Dr. Marc Mitchell is a pediatrician and management specialist with 30 years of experience in the design and delivery of health care services. His research interests focus on the management of health care services and how changes in design and implementation can achieve improvements in both efficiency and effectiveness of health care.
One area of research is on the implementation of Reproductive Health and Child Health programs, and how managers can best use their scarce resources to design and manage effective programs that meet the needs of their clients. This research has led to studies of costs and prioritization of services, and tools for effective implementation.
A related area of research is how to improve the overall performance of health systems at the district level where health officials are typically overwhelmed by the managerial demands they face. This issue has been accelerated by the promotion of health sector reforms which often include decentralization, privatization, and integration of programs. At the same time, numerous disease control programs are being promoted, making it difficult for district staff to set priorities and achieve results. This research has led to the design of a planning tool or matrix which is now being used on a trial basis in several countries to test its effectiveness.
Dr. Mitchell's most recent work is in the application of mobile technology to improve health care delivery. He is currently leading a project that used hand held computers (PDA) to screen AIDS patients for symptoms and side effects of ARVs and is working on the application of this technology to screen and treat children. This work, originally done in South Africa, is now being applied to care and treatment centers in Tanzania. Another related area is the application of hand held technology to improve the use of the IMCI child health protocols. Our initial studies show that health providers more closely follow electronic protocols leading to better quality of care and better health outcomes.