Tools and Guidelines

Based on the WHO "Consolidated guidelines on HIV testing services" that recommend training lay providers in using rapid diagnostic tests, independently to conduct safe and effective HIV testing services, innovative service delivery approaches in "Nepal HlVision 2020" include intensified testing to reach key populations through facility-based outreach and community-led in-reach; linking testing to treatment. Since the inception of Nepal's anti-retroviral treatment (ART) programme in 2004, under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, National Centre for AIDS and STD Control, the country has taken many measures to scale up ART with the objective of reaching everyone who needs treatment. Development of these "National HIV Testing and Treatment Guidelines 2017" is another milestone. Following the directives of the National HIV Strategic Plan 2016-2021, these Guidelines support the Test, Treat and Retain continuum, based on the "WHO Consolidated Guidelines on the use of Antiretroviral Drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection", published in 2016. 'Test-and Treat' keeps infected people healthy and living longer, and dramatically reduces the risk of HIV transmission to others.

Health inequality monitoring should be a central component of national health information systems. Surprisingly, however, national health information systems often neglect to capture within-country inequalities. Sometimes this can be addressed by more effectively communicating existing analyses and underlying disaggregated data to the appropriate target audiences. This manual serves as a step-by-step practical reference to support countries in building capacity for integrating health inequality monitoring into their health information systems. It presents a range of World Health Organization tools and resources developed for measuring and reporting health inequality. As such, this manual aims to contribute to improved monitoring of health inequalities in countries, a practice that is essential to ensure accountability for the goals and targets of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Programme reporting standards (PRS) have been developed in the form of a checklist to guide the reporting of sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (SRMNCAH) programmes. The PRS checklist seeks to fill the gaps mentioned in the Introduction by providing a list of key reporting items related to the development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation processes of SRMNCAH programmes. By focusing specifically on the systematic reporting of these processes, the PRS highlights lessons learnt in the field and helps to facilitate replication and scale-up. This document presents version 1.0 of the PRS checklist and also provides an overview of the PRS and instructions on how to use it, including a detailed description of each section and item, and additional resources that can be used to support or complement the reporting process.

To address a public health problem, you first have to measure it accurately. Biobehavioural surveys have proven to be invaluable tools for measuring and addressing HIV, which remains the world’s biggest public health challenge. This current iteration of the Biobehavioural survey guidelines is a welcome addition to the list of useful documents targeting those who plan to conduct biobehavioural surveys of HIV and HIV-risk behaviours in their countries. The guidelines fill a gap in providing tools for surveying HIV prevalence in key populations, and the included questionnaires may also inform general population surveys. Currently, many researchers undertake surveys using country-specific indicators. These guidelines standardize the conduct of biobehavioural surveys to permit comparisons between as well as within countries over time. 

Since the publication of the WHO Guidelines for the management of sexually transmitted infections in 2003, changes in the epidemiology of STIs and advancements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment necessitate changes in STI management. This guideline provides updated recommendations for syphilis screening and treatment for pregnant women based on the most recent evidence and available serologic tests for syphilis.

Palliative care seeks to relieve suffering and improve quality of life for those with life-limiting conditions. It is a holistic approach that improves quality of life for patients and their families by addressing the psychosocial, legal, and spiritual problems associated with life-threatening illness. Palliative care has been shown to be highly effective in managing pain and physical symptoms, and can improve adherence to medications. It is a core component of health care and of the human right to the highest attainable standard of health. It is also connected with a range of other rights and is increasingly recognized as a stand-alone right. This toolkit is intended to serve as a resource for organizations considering advocating for increased access to palliative care and pain relief as a human right within the United Nations human rights system. It clarifies what human rights are and how they are relevant to palliative care, as well as what the UN Human Rights System is. It also presents why and how to engage with the UN human rights system to advocate for increased availability and accessibility of quality palliative care and pain relief.

Sexual abuse, including sexual assault or rape, of children and adolescents is a major global public health problem, a violation of human rights, and has many health consequences in the short and long term. This guideline aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for quality clinical care for children and adolescents who have, or may have, been subjected to sexual abuse, in order to mitigate the negative health consequences and improve their well-being. The objectives are to support health-care providers to provide quality, immediate and long-term clinical care and to apply ethical, human-rights-based and trauma-informed good practices in the provision of such care. Where relevant for provision of clinical care and where there is supporting evidence, sex-based differences and gender-based inequalities are flagged.

This guide lays out an illustrative process for health and finance authorities to engage in productive dialogue, assess the current situation in terms of how aligned the public financial management (PFM) system and health financing system are, and work towards a joint policy roadmap to improve alignment. It builds on a previous document “Aligning public financial management and health financing: sustaining progress toward universal health coverage,” which considers how PFM and health financing systems can be better aligned in support of UHC, and provides a framework to examine common challenges, as well as offering strategies to address them. This guide can serve as an entry point for that dialogue, and can facilitate a structured approach for health, finance and other stakeholders to discuss underlying issues before implementing system changes that might affect the PFM and health financing system.

This guideline provides global, evidence-informed recommendations on protection, promotion and support of optimal breastfeeding in facilities providing maternity and newborn services, as a public health intervention. It is intended to contribute to discussions among stakeholders when selecting or prioritizing appropriate actions in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the global targets for 2025 as put forward in the Comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition, endorsed by the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly in 2012, in resolution WHA65.6, the Global strategy for women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health (2016–2030), and the Global Strategy for infant and young child feeding. 

Since the first edition was published in 2000, Managing Complications in Pregnancy and Childbirth has been translated into several languages and today is used widely in training for and the provision of emergency obstetric care. The new edition brings the guidance in the manual into line with WHO’s current recommendations for emergency obstetric and newborn care. While most pregnancies and births are uneventful, all pregnancies are at risk. Around 15% of all pregnant women will develop a potentially life-threatening complication that calls for skilled care, and some will require a major obstetrical intervention to survive. This manual is written for midwives and doctors at the district hospital who are responsible for the care of women with complications of pregnancy, childbirth or the immediate postpartum period, including immediate problems of the newborn.