Category Archives: Governance arrangements
How decisions about care are made
Barriers and facilitators to the diagnosis of HIV and other STIs in primary care within publicly funded healthcare systems: A systematic review of qualitative studies
BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) are a major public health concern. Primary care (PC) is the ideal setting for their diagnosis. Designing effective strategies...
Efficacy and safety of long-acting lenacapavir for HIV treatment and prevention: A systematic review of randomized trials
Background: Lenacapavir is a first-in-class, long-acting HIV-1 capsid inhibitor enabling treatment and prevention with reduced reliance on daily oral adherence. Evidence from randomized trials across indications remains fragmented. We systematically...
Perceptions about the relationship between HIV, antiretroviral therapy (ART), and fecundity in sub-Saharan Africa: Findings from a systematic scoping review
Advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART) enable women living with HIV to safely conceive and give birth without vertical transmission. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 6 people experience infertility and...
Age-specific distribution of cervical precancer and cancer among women living with HIV across seven countries: A systematic review and an individual patient data meta-analysis
Background Women living with HIV have an elevated risk for cervical cancer, present earlier, and have more recurrent human papillomavirus (HPV) infections compared with women without HIV. To update WHO recommendations...
Colliding wars: A systematic review on HIV responses in conflict-affected settings
BACKGROUND: Armed conflicts are an escalating threat to public health, often marked by violence, poverty, displacement and weakened health systems-conditions that mirror the drivers of HIV transmission. AIM: This review...
HIV and cardiovascular diseases: A systematic review and comparative risk assessment study
Background People living with HIV (PLWH) face a significantly elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This study aims to quantify temporal trends in HIV-attributable CVD burden at global, regional and...
Analytical techniques for laboratory testing of HIV: A systematic review
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), remains a significant global public health threat. Effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) can reduce HIV viral loads to undetectable levels....
Obstetric nurses’ approach to evidence-based practice in breastfeeding within the context of HIV: A scoping review
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Human immunodeficiency virus remains a significant public health challenge, with breastfeeding contributing to the risk of mother-to-child transmission. Although antiretroviral therapy significantly reduces this risk, obstetric nurses face complex...
Closing diagnostic gaps in pediatric HIV: Innovations in point-of-care and digital monitoring with an Asia-Pacific implementation lens—A systematic review
Background/Objectives: Pediatric HIV case-finding and monitoring remain constrained by delayed early infant diagnosis (EID), loss to follow-up, and limited viral load (VL) testing-challenges particularly consequential in the operationally diverse Asia-Pacific...
HIV self-testing and clinician-administered testing in Southern Africa: A systematic review of programmatic outcomes
Objective: In 2024, an estimated 5.3 million of 40.8 million people with HIV (PWH) globally were unaware of their status, with Southern Africa bearing the highest regional burden. This review synthesizes...
Systematic scoping review on HIV services for males in Sub-Saharan Africa: Access, barriers, and research gaps
BACKGROUND: Access to HIV services among men and boys in Sub-Saharan Africa is a significant public health challenge, exacerbated by cultural norms surrounding masculinity. This scoping review systematically investigates disparities...
