Category Archives: Health Systems
Healthcare programmes for truck drivers in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Truck drivers have unique health needs, and by virtue of their continuous travel, experience difficulty in accessing healthcare. Currently, planning for effective care is hindered by lack of knowledge...
Information and communication technologies for adherence to antiretroviral treatment in adults with HIV/AIDS
INTRODUCTION: Information and communication technologies support interventions directed at the prevention of HIV transmission and patient monitoring by promoting improved accessibility and quality of care. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy...
Retention of HIV-infected children in the first 12 months of anti-retroviral therapy and predictors of attrition in resource limited settings: A systematic review
Current UNAIDS goals aimed to end the AIDS epidemic set out to ensure that 90% of all people living with HIV know their status, 90% initiate and continue life-long anti-retroviral...
POC CD4 testing improves linkage to HIV care and timeliness of ART initiation in a public health approach: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: CD4 cell count is an important test in HIV programs for baseline risk assessment, monitoring of ART where viral load is not available, and, in many settings, antiretroviral therapy...
Policing practices as a structural determinant for HIV among sex workers: A systematic review of empirical findings
INTRODUCTION: Sex workers are disproportionately infected with HIV worldwide. Significant focus has been placed on understanding the structural determinants of HIV and designing related interventions. Although there is growing international...
Reclaiming fertility awareness methods to inform timed intercourse for HIV serodiscordant couples attempting to conceive
INTRODUCTION: Increased life expectancy of HIV-positive individuals during recent years has drawn attention to their quality of life, which includes fulfillment of fertility desires. In particular, heterosexual HIV serodiscordant couples...
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health services and implications for the provision of voluntary medical male circumcision: Results of a systematic literature review
BACKGROUND: Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is a critical HIV prevention tool. Since 2007, sub-Saharan African countries with the highest prevalence of HIV have been mobilizing resources to make VMMC...
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...
