Transforming UNICEF’s approach to health system strengthening: what place can a blended learning course play?

BACKGROUND: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) published their Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) approach to meet its strategic goals of ending preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths and promoting the health and development of all children and reducing inequities in health in 2016. UNICEF commissioned the University of Melbourne’s Nossal Institute for Global Health to develop and deliver a pilot blended HSS program, involving 60 hours of online learning and 2 weeks of face-to-face teaching over a 6-month period. To assess the extent to which the HSS program had built the first 83 UNICEF 2017 graduates’ capabilities to apply HSS actions by 2017, UNICEF funded an independent evaluator from the University of Melbourne. METHODS: A mixed-methods assessment was conducted using: online surveys of graduates at: enrolment, completion, 6 months post-HSS program; nine focus groups with graduates at face-to-face workshops; and interviews with purposive samples of UNICEF graduates and graduate Senior Managers 12 months post-HSS program. RESULTS: The HSS program content, structure and mode of delivery was positively received. Graduates reported increased confidence taking HSS actions and multiple changes in work practices (e.g., increased systems thinking and using of health system-based approaches). Graduates’ Senior Manager interviews revealed mixed impressions of graduates applying HSS actions, partly explained by the fit between the HSS program learnings and UNICEF’s workplace environment. Key contextual factors influencing graduates applying HSS actions included: workload; limited opportunities to apply HSS actions; limited HSS examples; and variable support to apply HSS actions. Graduate and Senior Manager suggestions to optimise applying HSS actions included: linking HSS program content with UNICEF priorities; increasing opportunities for graduates to apply HSS actions; increasing access to HSS support. CONCLUSIONS: The paper concludes by presenting HSS program and assessment suggestions from the 2017 UNICEF Pilot HSS program assessment and actions taken for the 2018 UNICEF staff cohorts by HSS program developers, funders and beneficiaries.