Epidemiological Researches in Egypt

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Epidemiological Researches in Egypt
Dr.Abdelnasser Mohammed Ahmed Epidemiology
Surveillance unit director
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Background

• Egypt is passing through epidemiological and
  demographic transition phase
• Extensive health care system
• Research capacities(academic and service level)
• Researches addressed both community and system
  problems
• Increase awareness of need and use of research
  use
• Increase efforts made by capacity building
• Reform health system to meet population needs

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Current StatusA. Advocacy Promotion

• Increased awareness among scientific/academic
  community and service officials and professionals
  through
• Create a post for a vice-dean at each medical
  school for environmental affair responsible for
  linking university to its surrounding community.
• Conduct workshops for orientation of senior
  service officials at MOHP

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Current StatusB. Priority setting

• Develop a system for health promotion and
  provision of quality services.
• Develop of human resources for health through
  equal distribution, continuing equation and
  economics of their employment.
• Empower the concept of district health system
  approach.
• Prevent and manage endemic parasitic diseases,
  particularly shistosmiasis
• Prevent and manage chronic diseases especially
  heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes mellitus
  and renal diseases

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Current StatusC. Capacity Development

• Assessment of the health needs at all levels of
  the health care system
• Assessment of the most common health problems in
  Egypt and prioritization process.
• Monitoring and evaluation of health research
  projects.
• Satellite units for field applied research at
  almost each governorate
• 2 Programs adopted at personnel capacity level
• 2 Year course in field epidemiology for field
  practice to identify problems and carry out a
  research project.
• Annual 2 week course on health system research
  with intervening periods for homework and ending
  with 3-4 research proposals.

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Current StatusD. Networking

• Organization of national and local conferences
  and seminars.
• Preparation in regional and international
  conferences and seminars.
• Creating links with internet/Medline at almost
  all research institutions
• Strengthening the local network established at
  the academy of science and technology.
• Acknowledgment of the role of non governmental
  organization in the research.
• Establishment of health information system
  network at governorate level to collect,process
  and analyze health data related to all health
  services and programs

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Current StatusE. Financing and Evaluation

• Most bilateral health projects allocate an
  appreciable proportions of their funds for
  research.
• The government funds allocated to the Ministry of
  higher education and scientific research have
  been almost doubled during the current financial
  year.
• Evaluation of developmental research projects for
  relevance, methodology, interpretation of results
  and timeliness of providing needed information.
• Evaluation of the extent to which results of
  research are utilized.

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Current StatusF. Research Activities

• Nation wide research on maternal mortality
• Household survey of management of children with
  diarrhea and acute respiratory infections in
  Egypt
• Nation wide community based research on Hepatitis
  C and B incidence and risk factors
• Nation wide community based study to measure
  prevalence, incidence and mortality rates of
  shidtosomiasis
• National survey of tuberculosis.

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Current StatusF. Research Activities, cont

• Health system research
• Maintainace of hospital equipment
• Control of infection in dental clinics
• Evolution of training output of medical team
• Control of smoking in children.
• Research on heart diseases using different levels
  of screening tests.
• National survey of maternal and child health
  related morbidity and mortality.
• Family planning researches

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Current StatusG. Research utilization

• Using situational analysis survey in formulation
  of national master plan for health sector reform
• Integration of PHC/reproductive health services
  based on findings of community based research
  conducted by MOHP researcher team
• Development of new projects to reformulate /
  strengthen district health management system.

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National institutes deals with health
researchesin EgyptA.Ministry of health and
population

• Center for field and applied research
• Started as a training center then engaged in
  operational research related to health delivery
• Its activities related to priority health
  problems and environmental impacts.
• In 1997, a health system was created within the
  center to support decision-making mechanism and
  planning of cost effective studies and
  development of health management indicators
• Advocacy of NGOs and community mobilization
• National specialized councils
• Established 20 years ago to provide venue for
  high expertise to work together in areas of
  common interest
• Study how to improve health policy and
  utilization of health services.
• Dissemination of information to better serve
  decision-making

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National institutes deals with health
researchesin EgyptA.Ministry of health and
population

• National institute for nutrition
• Promote research in the area of nutrition
• Field Epidemiology Training Unit
• 2 year training program for physicians and public
  health officials
• Training in Epidemiology, biostatistics, computer
  use in public health together with extensive
  fieldwork
• Designing and implementing field studies of
  different nature
• Nasser Institute Hospital for treatment and
  research
• Harbor medical specialists and centers for
  excellence
• National Institute of Diabetes mellitus and
  endocrinology
• Includes hospital for research
• Poliomyelitis institute

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National institutes deals with health
researchesin EgyptB. Ministry of Higher and
Scientific Research

• Medical Research Institutes
• Institute of Theodore bilharz
• Institute of ophthalmology
• National center of research
• High institute of public health and medical
  research
• Local universities
• Serve as a good medium for research activities
• Medical Research Council of the National academy
  of science, research and technology
• National needs assessment
• Pritorization process
• Research capacity
• Budget for contract research
• Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms
• Academy of scientific research and technology

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National institutes deals with health
researchesin EgyptC. Population Research
Institutions

• National Population council
• Carry out researches related to population
• Help the Egyptian government to achieve national
  population policy
• Study important issues affect efficiency and
  effectiveness of population programs
• Cairo demographic center
• Population Council

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National institutes deals with health
researchesin EgyptD. Professional
non-governmental organizations

• Egyptian community medicine association
• Egyptian medical women association
• Egyptian breast milk friends association
• Egyptian fertility society
• Society for health research for development

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Implementation plan for situational analysis of
health research activities

• Formulation of executive committee
• Coordinate activities of situational analysis
• Assign tasks to implement the plan
• Arrange meeting/workshop
• Prepare questionnaires/interview items
• Surveying health research centers and institutes
• Collect basic information about researches
  capacity
• Analyze data
• Develop a manual identify organizations in
  research
• Studying status of health researcher
• Investigate challenges facing researches,
  documentation, training, information
  accessibility and financing sources
• Analyze data collected on status of health
• Report findings to policy makers

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Implementation plan for situational analysis of
health research activities, cont

• Exploring health research key stakeholders
  opinion for research pritorization
• Interview key stakeholders for policy makers
• Identify problems of research needs utilization
• Assess involvement of civil society
• Exploring research opportunities

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Action plan

• Conduct seminars, meetings to build consensus for
  research
• Invite all stakeholders involved in research
• Discuss findings of situational analysis
• Consensus building on national health policies
• Develop agreed national health policies into
  operational strategies
• Recommend a mechanism to pritorize and coordinate
  research
• Establish national health research data bank
• Invite all stakeholders in researches
• Use findings of survey of institutes
• Develop software for data storage contain basic
  information for research
• Develop electronic copies of software to be
  available for health researchers
• Recommend a mechanism to guarantee sustainable
  updates of these data and software

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Action plan, Cont

• Create the culture of research among health
  professionals
• Advocate to incorporate training on research
  methodology
• Develop training curriculum about health research
  
• Train health professionals on health research

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Future Plan

• Strengthen health research priority setting at
  sub national and district level
• Involve non governmental organizations and
  private sector in policy making
• Dialogue and partnerships between research
  procedures and potential consumers need to be
  strengthened
• Better description, analysis and assessment of
  different coordination mechanisms

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Future Plan, Cont

• Maintain a balance between basic, clinical and
  health system research
• Maintain available systematic information and
  strong health management information system
• Networking model to support and organize regular
  consultative meetings and assist powerful
  databases that would benefit in many researches.