Background
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major health problem in Vietnam. The country ranks 12 out of 22 global countries with high burden of TB, which together account for more than 80 percent of the world’s TB cases. Vietnam is the only high burden country to have achieved the World Health Organization (WHO) targets for case detection and treatment success, but notification rates have not fallen. The 2009 national TB prevalence survey indicated a significantly higher prevalence of AFB(+) pulmonary cases among the general population than estimated in previous years (145/100,000 compared to 89/100,000). This suggests that case detection could be lower than previously estimated. According to a 2010 WHO report, the TB case detection rate of all forms in Vietnam is 54 percent.
On behalf of the US Agency for International Development, PATH will conduct a study to identify barriers to access to and utilization of TB care services provided by the National TB Program (NTP). The study aims to inform strategies and interventions for improvement of access to TB care services in Vietnam, which will also be helpful for other countries, particularly high TB burden countries.
To guide development of research protocol and instruments, PATH seeks a national qualified consultant to conduct a critical review of literature on factors affecting inaccessibility to and underutilization of TB care services in Vietnam.
Scope of work
This assignment includes, but is not limited to, the following activities:
1. Search for and collect all relevant published (peer-reviewed journals) and unpublished articles, policy papers, reports, etc. related to access to and use of TB care services in Vietnam.
2. Develop themes for critical review and analysis of these documents.
3. Write a report that summarizes the findings and recommendations from the literature for improvement of access to and use of TB care services.
4. Propose suggested areas and information to further explore this issue in Vietnam.
Suggested themes for review and analysis
PATH expects to have information on the themes listed below. The consultant(s) is encouraged to add more themes as needed.
1. Health system (with a focus on TB)
Service delivery
Health workforce
Information
Medical products, vaccines, and technologies
Financing (including health insurance)
Leadership and governance
2. Service users
Knowledge of TB symptoms, diagnosis, care, and treatment
Stigma related to TB diagnosis
Risk perception
Perception of costs for TB diagnosis, care, and treatment
Health seeking behaviors
Attitude toward health services
Social norms
Expectations about health services
3. Service providers
Knowledge of TB diagnosis, care, and treatment
Interpersonal communication skills
Qualifications of service providers
Quality of services
Implementation modalities
Consultant(s) is responsible for the complete process of searching, reviewing, analyzing, and synthesizing the documents. The assignment can be implemented by a group of consultants, but is led by one consultant who is responsible for signing a contract with PATH and for the quality of the work.
Deliverables
Electronic or hard copies of published and unpublished articles, policy papers, and reports that are used for the review.
Detailed outline of literature review report.
Finalized literature review report including suggested areas and information for further research in Vietnam (6,000 to 7,000 words).
The final report must be submitted to PATH after six weeks from the starting day.
Time fee
The level of effort for this assignment is 25 working days. The consultant fee is negotiable upon the qualifications and experience of the successful applicant.
Qualifications
The ideal consultant will have extensive experience with similar works, especially in the health research area. Specific qualifications are described below:
- Post graduate degree in Public Health, Medicine, Medical Anthropology, Sociology, or other related field (PhD is an advantage).
- Good understanding of the organizational structure and functions of Vietnamese government agencies, the Ministry of Health and health system in particular is required.
- Good understanding of the TB control system and TB situation in Vietnam (detection, diagnosis, treatment, follow up), including lab capacity is required.
- At least 10 years experience in health system research. Experience in conducting literature review is required, especially in the area of TB control.
- Strong analytical capacity and excellent oral and written presentation and communication skills, maturity and confidence in dealing with senior and high-ranking officials of national government and nongovernmental partners.
- Fluency in written and spoken English.