Category Archives: Health Systems
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...
Option B+ for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV infection in developing countries: A review of published cost-effectiveness analyses
OBJECTIVE: To review the published literature on the cost effectiveness of Option B+ (lifelong antiretroviral therapy) for preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV during pregnancy and breastfeeding to inform decision...
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...
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...
Lessons learned from a review of interventions for adolescent and young key populations in Asia Pacific and opportunities for programming
BACKGROUND: Over a third of new HIV infections globally are among 15-24 year-olds and over 20% among adolescents aged 10-19 years in Asia Pacific. The review was initiated to identify...
The enabling effect of food assistance in improving adherence and/or treatment completion for antiretroviral therapy and tuberculosis treatment: A literature review
Socioeconomic costs of HIV and TB and the difficulty of maintaining optimal treatment are well documented. Social protection measures such as food assistance may be required to offset some of...
Ethical issues surrounding the provider initiated Opt-Out Prenatal HIV screening practice in Sub-Saharan Africa: A literature review
BACKGROUND: Prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV remains a key public health priority in most developing countries. The provider Initiated Opt-Out Prenatal HIV Screening Approach, recommended by the...
Reproductive health and family planning needs among HIV-infected women in Sub-Saharan Africa
OBJECTIVE: Review key topics and recent literature regarding reproductive health and family planning needs for HIV-infected women in Sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: Electronic searches performed in PubMed, JSTOR, and Web of...
