Category Archives: Health Systems
A systematic review of HIV testing implementation strategies in sub-Saharan African countries
HIV/AIDS remains a looming presence in public health across the world, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The HIV Care Cascade hinges on testing and knowledge of HIV status. Though significant advances...
Psychotherapy for comorbid depression and somatic disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: The treatment of depression in patients with somatic disorders is crucial, given its negative impact on quality of life (QoL), functioning, and even on the somatic disease prognosis. We...
Barriers to and enablers of uptake of antiretroviral therapy in integrated HIV and tuberculosis treatment programmes in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction Programmes that merge management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) aim to improve HIV/TB co-infected patients’ access to comprehensive treatment. However, several reports from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)...
“Slam Sex”—Sexualized Injecting Drug Use (“SIDU”) Amongst Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)—A Scoping Review
Sexualized injecting drug use (“SIDU”) is a phenomenon associated with a wide array of high-risk injecting and sex-related practices. This scoping review establishes what is known about MSM and SIDU...
Is tenofovir disoproxil fumarate associated with weight loss?
Background: Recent clinical trials have shown weight gain associated with newer antiretrovirals. It is unclear how the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor backbone affects weight. Recent evidence suggests greater weight gain with...
HIV test coverage among pregnant women in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction: A human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test during pregnancy is the gateway to the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. Estimating the national uptake of HIV tests among pregnant...
The cost-effectiveness of sexual and reproductive health and rights interventions in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review
Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are an essential component of universal health coverage (UHC). In determining which SRHR interventions to include in their UHC benefits package, countries are...
Decade of research into the acceptability of interventions aimed at improving adolescent and youth health and social outcomes in Africa: A systematic review and evidence map
OBJECTIVE: Interventions aimed at improving adolescent health and social outcomes are more likely to be successful if the young people they target find them acceptable. However, no standard definitions or...
Reproductive justice in the time of COVID-19: A systematic review of the indirect impacts of COVID-19 on sexual and reproductive health
OBJECTIVE: Despite gendered dimensions of COVID-19 becoming increasingly apparent, the impact of COVID-19 and other respiratory epidemics on women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health (SRH) have yet to be...
Effects of telehealth-assisted interventions among people living with HIV/AIDS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies
Introduction: Taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a daily necessity for people living with HIV but these individuals experience multiple barriers and challenges to medication adherence. Interventions to support medication adherence have...
Hepatitis B virus genetic multiplicity and the associated HBV lamivudine resistance mutations in HBV/HIV co-infection in Western Kenya: A review article
Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infections are common as the two viruses use same routes of transmission. Studies show that HIV infection modifies the natural course...
