Use of telemedicine in obstetrics and gynaecology in Zimbabwe during a lockdown period.

Introduction: Telemedicine is an ideal innovation to achieve social distancing, one of the mitigating strategies during the current Covid 19 pandemic. Zimbabwe effected a 21day lockdown from the 2nd of March 2020 to control the spread of the Covid 19 infection. Free teleconsultation service was provided by the researcher.

Cytomegalovirus-associated esophageal stricture as a manifestation of the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) esophagitis is well described in immunocompromised individuals, however, esophageal stricture due to CMV is rare. CMV disease in the setting of the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) usually takes the form of an immune-recovery uveitis or retinitis. We describe a young female patient with HIV who developed an esophageal stricture due to CMV within 6 months of starting antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Adaptation and implementation of local maternity dashboards in a Zimbabwean hospital to drive clinical improvement.

Problem: The Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health of the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that national health outcome data were often of questionable quality and "not timely enough for practical use by health planners and administrators". Delayed reporting of poor-quality data limits the ability of front-line staff to identify problems rapidly and make improvements.

Approach: Clinical "dashboards" based on locally available data offer a way of providing accurate and timely information.

A 'one-stop shop' approach in antenatal care: does this improve antiretroviral treatment uptake in Zimbabwe?

Setting: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programme, Mpilo Hospital antenatal clinic, Zimbabwe.

Objective: Before and after the introduction of a one-stop shop approach and task-shifting of antiretroviral treatment (ART) to midwives in the PMTCT programme, 1) to compare ART uptake and 2) to determine socio-demographic and other characteristics associated with non-initiation of ART post integration.

Design: Before and after cohort study.