Building health research skills and providing support for women to cope within the African psychosocial environment using a holistic approach. Main outcome measures: Formed mentor-protégés duos applying the MPP with measurable accomplishments. Results: The consortium counted 121 members with 103 protégées and 18 mentors. Of 103 protégées, 35 responded to the 2018 survey, while 77 responded to the 2022 survey. Mentioned benefits of the program included an increase in scientific peer-reviewed journal publications and presentations at national and international conferences. In the 2022 survey, a Pearson correlation showed an r of 0.41, which, although not statistically significant (p = .592), suggests a positive correlation between the increased number of peer-reviewed articles and increased number of years as HIGHER Women protégées. Conclusions: Mentorship programs can help over time to bridge the gender gaps within Africa as well as the gaps between African-led research and the rest of the world while making a meaningful contribution to enhancing the quality, diversity, and productivity of researchers. A mentoring program such as the HIGHER Women MPP can be improved by leveraging local and international partners to foster the mentoring program's sustainability, scalability, and expanded reach.

Maximising mentorship: variations in laboratory mentorship models implemented in Zimbabwe

Background: Laboratory mentorship has proven to be an effective tool in building capacity and assisting laboratories in establishing quality management systems. The Zimbabwean Ministry of Health and Child Welfare implemented four mentorship models in 19 laboratories in conjunction with the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme.Objectives: This study outlines how the different models were implemented; cost involved per model and results achieved.Methods: Eleven of the laboratories had been trained previously in SLMTA (Cohort I). They were assigned to one of three mentorship models based on programmatic considerations: Laboratory Manager Mentorship (Model 1; four laboratories); One Week per Month Mentorship (Model 2; four laboratories); and Cyclical Embedded Mentorship (Model 3; three laboratories). The remaining eight laboratories (Cohort II) were enrolled in Cyclical Embedded Mentorship incorporated with SLMTA training (Model 4). Progress was evaluated using a standardised audit checklist.Results: At SLMTA baseline; Model 1-3 laboratories had a median score of 30%. After SLMTA; at mentorship baseline; they had a median score of 54%. At the post-mentorship audit they reached a median score of 75%. Each of the three mentorship models for Cohort I had similar median improvements from pre- to post-mentorship (17 percentage points for Model 1; 23 for Model 2 and 25 for Model 3; p 0.10 for each comparison). The eight Model 4 laboratories had a median baseline score of 24%; after mentorship; their median score increased to 63%. Median improvements from pre-SLMTA to post-mentorship were similar for all four models.Conclusion: Several mentorship models can be considered by countries depending on the available resources for their accreditation implementation plan

Impact of Mentorship on WHO-AFRO Strengthening Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA)

Background: The improvment of the quality of testing services in public laboratories is a high priority in many countries. Consequently; initiatives to train laboratory staff on quality management are being implemented; for example; the World Health Organization Regional Headquarters for Africa (WHO-AFRO) Strengthening Laboratory Management Towards Accreditation (SLMTA). Mentorship may be an effective way to augment these efforts.Methods: Mentorship was implemented at four hospital laboratories in Lesotho; three districts and one central laboratory; between June 2009 and December 2010. The mentorship model that was implemented had the mentor fully embedded within the operations of each of the laboratories. It was delivered in a series of two mentoring engagements of six and four week initial and follow-up visits respectively. In total; each laboratory received 10 weeks mentorship that was separated by 6-8 weeks. Quality improvements were measured at baseline and at intervals during the mentorship using the WHO-AFRO Strengthening Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist and scoring system. Results: At the beginning of the mentorship; all laboratories were at the SLIPTA zero star rating. After the initial six weeks of mentorship; two of the three district laboratories had improved from zero to one (out of five) star although the difference between their baseline (107.7) and the end of the six weeks (136.3) average scores was not statistically significant (p = 0.25). After 10 weeks of mentorship there was a significant improvement in average scores (182.3; p = 0.034) with one laboratory achieving WHO-AFRO three out of a possible five star status and the two remaining laboratories achieving a two star status. At Queen Elizabeth II (QE II) Central Laboratory; the average baseline score was 44; measured using a section-specific checklist. There was a significant improvement by five weeks (57.2; p = 0.021). Conclusion: The mentorship programme in this study resulted in significant measurable improvements towards preparation for the WHO-AFRO SLIPTA process in less than six months. We recommend that mentorship be incorporated into laboratory quality improvement and management training programmes such as SLMTA; in order to accelerate the progress of laboratories towards achieving accreditation

A model for mentorship of newly qualified professional nurses employed in community health care services

The purpose of this study was to develop a model for mentorship of newly qualified professional nurses (NQPNs) employed in community health care services. A triangulation of qualitative and quantitative designs was used for data collection. The experiences of NQPNs employed in community health care services were explored through focus group interviews. Based on the findings of the interviews; three questionnaires for different categories were developed to determine the self-care deficiencies that required mentorship of NQPNs. The findings revealed that NQPNs experienced self-care deficiencies regarding the performance of specific competencies related to dealing with psychiatry; midwifery practice; adaptation; organizational culture; health practice culture and interaction with the community they serve. It was recommended that adaptation/adjustment; health and nursing practice culture; development of skills and competencies; improvement of good relationships between NQPNs and community should be emphasised during training of nursing students to become professional nurses

The Protege and the Sage : Students' Perceptions of Work-Based Mentoring Experiences

Mentoring is offered as a supportive learning strategy within an educational programme for mature multi-cultural South African nurses. This paper considers the literature; describes mentoring within a nursing management course; and uses the findings to illustrate students' mentoring experience through the following three themes: (1) Mentoring as a teaching strategy: Initial considerations; (2) Mentoring as a process; and (3) Consequences of mentoring as a teaching strategy. Self-reports; based on two questions; describe the perceptions 16 post-basic students have of mentoring as a means of scaffolded learning through the voicing of their 'authentic' experiences. This study forms a component of a larger qualitative case study of a management course using action research within the critical genre. A way forward is suggested that can promote both the mentor/mentee relationship and meaningful learning. Students paid particular attention to the difficulties of choosing mentors; engaging in and 'negotiating' the process and maintaining the relationship. They recognised the value of 'special people' (not necessarily in their discipline); in their professional development and noted the need for mutual commitment to the process to achieve mutual benefits