Category Archives: Health Systems
Prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among adults taking antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Undernutrition (Body Mass Index < 18.5 kg/m2) is a common problem and a major cause of hospital admission for patients living with HIV. Though sub-Saharan Africa is the most...
Barriers and facilitators to maintaining a high level of polypharmacy adherence in people living with HIV: A scoping review
Objectives: With the prolongation of life span and increasing incidence of comorbidities, polypharmacy has become a challenge for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). This review aimed to identify barriers and...
Does telehealth affect the adherence to ART among patients with HIV? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Several studies have shown different effects of telehealth interventions on adherence to Antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people living with HIV. This study conducted a meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials...
Strategies to increase couples HIV testing and counselling in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
INTRODUCTION: Couple HIV testing and counselling (CHTC) is associated with measurable benefits for HIV prevention and treatment. However, the uptake remains limited in much of sub-Saharan Africa, despite an expanded...
Characteristics of psychosocial interventions to improve ART adherence in people living with HIV: A systematic review
The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to be a significant global public health crisis. The main HIV/AIDS treatment is the antiretroviral therapy (ART), which is highly effective but depends on the patient’s...
Health economic analyses of latent tuberculosis infection screening and preventive treatment among people living with HIV in lower tuberculosis incidence settings: A systematic review
Introduction: In lower tuberculosis (TB) incidence countries (<100 cases/100,000/year), screening and preventive treatment (PT) for latent TB infection (LTBI) among people living with HIV (PLWH) is often recommended, yet guidelines...
Influencing factors and adverse outcomes of virologic rebound states in anti-retroviral-treated individuals with HIV infection
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) aims to inhibit HIV replication, decrease CD4 T cell loss, and immune function recovery in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with the infection. Treatment...
Service delivery models that promote linkages to PrEP for adolescent girls and young women and men in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review
BACKGROUND: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an emerging biomedical prevention intervention. Documenting PrEP service delivery models (SDMs) that promote linkage to and continuation of PrEP will inform guidelines and maximise roll-out....
Female empowerment to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes and prevent violence in adolescent girls and young women in Uganda: Evidence reviews for policy
BACKGROUND: Adolescent girls and young women in Uganda face numerous public health challenges including high HIV prevalence, teenage pregnancies, poor sexual and reproductive health rights, child marriage, and violence. OBJECTIVES:...
Acceptability, feasibility, and efficacy of telehealth interventions for HIV testing and treatment in adult populations
Introduction: The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) led to the rapid adoption of telehealth to provide HIV care and treatment. However, limited information exists about the...
Public health services and intersectional stigma: A social sciences perspective with implications for HIV service design and delivery
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Understanding stigma is important for improving HIV care services and gaps in HIV service delivery have been attributed to stigma. This review article synthesizes recent evidence on...
