Research Officer - Evaluating Hospital Performance (Health Systems / Services Research) at KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP)

JOB PURPOSE: 

We have an exciting opportunity for someone to contribute to research at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), a leading research centre in Africa dedicated to investigating the primary causes of ill health and the development of health care systems on the continent. At KWTRP, we are not only committed to advancing scientific knowledge but also to fostering local research leadership.

In a new project, the Health Services Unit at KWTRP Nairobi together with the Kenya Paediatric Research Consortium (KEPRECON) are collaborating with researchers at Oxford University and elsewhere to advance work on approaches to assessment of Hospital Performance with a focus on  Kenya’s hospitals especially its County Hospitals. The OECD utilises a range of approaches to assess hospital performance , The World Health Organisation offers ideas on health system performance assessment , quality of care in general  and more specific sets of indicators for maternal, neonatal and child health.    Some African countries provide detailed information on hospital inputs (staffing and resources), workloads and outcomes and some of these may be assessed in intermittent surveys (such as the Service Availability and Readiness Assessments).  We are interested in which assessments (measurements, indicators) are proposed for county level hospitals in Kenya, which are actually used and which might different stakeholders prioritise. Work in Kenya may complement or even extend to partner countries in Uganda and South Africa.

The Research Officer would therefore:

• Examine relevant global, regional and national frameworks used to conceptualise or organise hospital performance assessment.
• Identify highly prioritised measures and define specific indicators of hospital performance, focusing on non-tertiary hospitals.
• Examine which hospital performance measures are employed in Kenya spanning inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes (where outputs include volume and variety of health services provided).
• Collate and analyse available data for Kenyan County Hospitals on their health workforce complement and key performance measures including an examination of the volume and variety of health services provided for each county hospital.
• Produce reports that summarise the findings of these document / literature reviews and the results of secondary data analyses on hospital performance.

The new Research Officer position will be within the Health Services Unit of the KWTRP in Nairobi and will be supervised in Kenya by Dr. J. Oliwa with support from Dr. Tim Tuti. Additional scientific advice will be provided by Dr. Attakrit Leckcivilize and Prof. Mike English who are based in Oxford. The Research Officer will also join a wider research team termed Africa’s First Referral Hospitals: Innovation and Care (AFRHiCARE) Partnership that seeks to understand the current and future roles of county hospitals in Kenya and District Hospitals in Uganda and South Africa. The AFHRiCARE Partnership is a collaborative effort between well-established researchers from KWTRP's Population and Health and Health Services Units and the Universities of Oxford, Witwatersrand, and Makerere. AFHRiCARE is funded by Wellcome to generate new evidence that will inform the roles, workforce requirements, skill-mix, and use of technologies needed to deliver high-quality healthcare as part of Universal Health Coverage.

We welcome applications from those wishing to develop their skills and a career in health services research or in health systems planning and who wish to make a meaningful impact on healthcare in Africa as part of a dynamic research environment in Kenya that is linked to a wider network of scientific excellence.

Description: 

REPORTS TO: Study PI and Study Supervisor

BUDGET AND RESOURCE RESPONSIBILITY:  Responsible for allocated hardware and software

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

For the Health Services Unit and with wider linkages to the AFRHiCARE partnership and under the direction of the supervisor to:

• Explore, appraise and summarise the policies and strategies that aim to guide the performance assessment of LMIC hospitals generally and Kenyan hospitals specifically (focusing on non-tertiary hospitals)
• Explore, appraise and summarise the assessment and measurement approaches applied to LMIC hospitals in the WHO SARA / SPA survey methodology (focusing on non-tertiary hospitals) (including collating key indicators used)
• Summarise the key results of prior Kenyan SARA/SPA surveys on hospital performance relevant to its non-tertiary hospitals
• Identify and summarise the results of previous national or county level reports on hospital performance in Kenya (including collating key indicators used)
• Identify, collate and collect new data as needed on the numbers and skill-mix of the health workforce in Kenyan county hospitals.
• Develop an analytical and practical strategy (in the form of a proposal) aimed at assessing the performance of Kenyan hospitals including a list of indicators the volume and variety of health services provided
• Discuss proposed work with the Ministry of Health, County Health Departments and clinical leaders in County Hospitals to help prioritise assessment indicators
• Identify suitable secondary data sources (eg HRMIS and DHIS2) and use these to assess the performance of Kenyan hospitals including the volume and variety of health services provided by each county hospital
• Analyse secondary data that is available using appropriate quantitative or qualitative methods
• Develop written reports on the hospital performance approach, the indicator sets used and the results of secondary data analyses, proceeding to develop peer-reviewed manuscript quality reports for submission for publication
• Share findings with local stakeholders and partners
• Collaborate effectively with Kenyan and international team members within the AFRHiCARE partnership and plan, coordinate and summarise the results of meetings or workshops as directed by the supervisor
• Contribute to the wider scientific activities of the Health Services Unit and the Nairobi Programme of KEMRI-Wellcome in Kenya
• Support consultations and collaboration with researchers within the AFRHiCARE partnership and stakeholders in local, regional and national governments
• And any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The successful applicant will have:

• Recognised Postgraduate qualification (Masters) relevant to the field of epidemiological research, applied statistics, global or public health.
• A primary degree ideally in a health related or relevant statistical field.
• At least three years of post-graduate experience or collative work experience relating to research.
• Demonstrated experience in planning and undertaking document or scientific literature reviews
• Demonstrated experience in planning for and collecting, analysing and interpreting quantitative data.
• Proficiency in one or more statistical packages ideally ‘R’
• Highly developed oral and written communication skills
• Experience in undertaking research with diverse stakeholders and in a cross-cultural context
• A record of publishing and presenting research results relative to career stage and opportunity.
• Demonstrated interest in health systems / services; knowledge and working experience of the Kenyan Health system an added advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to act with sound judgement, sensitivity, and flexibility, and to exercise initiative in adapting preferred approaches when and where required.

COMPETENCIES:

• Capability to do policy and scientific literature reviews including use of specific search strategies and reference management software.
• Experience in developing an analytic plan and collating, analysing and interpreting data
• Experience of working with health service managers
• Experience in use of quantitative analytical software.
• Excellent range of skills across the MS Office suite
• Have high energy, clear goal orientation and a strong work ethic.
• Strong organisation/programme management skills with the ability to prioritise workloads and work within tight deadlines
• Ability to write clearly for a scientific audience and to present clearly to non-academic audiences
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment and to multi-task