Operations
Streamlining pharmacy processes for better delivery of essential medicine
GlobalHealth Lab’s second project with Retreat focused on its pharmacy, where we aimed to help streamline operations to improve the delivery of essential medicine to its patients. The first step was an extensive study tracking the entire process, from patient arrival to dispensing. The team then pinpointed specific opportunities to explore in depth and generated a set of practical ideas they tested on site. Read more
Reducing barriers to appointment-keeping to ensure continuity of care
L V Prasad provides comprehensive and equitable eye health services to tens of thousands patients per year at over 100 locations. Our first project applied a systems lens to the challenge of improving visit efficiency in outpatient eye clinics, by tracking patient flows and queue lengths by time of day, and examining differences across different clinics within the hospital. The team suggested specific steps for improving flows and reducing bottlenecks. Read more
Refining clinic processes to reduce patient wait times
A public facility of the Western Cape Department of Health, Lotus River Clinic serves 13,000 low-income patients per month, including many with chronic diseases, in a Cape Flats neighborhood of Cape Town. Read more
Mapping patient journeys and hospital operations to improve maternal health
In collaboration with IPH, a non-profit that aims to strengthen health systems, the team studied the experience of maternal patients in public hospitals to assess human resource gaps, operational bottlenecks, service alignment, and their effects. The recommendations were designed to improve patient pathways and improve outcomes and experience for pregnant women and babies. Read more
Improving pharmacy and clinic operations so HIV patients can stay on treatment
An early leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Zambia is a large non-profit based in Lusaka with links to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. In partnership with hundreds of Zambia’s public-sector clinics, CIDRZ aims to improve health care for all Zambians through research, training, and public health programs. Read more
Financial Management for Field Research
Uganda Research Initiative (URI) was the primary financial, grants, contracts, and human resources management agent for the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/Harvard University Mbarara University of Science and Technology Research Collaboration in Uganda. Read more
Multifaceted Service Delivery Improvements for a Pediatric Clinic
Muthaiga Paediatrics Clinic was a small, private facility that aimed to deliver the highest quality of care by providing a personalized, family-friendly experience. Read more
Countrywide Logistics Dashboarding for Health Commodities
A locally-registered non-governmental organization affiliated with Population Services International, PSI Tanzania was committed to improving the health of vulnerable groups in Tanzania by promoting healthy behavior and delivering quality affordable health products through social marketing. Read more
Staffing and Financial Planning for a Busy Public Hospital
With 137 beds, Warmbaths Hospital provided level-one clinical care to the town of Bela Bela and its surrounding community. Read more
Better Data, Better Patient Tracking and Product Management
Kyetume Community Based Health Care Programme (KCBHCP) strives to improve the general health of underserved rural people in Mukono District, Uganda. Read more
Optimizing Materials Distribution to Reach Underserved Youth
loveLife is South Africa’s national HIV prevention initiative for young people ages 12-24. With a network of programs that extended to 900 sites across nine provinces, the nonprofit melded behavior change with clinical services through youth-friendly programs and, in less than a decade, had become an essential part of South African life. Read more
Reducing Wait Times in a Busy Public Clinic
The South African Provincial Western Cape Department of Health is a government-run organization that delivers free healthcare to more than 16 million uninsured patients every year. Read more
Scaling Up from One Urban Clinic
Non-profit Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) was founded in the densely-populated informal settlement of Kibera to tackle extreme poverty and gender inequity by providing school girls and the wider community with carefully-designed holistic health services, education, and community outreach. Read more
A Systems Vision for Efficiency in Outpatient Eye Clinics
An established, diversified organization, by 2012 L.V. Prasad Eye Institute had provided comprehensive, equitable, and efficient eye health services to six million patients and operated over 100 locations in Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere in India. Read more
Tapping into Community Nursing to Improve Hospital Outcomes
LifeSpring Hospitals is a chain of maternity facilities providing high-quality affordable health care to low-income women in India. Read more