Category Archives: Health Systems
Modeling the cost-effectiveness of HIV treatment: how to buy the most ‘health’ when resources are limited
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize recent cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) that evaluate optimal treatment strategies for persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). RECENT FINDINGS: Efforts to attain universal coverage of current treatment...
The cost of treatment and care for people living with HIV infection: Implications of published studies, 1999-2008
Purpose of review: Increasing number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) will require expanded access to health services. Countries need robust and contemporary strategic information on the cost of care...
Considerations for implementing oral preexposure prophylaxis: A literature review
Oral preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is in its infancy as an approved biomedical intervention; therefore, research is needed to understand the issues surrounding its implementation. The purpose of this literature review...
Effect of race and/or ethnicity in use of antiretrovirals and prophylaxis for opportunistic infection: A review of the literature
OBJECTIVE: The authors performed a systematic and critical review of published studies investigating potential associations between race and/or ethnicity and use of HIV-related medications, including antiretroviral medications and medications used...
Telephone consultation for improving health of people living with or at risk of HIV: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Low cost, effective interventions are needed to deal with the major global burden of HIV/AIDS. Telephone consultation offers the potential to improve health of people living with HIV/AIDS cost-effectively...
The paradigm of universal access to HIV-treatment and human rights violation: How do we treat HIV-positive people who use drugs?
HIV-positive people who use drugs (PWUDs) are particularly vulnerable for suboptimal access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). We conducted a systematic review to identify factors associated with suboptimal HAART...
Integrating antiretroviral therapy into antenatal care and maternal and child health settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether integrating antiretroviral therapy (ART) into antenatal care (ANC) and maternal and child health (MCH) clinics could improve programmatic and patient outcomes. METHODS: The authors systematically searched...
HIV prevention for South African youth: which interventions work? A systematic review of current evidence
BACKGROUND: In South Africa, HIV prevalence among youth aged 15-24 is among the world’s highest. Given the urgent need to identify effective HIV prevention approaches, this review assesses the evidence...
A systematic review of the role of school-based healthcare in adolescent sexual, reproductive, and mental health
BACKGROUND: Accessible sexual, reproductive, and mental healthcare services are crucial for adolescent health and wellbeing. It has been reported that school-based healthcare (SBHC) has the potential to improve the availability...
HIV vaccine preparedness studies in the non-organization for economic co-operation and development (non-OECD) countries
HIV vaccine development remains an urgent priority. Vaccine preparedness studies to assess feasibility are an important precursor to HIV vaccine trials. Studies such as these have taken place in many...
The impact of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programmes on maternal health care in resource-poor settings: Looking beyond the PMTCT programme – a systematic review
BACKGROUND: There is increasing debate about the impact of scaled-up HIV/AIDS programmes on fragile healthcare systems in low-income countries. OBJECTIVES: To contribute to the understanding of the relation between HIV/AIDS...
Economic costs of HIV/AIDS prevention activities in sub-Saharan Africa
This paper reviews the existing evidence base of the costs of prevention activities in sub-Saharan Africa, considers the degree of comparability between different cost estimates and highlights factors that are important in attempting...
