General practice chlamydia testing: qualitative study of staff approaches using behavioural change theory.

Background: Chlamydia is the most diagnosed bacterial sexually transmitted infection in England, but opportunistic testing remains low in general practice despite high prevalence among young people. Attempts to increase testing have been met with little success; therefore, there is a need to explore why rates remain low and how this may be improved.

Aim: To explore general practice staff perceptions of opportunistic chlamydia testing, including barriers, facilitators, interventions, and policies, using the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW).

Quality of life among adults with scabies: A community-based cross-sectional study in north-western Ethiopia.

Introduction: Scabies undermines quality of life through its highly disturbing disease symptoms, by distorting self-perception, and secondary to social stigma. Knowledge of its effect on quality of life in general and on specific aspects of day-to-day life is key to addressing the health needs of individual patients and to evaluating gains from community-based disease control interventions.

Objectives: To measure the effect of scabies on the quality of life of people with the infestation.

Protocol for VIVALDI social care: Pilot study to reduce infections, outbreaks and antimicrobial resistance in care homes for older adults.

Care home residents are vulnerable to severe outcomes from infections such as COVID-19 and influenza. However, measures to control outbreaks, such as care home closures to visitors and new admissions, have a detrimental impact on their quality of life. Many infections and outbreaks could be prevented but the first step is to measure them reliably.

VIVALDI ASCOT and Ethnography Study: protocol for a mixed-methods longitudinal study to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 and other respiratory infection outbreaks on care home residents' quality of life and psychosocial well-being.

Introduction: Older adults in care homes experienced some of the highest rates of mortality from SARS-CoV-2 globally and were subjected to strict and lengthy non-pharmaceutical interventions, which severely impacted their daily lives. The VIVALDI ASCOT and Ethnography Study aims to assess the impact of respiratory outbreaks on care home residents' quality of life, psychological well-being, loneliness, functional ability and use of space. This study is linked to the VIVALDI-CT, a randomised controlled trial of staff's asymptomatic testing and sickness payment support in care homes (ISRCTN13296529).

Misrepresenting Pragmatism: Response to Greenhalgh and Engebretsen.

The Covid-19 pandemic has engendered intense public debate about the nature and place of a "science-driven" approach to decision making in such contexts, with contributions by a range of scientific authors critical of actual policy decisions. In a recent article in this journal, Greenhalgh and Engebretsen (TGEE) propose that science-driven policymaking should be abandoned in favour of a "Pragmatist turn". We critically analyze their portrayal of Pragmatism and demonstrate that their characterization is historically inaccurate, particularly focusing on the neglect of its strong commitment to scientific method and related evidential requirements.

Shaping care home COVID-19 testing policy: a protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial of asymptomatic testing compared with standard care in care home staff (VIVALDI-CT).

Introduction: Care home residents have experienced significant morbidity, mortality and disruption following outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2. Regular SARS-CoV-2 testing of care home staff was introduced to reduce transmission of infection, but it is unclear whether this remains beneficial. This trial aims to investigate whether use of regular asymptomatic staff testing, alongside funding to reimburse sick pay for those who test positive and meet costs of employing agency staff, is a feasible and effective strategy to reduce COVID-19 impact in care homes.

Scabies outbreak management in refugee/migrant camps in Europe 2014-2017: a retrospective qualitative interview study of healthcare staff experiences and perspectives.

Objectives: Provide insights into the experiences and perspectives of healthcare staff who treated scabies or managed outbreaks in formal and informal refugee/migrant camps in Europe 2014-2017.

Design: Retrospective qualitative study using semistructured telephone interviews and framework analysis. Recruitment was done primarily through online networks of healthcare staff involved in medical care in refugee/migrant settings.

Scabies in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study of prevalence, determinants, clinical presentation and community knowledge.

Background: The WHO aims to prevent, eliminate or control neglected tropical diseases, including scabies, by 2030. However, limited epidemiological data presented a challenge to control efforts, especially in high burden countries. There was a major scabies outbreak in northern Ethiopia starting in 2015 and prevalence has since increased across much of the country.

Health service needs and perspectives of a rainforest conserving community in Papua New Guinea's Ramu lowlands: a combined clinical and rapid anthropological assessment with parallel treatment of urgent cases.

Objectives: Determine community needs and perspectives as part of planning health service incorporation into Wanang Conservation Area, in support of locally driven sustainable development.

Design: Clinical and rapid anthropological assessment (individual primary care assessments, key informant (KI) interviews, focus groups (FGs), ethnography) with treatment of urgent cases.

Setting: Wanang (pop.

Understanding how to build a social licence for using novel linked datasets for planning and research in Kent, Surrey and Sussex: results of deliberative focus groups.

Introduction: Digital programmes in the newly created NHS integrated care boards (ICBs) in the United Kingdom mean that curation and linkage of anonymised patient data is underway in many areas for the first time. In Kent, Surrey and Sussex (KSS), in Southeast England, public health teams want to use these datasets to answer strategic population health questions, but public expectations around use of patient data are unknown.

Objectives: We aimed to engage with citizens of KSS to gather their views and expectations of data linkage and re-use, through deliberative discussions.

No secondary impact of ivermectin mass drug administration for onchocerciasis elimination on the prevalence of scabies in northwestern Ethiopia.

Background: Mass drug administration (MDA) is among the five major strategies that are currently in use to control, eliminate or eradicate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). Optimising MDA to control multiple NTDs maximises impact. The objective of this study is to estimate the secondary impact of ivermectin MDA for onchocerciasis on the prevalence of scabies.

Measuring quality of life in care homes when self-report is challenging: the construct validity, structural characteristics and internal consistency of the mixed-methods adult social care outcomes toolkit.

Introduction: The adult social care outcomes toolkit (ASCOT) measures social care-related quality of life (SCRQoL) using self-completion questionnaires and interviews. Many care home residents find such methods inaccessible, leading to a reliance on proxy-reporting. This study aimed to establish the psychometric properties of the mixed-methods toolkit [ASCOT-Care Homes, 4 outcome (CH4)] for measuring SCRQoL when residents cannot self-report.

Health and wellbeing of Nepalese migrant workers in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: A mixed-methods study.

Introduction: Migrant workers support low- and middle-income economies through remittances, often bearing considerable health risks with long-term consequences. This study aims to understand the health and wellbeing issues of Nepalese migrant workers in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, a major destination for low-skilled Nepalese workers.

Methodology: We conducted a mixed-methods study in Dhading district of Nepal.

Accelerated partner therapy contact tracing for people with chlamydia (LUSTRUM): a crossover cluster-randomised controlled trial.

Background: Accelerated partner therapy has shown promise in improving contact tracing. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of accelerated partner therapy in addition to usual contact tracing compared with usual practice alone in heterosexual people with chlamydia, using a biological primary outcome measure.

Methods: We did a crossover cluster-randomised controlled trial in 17 sexual health clinics (clusters) across England and Scotland.

Understanding the barriers and facilitators to using self-sampling packs for sexually transmitted infections and blood-borne viruses: Thematic analyses for intervention optimization.

Purpose: Self-sampling packs for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and blood-borne viruses (BBVs) are widely offered. There are ongoing problems with reach and sample return rates. The packs have arisen without formal intervention development.

Using the behaviour change wheel approach to optimize self-sampling packs for sexually transmitted infection and blood borne viruses.

Purpose: This paper describes the process of optimizing a widely offered intervention-self-sampling packs for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and blood borne viruses (BBVs). We drew upon the behaviour change wheel (BCW) approach, incorporating the theoretical domains framework (TDF) and the behaviour change technique taxonomy (BCTTv1) to systematically specify potential intervention components that may optimize the packs.

Methods: A BCW analysis built upon prior thematic analyses of qualitative data collected through focus groups and interviews with members of the public and people recruited from sexual health clinics in Glasgow and London (n = 56).

COVID-19 health information needs of older adults from ethnic minority groups in the UK: a qualitative study.

Objective: This study aimed to identify the COVID-19 health information needs of older adults from ethnic minority groups in the UK.

Study Design: A qualitative study using semistructured interviews.

Setting And Participants: Indian and Nepalese older adults (≥65 years), their families (≥18 years) and healthcare professionals (HCPs) (≥18 years) engaging with these communities.

Going beyond 'regular and casual': development of a classification of sexual partner types to enhance partner notification for STIs.

Objectives: To develop a classification of sexual partner types for use in partner notification (PN) for STIs.

Methods: A four-step process: (1) an iterative synthesis of five sources of evidence: scoping review of social and health sciences literature on partner types; analysis of relationship types in dating apps; systematic review of PN intervention content; and review of PN guidelines; qualitative interviews with public, patients and health professionals to generate an initial comprehensive classification; (2) multidisciplinary clinical expert consultation to revise the classification; (3) piloting of the revised classification in sexual health clinics during a randomised controlled trial of PN; (4) application of the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to identify index patients' willingness to engage in PN for each partner type.

Results: Five main partner types emerged from the evidence synthesis and consultation: 'established partner', 'new partner', 'occasional partner', 'one-off partner' and 'sex worker'.

How does the sexual, physical and mental health of young adults not in education, employment or training (NEET) compare to workers and students?

Background: Syndemic theory highlights the potential for health problems to interact synergistically, compounding impact. Young adults not in education, employment or training (NEET) are more likely to experience disadvantage and poorer general health outcomes. However, there is little research on their sexual health, or the extent to which this clusters with mental and physical health outcomes.