Title of Position: Informatics Consultant: Health worker training (CPD/IST) tracking systems
Duration of Assignment: 8 consultancy days during the period January 15th- February 28th, 2016
Location of Assignment: West Bank
Reporting to: Technical Specialist, Education & Credentialing, Palestinian Health Capacity Project
(PCHP)
Background:
The Palestinian Health Capacity Project (PHCP) is a 5-year, USAID funded project implemented by IntraHealth International in partnership with Juzoor for Health and Social Development. The focus of the project is to (1) strengthen human resources for health (HRH) systems to improve the quality of health care in West Bank and (2) reduce the cost of tertiary medical referrals to facilities outside the Palestinian MOH without compromising quality of care for patients. The PHCP will make significant contributions to building national capacity in HRH planning and management and working to align the training, deployment, and utilization of health workers with national health priorities.
PHCP seeks to further understand systems for tracking the continuous professional development and inservice training (CPD/IST) of health professionals employed in the Palestinian health sector (primarily in the Ministry of Health, but also including systems that have professional bodies, medical and nursing schools, NGO, UNRWA and private sectors.) PHCP seeks to understand how training is tracked, the type of data that is collected, how this data is used by organizations, and strengths/gaps of the existing systems. Where such systems are not fully activated or utilized, PHCP seeks to understand the response for the underutilization and the potential of such systems. In cases where systems do not exist, PHCP seeks to understand the needs and benefits of such CPD/IST data tracking systems from the perspective of stakeholders and the Ministry of Health, and recommendations for an integrated system that could be useful and practical to the Ministry of Health (including what kind of data should be collected).
Scope of Work:
PHCP seeks an Informatics Local Consultant to conduct a short assessment aimed at identifying existing CPD/IST tracking systems currently in use in the West Bank, primarily in the MoH but also to note other systems that may exist in other health provider institutions. Through this landscape assessment, we aim to better understand what kind of data the systems track and produce, and make recommendations for enhancing or introducing such systems in the Ministry of Health.
In particular, PHCP is interested in the following:
• Existing systems that track CPD/IST of health providers, primarily in the Ministry of Health, but also in accreditation bodies, teaching and training institutions, NGO, UNRWA and private health service provider and teaching institutions.
• The existence of accreditation mechanisms or standards for CPD within institutions
• The role of the Medical Council in setting CPD/IST requirements, accrediting training institutions for CPD/IST, and mechanisms to track the CPD/IST of physicians
• The existence, role and effectiveness of continuing medical education (CME) committees in MoH and non-MoH hospitals, in particular with regards to establishing CPD/IST requirements and tracking health staff training.
• Main features of the systems. This includes: o The operating platform, technical details, and if it is linked to other HR or quality management systems/programs
o The extent to which the system is used on a regular basis and why or why not o The kind of information that is tracked on trainees o Sources of data o Who enters data o How frequently data is updated o How data is used and by whom o Utilization and application of the data
• To better understand the needs and priorities for CPD/IST tracking systems from the perspective of the Ministry of Health, current gaps and possible constraints to implementing a system.
The Informatics Consultant is expected to:
(1) Submit a plan of action describing the methodology and tool(s) that will be used to Juzoor for approval, prior to commencing the assessment. Part of the methodology should include meetings with key players, including the MoH, NGO, UNRWA and private health service provider organizations, teaching and training institutions, and the Medical Council. In the plan of action the Consultant should identify the list of institutions to be visited as part of the assessment.
(2) Conduct an assessment on CPD/IST tracking systems that covers at minimum the above points.
(3) Coordinate with IntraHealth’ s Human Recourse Information System (iHRIS) consultant to identify needed elements and resources for implementation of such system
(4) Use programming languages to configure back-end and front-end components, integrate with other systems, and manipulate data from different sources.
(5) Familiarize him/herself with IntraHealth’s iHRIS Train platform and its potential for application/linking with other CPT/IST tracking systems in the Ministry of Health.
(6) Promote the development or utilization of software for dissemination, based on analysis of the Palestinian health data systems.
(7) Document the findings of the assessment in the form of a report that includes detailed recommendations on the potential for introducing or enhancing CPD/IST system(s) in the Ministry of Health
Deliverables:
-‐ Assessment plan of action
-‐ Assessment report that details findings and recommendations.
-‐ Consultancy report
Qualification and Experience Requirements:
1- University degree in a related field such as Health Information System, Allied Health, Education, IT, etc.
2- Has experience of IntraHealth iHRIS software system is preferable
3- Knowledge of Palestinian health sector and of health professional CPD/IST
4- Excellent communication skills in Arabic and English (speaking, reading & writing) – a writing sample will be required
Interested candidates should submit a CV and cover letter, no later than Jan 10th, 2016 with the subject line “Informatics Consultant: Health worker training (CPD/IST) tracking systems” to the following email address: jobs@juzoor.org
