Category Archives: Health Systems
Dynamic transmission economic evaluation of infectious disease interventions in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic literature review
Economic evaluation using dynamic transmission models is important for capturing the indirect effects of infectious disease interventions. We examine the use of these methods in low- and middle-income countries, where...
The views and experiences of nurses and midwives in the provision and management of provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling: A systematic review of qualitative evidence
BACKGROUND: Global progress towards HIV prevention and care is contingent upon increasing the number of those aware of their status through HIV testing. Provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling is recommended...
Evaluation of a rapid point of care test for detecting acute and established HIV infection, and examining the role of study quality on diagnostic accuracy: A Bayesian meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: Fourth generation (Ag/Ab combination) point of care HIV tests like the FDA-approved Determine HIV1/2 Ag/Ab Combo test offer the promise of timely detection of acute HIV infection, relevant in...
Health system and community level interventions for improving antenatal care coverage and health outcomes
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least four antenatal care (ANC) visits for all pregnant women. Almost half of pregnant women worldwide, and especially in developing countries do...
Facilitators and barriers in HIV linkage to care interventions: A qualitative evidence review
OBJECTIVE: To synthesize qualitative evidence on linkage to care interventions for people living with HIV. DESIGN: Systematic literature review. METHODS: We searched nineteen databases for studies reporting qualitative evidence on...
Prevalence of HIV and hepatitis B virus co-infection in sub-Saharan Africa and the potential impact and program feasibility of hepatitis B surface antigen screening in resource-limited settings
BACKGROUND: Screening people living with HIV for hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infection is recommended in resource-rich settings to optimize HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) and mitigate HBV-related liver disease. This review...
Diagnosing acute and prevalent HIV-1 infection in young African adults seeking care for fever: A systematic review and audit of current practice
Fever is a common complaint in HIV-1 infected adults and may be a presenting sign of acute HIV-1 infection (AHI). We investigated the extent to which HIV-1 infection was considered...
Rifapentine for latent tuberculosis infection treatment in the general population and human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients: Summary of evidence
Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-coinfection are challenges in the control of tuberculosis transmission. We aimed to assess and summarize evidence available in the literature regarding the...
A systematic review of treatment fatigue among HIV-infected patients prescribed antiretroviral therapy
HIV treatment requires lifelong adherence to medication regimens that comprise inconvenient scheduling, adverse side effects, and lifestyle changes. Antiretroviral adherence and treatment fatigue have been inextricably linked. Adherence in HIV-infected...
