title: International partnerships and the development of a Sister Hospital Programme.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite some progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals, there are still major discrepancies in health service provision between developed and developing countries. Nurses are key players to improving the quality of health services. Increasingly, partnerships are being initiated between nurses of different countries to enable those working in developing countries to improve standards of clinical care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper describes a partnership between two major teaching hospitals: one in Indonesia and one in Australia, designed to assist in improving standards of clinical care within the Indonesian hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  The nature of the partnership, conceptualized as a Sister Hospital Program, is described. The processes and outcomes of the pilot programme conducted in 2011 are outlined. A brief description of the methods used to gain financial support from the Northern Territory Government is provided. The programme offered a skills development programme for selected staff from Sanglah General Hospital in Bali at Royal Darwin Hospital in northern Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The paper uses Green's PROCEED-PRECEDE framework both to describe and evaluate the pilot programme.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The skills development programme was enthusiastically evaluated by staff from both hospitals and has led to major changes in the management of patients within the Emergency Department of Sanglah General Hospital. The success of the pilot has resulted in longer-term funding by the Australian government. WIDER POLICY OUTCOMES: The partnership model described in the paper is submitted as a possible framework for others wishing to build long-term and collaborative relationships between nurses of different nations.
authors: Sister Hospital Program, RSUP Sanglah, Bali & Royal Darwin Hospital, NT, Australia. dibrown456@gmail.com
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Brown
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Rickard
authors: K A
authors: KA
authors: Mustriwati
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Seiler
mesh_terms: D006291:Health Policy; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007214:Indonesia; D007391:International Cooperation; D009042:Motivation; D015876:Northern Territory; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000592:standards*; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010865:Pilot Projects; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011788:Quality of Life