Category Archives: Health Systems
Toward the sustainability of health interventions implemented in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and conceptual framework
BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is facing a double burden of disease with a rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) while the burden of communicable diseases (CDs) remains high. Despite these...
Barriers to workplace HIV testing in South Africa: A systematic review of the literature
Low workplace HIV testing uptake makes effective management of HIV and AIDS difficult for South African organisations. Identifying barriers to workplace HIV testing is therefore crucial to inform urgently needed...
Lack of sexual minorities’ rights as a barrier to HIV prevention among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Asia: A systematic review
This study set out to assess the relationship between variation in human rights for sexual minorities in Asian countries and indicators of HIV prevention among men who have sex with...
The impact of criminalization of HIV non-disclosure on the healthcare engagement of women living with HIV in Canada: A comprehensive review of the evidence
INTRODUCTION: In 2012, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that people living with HIV (PLWH) must disclose their HIV status to sexual partners prior to sexual activity that poses a...
The global pendulum swing towards community health workers in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review of trends, geographical distribution and programmatic orientations, 2005 to 2014
BACKGROUND: There has been a substantial increase in publications and interest in community health workers (CHWs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) over the last years. This paper examines the...
Barriers and facilitators of interventions for improving antiretroviral therapy adherence: A systematic review of global qualitative evidence
INTRODUCTION: Qualitative research on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence interventions can provide a deeper understanding of intervention facilitators and barriers. This systematic review aims to synthesize qualitative evidence of interventions for...
Effectiveness of pharmacy-based needle/syringe exchange programme for people who inject drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis
AIMS: To appraise the evidence critically for effectiveness of pharmacy-based needle/syringe exchange programmes (pharmacy-based NSPs) on risk behaviours (RBs), HIV/HCV prevalence and economic outcomes among people who inject drugs (PWID)....
The contribution of unsafe blood transfusion to human immunodeficiency virus incidence in sub-Saharan Africa: Reexamination of the 5% to 10% convention
BACKGROUND: Historical estimates have attributed 5% to 10% of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to unsafe blood transfusions. Although frequently cited, the validity of this...
Paediatric HIV testing beyond the context of prevention of mother-to-child transmission: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Many HIV-positive children in low-income and middle-income countries remain undiagnosed. Although HIV testing in children at health facilities is recommended by WHO, it is not well implemented. This systematic...
Scoping review: Strategies of providing care for children with chronic health conditions in low- and middle-income countries
OBJECTIVES: To identify and review strategies of providing care for children living with chronic health conditions in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE and Cochrane EPOC databases for...
Mobile phone interventions for adolescent sexual and reproductive health: A systematic review
CONTEXT: Interventions for adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) are increasingly using mobile phones but may not effectively report evidence. OBJECTIVE: To assess strategies, findings, and quality of evidence on...
