Category Archives: Health Systems
A comparison of accuracy and computational feasibility of two record linkage algorithms in retrieving vital status information from HIV/AIDS patients registered in Brazilian public databases
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: While cross-referencing information from people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to the official mortality database is a critical step in monitoring the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Brazil, the accuracy...
How should HIV resources be allocated? Lessons learnt from applying Optima HIV in 23 countries
INTRODUCTION: With limited funds available, meeting global health targets requires countries to both mobilize and prioritize their health spending. Within this context, countries have recognized the importance of allocating funds...
Linking private, for-profit providers to public sector services for HIV and tuberculosis co-infected patients: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of infectious disease deaths worldwide and is the leading cause of death among people with HIV. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called...
Doing patient-centredness versus achieving public health targets: A critical review of interactional dilemmas in ART adherence support
Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART) transformed HIV into a chronic disease but its individual and public health benefits depend on high levels of adherence. The large and rising number of people on...
Physiotherapy for people with mental health problems in Sub-Saharan African countries: A systematic review
Background: There is a need for psychosocial interventions to address the escalating mental health burden in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Physiotherapists could have a central role in reducing the burden and...
Measures and metrics for feasibility of proof-of-concept studies with human immunodeficiency virus rapid point-of-care technologies: The evidence and the framework
Objective: Pilot (feasibility) studies form a vast majority of diagnostic studies with point-of-care technologies but often lack use of clear measures/metrics and a consistent framework for reporting and evaluation. To...
A systematic review of health care provider-perceived barriers and facilitators to routine HIV testing in primary care settings in the Southeastern United States
Despite efforts to improve HIV screening and testing, many primary care settings do not follow established guidelines. The purpose of our systematic review was to describe health care providers’ perceived...
Cost-effectiveness of routine viral load monitoring in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
INTRODUCTION: Routine viral load monitoring for HIV-1 management of persons on antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify treatment failure. However, viral load...
Patient acceptability and feasibility of HIV testing in emergency departments in the UK — A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: NICE 2016 HIV testing guidelines now include the recommendation to offer HIV testing in Emergency Departments, in areas of high prevalence,(1) to everyone who is undergoing blood tests. 23%...
