Category Archives: Health Systems
Incidence of opportunistic infections and the impact of antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected adults in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: To understand regional burdens and inform delivery of health services, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on incidence of key...
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...
Scarcity of protective items against HIV and other bloodborne infections in 13 low- and middle-income countries
OBJECTIVE: To assess protection of surgical healthcare workers against HIV and other bloodborne infections in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: Literature review based on recent studies assessing baseline surgical...
Trends in task shifting in HIV treatment in Africa: Effectiveness, challenges and acceptability to the health professions
BACKGROUND: Task shifting has been suggested to meet the demand for initiating and managing more patients on antiretroviral therapy. Although the idea of task shifting is not new, it acquires...
Regional and national guideline recommendations for digital ano-rectal examination as a means for anal cancer screening in HIV positive men who have sex with men: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Although anal cancer is common in HIV positive men who have sex with men, few centres offer systematic screening. Regular digital ano-rectal examination (DARE) is a type of screening...
