Developing protocols for change in medical education : report of an informal consultation, Seattle, Washington, USA, 11-14 August 1992 / Charles Boelen ... [et al.]

Medical schools should respond to the health needs of society by reorienting the education of physicians to ensure that they possess the appropriate skills and are able to practise them. For medical education to become more relevant and efficient, changes must occur in curriculum content, learning processes and the relationship of medical schools with the health care system. This monograph offers guidelines for change in the form of steps for getting started, steps for development and early implementation, and steps for later adoption. A goal is set for each step, and specific tasks are suggested to help attain the goal; advice is offered on how to develop the tasks, and signs of progress are suggested. Also proposed are areas for future action, including action research, to improve the relevance and efficiency of medical education

Information management for improving relevance and efficiency in the health sector : a framework for the development of health information systems, report of a consultation, Sorrento, Italy, 21-25 March 1993 / Roderick Neame and Charles Boelen

The need for health care reform is widely recognized worldwide, but such reform must be based on knowledge and understanding of health situations, among others. All who have a stake in reform must have access to the same adequate, accurate, relevant and timely information: shared information should lead towards a shared vision. This report offers basic principles, as well as a model, for the development of information systems that can ensure the sharing of strategic information, bring a holistic perspective to several health sector institutions, and help decision-makers in these institutions to judge and justify the selection of objectives and allocation of resources to better serve society's health needs

Priorities at the interface of health care, medical practice and medical education : report of the Global Conference on International Collaboration on Medical Education and Practice, 12-15 June 1994, Rockford, Illinois, U.S.A

Reforms in medical education and medical practice are needed, not only to ensure that doctors fit into health systems consonant with the goals of Health for All, but above all so that they proactively contribute to the shaping of such systems. Within the context of achieving the numbers and mix of the health workforce that make optimal health care delivery possible, the medical profession must examine itself in relation to society's needs. In response to these concerns, the World Health Organization and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Illinois, USA (a WHO Collaborating Centre for Educational Development of Health Professionals and Health Care Systems), co-sponsored a global conference on medical education and practice, 12-15 June 1994 in Rockford. The context of the conference was established by means of presentations on the interface between medical education, medical practice and health care reform; education of practitioners for global health sector reform; future health challenges in affluent countries and developing countries; priority areas in medical education and practice for the next decade; and guidelines for international collaboration. To further encourage reflection on possibilities for international collaboration, representatives of three WHO collaborating centres in medical education and practice described their institutional priorities and activities, and representatives of three medical schools outlined the programmes of international collaboration they would to pursue if designated WHO collaborating centres. Participants identified 18 priority areas at the interface of health care, medical practice and medical education under the categories of mission/policy of the medical school, partnership, health services, education and research. They selected, in order of priority, up to three areas in which their institutions were prepared to engage in international collaboration. These statements of institutional priority formed the basis of a matrix for international collaboration. Participants stressed the importance of building the capacity of individual institutions through optimal local use - and inter-institutional sharing - of human, material and financial resources. Information exchange should be maximized through means ranging from face-to-face contact at meetings to the use of electronic mail. There should be very active efforts to raise funds from local, regional and global sources. It was generally agreed that a consultative body should be set up to provide guidance on a shared strategy and to facilitate international collaborative efforts. At all levels, WHO was expected to be very important in mobilizing the various potential partners for collaboration worldwide. In particular, WHO headquarters could serve as a clearinghouse for information on people, organizations and activities. It was anticipated that after the conference the matrix would be circulated for further refinement and institutional approval. A WHO brochure then in draft would be completed, for presentation to potential donors and main partners in collaboration. The membership, responsibilities workplan and financing of the proposed consultative body should be determined. Preliminary plans could be made for a second global conference, possibly to be held in 1998