Category Archives: Health services
Is patient navigation a solution to the problem of “leaving no one behind”? A scoping review of evidence from low-income countries
Patient navigation interventions, which are designed to enable patients excluded from health systems to overcome the barriers they face in accessing care, have multiplied in high-income countries since the 1990s....
Exploring the social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with HIV (PLHIV): A scoping review
Understanding the clinical impact of COVID-19 has been central to emerging research in the HIV field, but in focusing on the biomedical, researchers must not overlook the socially embedded nature...
Acceptability and uptake of HIV self-testing in emergency care settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Emergency departments (ED) interface with large numbers of patients that are often missed by conventional HIV testing approaches. ED-based HIV self-testing (HIVST) is an innovative engagement approach which has potential...
Barriers and facilitators for early and exclusive breastfeeding in health facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan Africa carries a disproportionate burden of under-five child deaths in the world and appropriate breastfeeding practices can support efforts to reduce child mortality rates. Health facilities are important...
Structural determinants of HIV/STI prevalence, HIV/STI/sexual and reproductive health access, and condom use among immigrant sex workers globally
OBJECTIVE: Given stark health inequities among precarious and criminalized workers, we aimed to apply a structural determinants framework to systematically review evidence on HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence, access to...
How women’s experiences and perceptions of care influence uptake of postnatal care across sub-Saharan Africa: A qualitative systematic review
BACKGROUND: The burden of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality is a global health concern with the highest burden documented after childbirth in women and babies living in sub-Saharan Africa....
Health system adaptations and considerations to facilitate optimal oral pre-exposure prophylaxis scale-up in sub-Saharan Africa
Following WHO’s 2015 recommendation, countries in sub-Saharan Africa have progressively scaled up oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as part of combination HIV prevention. PrEP has potential to significantly reduce new HIV...
A scoping review examining social and legal gender affirmation and health among transgender populations
Purpose: Transgender (trans) populations experience health inequities. Gender affirmation refers to psychological, social, legal, and medical validation of one’s gender and is a key social determinant of trans health. The...
Barriers to the management of children under five exposed to HIV in the rural areas of South Africa
BACKGROUND: South Africa has made enormous progress in reducing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), however, MTCT and AIDS related death persist among children particularly in the rural...
Exploring sustainability in the era of differentiated HIV service delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization recommends differentiated service delivery (DSD) to support resource-limited health systems in providing patient-centered HIV care. DSD offers alternative care models to clinic-based care for people...
