Are doctors and nurses associated with coverage of essential health services in developing countries? A cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is broad policy consensus that a shortage of doctors and nurses is a key constraint to increasing utilization of essential health services important for achieving the health Millennium Development Goals. However there is limited research on the quantitative links between health workers and service coverage rates. We examined the relationship between doctor and nurse concentrations and utilization rates of five essential health services in developing countries.

Methods

We performed cross-national analyses of low- and middle-income countries by means of ordinary least squares regression with coverage rates of antenatal care, attended delivery, caesarean section, measles immunization, tuberculosis case diagnosis and care for acute respiratory infection as outco

SUBMITTER: Kruk ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2670260 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature