Toward More Effective Humanitarian Assistance

Abstract

Although perspectives of military and civilian humanitarians may differ, they share common goals and parallel efforts for more effective humanitarian assistance. Effectiveness measures for military or civilian humanitarian assistance are discussed. Whereas examples cite military medicine, findings and recommendations are widely applicable to all forms of humanitarian assistance especially developmental relief. Humanitarian effectiveness is improved by a straightforward, standard approach to planning and evaluation, such as the logical framework process. Given successful application by a wide variety of private volunteer, nongovernmental, and international humanitarian organizations, the logical framework process is recommended for adaptation by the Department of Defense. More effective humanitarian assistance requires: developing specific, written purpose, criteria, and quantifiable measures, coordinating the purpose, criteria, and measures with all involved, including donor and host nation officials, all other providers (expatriates, private volunteers, nongovernmentals, international organizations), and beneficiaries, and documenting then analyzing results to compare outcomes with project purpose and international consensus standards for minimal performance in humanitarian assistance (i.e., Sphere project, see http://www.sphereproject.org/).

Application of Outcome Measures in International Humanitarian Aid: Comparing Indices through Retrospective Analysis of Corrective Surgical Care Cases

“…[1][2][3] The provision of such care rarely is documented in peer-reviewed journals, and outcome indices and measures of effectiveness, while generally applied to medical interventions, have not been applied to these settings. [4][5][6] Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a severe shortage of healthcare workers in 57 developing countries. For example, Sub-Saharan Africa has 11% of the Application of Outcome Measures An unknown number of surgical interventions are provided throughout the developing world by personnel from charitable and religious organizations, volunteer aid organizations, and well-established, funded organizations.…”

Political drivers of epidemic response: foreign healthcare workers and the 2014 Ebola outbreak

“…While foreign aid in general has received theoretical attention, little prior research has theorised foreign medical assistance in epidemic response or its politics (Duffield, Macrae, and Curtis, 2001;Gauri and Lieberman, 2006). Existing works describe responses to single cases, or appraise the effectiveness of medical responses after personnel deployments (Drifmeyer and Llewellyn, 2004;Abolghasemi et al, 2006;Lee and Low, 2006;Gerdin, Wladis, and von Schreeb, 2013). Other studies, generally on human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemics, assess why affected countries may themselves respond differently (Hyden and Lanegran, 1993;Boone and Batsell, 2001;Bor, 2007), and the global health governance challenges that this poses (Lee and Dodgson, 2000;Leach, Scoones, and Stirling, 2010).…”

Maintaining Baseline, Corrective Surgical Care during Asymmetrical Warfare: A Case Study of a Humanitarian Mission in the Safe Zone of a Neighboring Country

“…Few humanitarian organizations objectively evaluate their programs, and assessments of military medical interventions for civilians rarely go beyond achievement indicators. 29 Few statistical analyses on caseloads and indicators of effectiveness, including baseline morbidity and mortality, have been published. 7,29 Critical and constructive monitoring and evaluation of these programs, especially those provided in a neighboring safe zone, is necessary to determine whether the benefits outweigh the risks encountered and if the impact on the medical system is positive or negative.…”