Category Archives: Health Systems
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Barriers and enablers to integrating maternal and child health services to antenatal care in low and middle income countries
Antenatal care (ANC) represents a delivery platform for a broad range of health services; however, these opportunities are insufficiently utilised. This review explores key barriers and enablers for successful integration...
