Design Research to Embed mHealth into a Community-Led Blood Pressure Management System in Uganda: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Uncontrolled hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In Uganda, such diseases account for approximately 10% of all deaths, with 1 in 5 adults having hypertension (>90% of the hypertensive cases are uncontrolled). Although basic health care in the country is available free of cost at government facilities, regularly accessing medication to control hypertension is difficult because supply chain challenges impede availability.

Uptake and effectiveness of a mobile application for real-time reporting and quality assurance of decentralized SARS-CoV-2 testing in Uganda.

Background: Effective management of the COVID-19 pandemic required rapid expansion of diagnosis. The introduction of antigen tests presented an opportunity to decentralize testing, but raised challenges with ensuring accurate and timely reporting of testing data, which is essential to guide the response. Digital solutions can help address this challenge and provide more efficient means of monitoring and quality assurance.

Effect of ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on invasive pneumococcal disease and nasopharyngeal carriage in Kenya: a longitudinal surveillance study.

Background: Ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10), delivered at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age was introduced in Kenya in January, 2011, accompanied by a catch-up campaign in Kilifi County for children aged younger than 5 years. Coverage with at least two PCV10 doses in children aged 2-11 months was 80% in 2011 and 84% in 2016; coverage with at least one dose in children aged 12-59 months was 66% in 2011 and 87% in 2016. We aimed to assess PCV10 effect against nasopharyngeal carriage and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children and adults in Kilifi County.

Coverage and timeliness of vaccination and the validity of routine estimates: Insights from a vaccine registry in Kenya.

Background: The benefits of childhood vaccines are critically dependent on vaccination coverage. We used a vaccine registry (as gold standard) in Kenya to quantify errors in routine coverage methods (surveys and administrative reports), to estimate the magnitude of survivor bias, contrast coverage with timeliness and use both measures to estimate population immunity.

Methods: Vaccination records of children in the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS), Kenya were combined with births, deaths, migration and residence data from 2010 to 17.

Does audit and feedback improve the adoption of recommended practices? Evidence from a longitudinal observational study of an emerging clinical network in Kenya.

Background: Audit and feedback (A&F) is widely used in healthcare but there are few examples of how to deploy it at scale in low-income countries. Establishing the Clinical Information Network (CIN) in Kenya provided an opportunity to examine the effect of A&F delivered as part of a wider set of activities to promote paediatric guideline adherence.

Methods: We analysed data collected from medical records on discharge for children aged 2-59 months from 14 Kenyan hospitals in the CIN.