Identifying the zero-dose and under-immunized children in Bangladesh: Approaches and experiences.

This paper presents and elaborates on empirical methods and approaches used to identify Zero-Dose (ZD) and Under-immunized (UI) children as well as the communities that these children reside in within Bangladesh. This paper also describes demand- and supply side-barriers that lead to children being ZD and UI in the country. Time period for the study was December 2022-May 2023.

Findings of the British Association of Dermatologists Career Survey of Dermatologists in Training and New Consultant Dermatologists 2023.

Previous surveys of UK dermatology trainees have identified key patterns regarding future career intentions that can help to inform workforce planning as consultant vacancies continue to grow. We invited all doctors training in dermatology, as well as all dermatology doctors who have completed training between 2018-2023 to complete separate surveys over a six-week period. These surveys explored: career locations, working patterns, pull factors towards particular posts, and push factors away from NHS consultant posts.

Patient Satisfaction With the Health Care Services of a Government-Financed Health Protection Scheme in Bangladesh: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Since 2016, the government of Bangladesh has been piloting a health protection scheme known as Shasthyo Surokhsha Karmasuchi (SSK), which specifically targets households living below the poverty line. This noncontributory scheme provides enrolled households access to inpatient health care services for 78 disease groups. Understanding patients' experiences with health care utilization from the pilot SSK scheme is important for enhancing the quality of health care service delivery during the national-level scale-up of the scheme.

Prevalence of and factors associated with zero-dose and under-immunized children in selected areas of Bangladesh: Findings from Lot Quality Assurance Sampling Survey.

Background: In the era of Gavi's 5.0 vision of "leaving no one behind with immunization", childhood routine vaccination in missed communities is considered as a priority concern. Despite having a success story at the national level, low uptake of immunization is still persistent in selected pocket areas of Bangladesh.

The effectiveness of a government-sponsored health protection scheme in reducing financial risks for the below-poverty-line population in Bangladesh.

The Government of Bangladesh is piloting a non-contributory health protection scheme called Shasthyo Surokhsha Karmasuchi (SSK) to increase access to quality essential healthcare services for the below-poverty-line (BPL) population. This paper assesses the effect of the SSK scheme on out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for healthcare, catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and economic impoverishment of the enrolled population. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Tangail District, where the SSK was implemented.

Enhancing the Combustion of Magnesium Nanoparticles via Low-Temperature Plasma-Induced Hydrogenation.

The hydrogenation of metal nanoparticles provides a pathway toward tuning their combustion characteristics. Metal hydrides have been employed as solid-fuel additives for rocket propellants, pyrotechnics, and explosives. Gas generation during combustion is beneficial to prevent aggregation and sintering of particles, enabling a more complete fuel utilization.

Levels and determinants of quality antenatal care in Bangladesh: Evidence from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey.

Background: Assessing the quality of antenatal care (ANC) is imperative for improving care provisions during pregnancy to ensure the health of mother and baby. In Bangladesh, there is a dearth of research on ANC quality using nationally representative data to understand its levels and determinants. Thus, the current study aimed to assess ANC quality and identify the sociodemographic factors associated with the usage of quality ANC services in Bangladesh.

Recommendation to update the British Society for Cutaneous Allergy corticosteroid series.

Background: Patch testing is an important investigation when dermatitis is unresponsive to, or worsened by, topical corticosteroid treatment. There is a balance to be struck between testing too many allergens, which is expensive, time consuming and risks causing sensitization, and testing too few, which risks missing the diagnosis. The current British Society for Cutaneous Allergy (BSCA) corticosteroid series comprises eight allergens and was last updated in February 2007.

Factors affecting the healthcare utilization from Shasthyo Suroksha Karmasuchi scheme among the below-poverty-line population in one subdistrict in Bangladesh: a cross sectional study.

Background: Financing healthcare through out-of-pocket (OOP) payment is a major barrier in accessing healthcare for the poor people. The Health Economics Unit (HEU) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the government of Bangladesh has developed Shasthyo Suroksha Karmasuchi (SSK), a health protection scheme, with the aim of reducing OOP expenditure and improving access of the below-poverty-line (BPL) population to healthcare. The scheme started piloting in 2016 at Kalihati sub-district of Tangail District.

Medical Waste Management: An Assessment of District-Level Public Health Facilities in Bangladesh.

Background Due to the huge patient load and different types of services, public health facilities produce a bulk of medical waste (MW) in Bangladesh. Improper disposal of MW increases the risk of infection among healthcare service personnel, patients, and attendants. To ensure quality services, this study aimed to assess the practices of MW management and quantify those to find out the shortcomings in the specific steps of waste management.

Quality of maternal and newborn healthcare services in two public hospitals of Bangladesh: identifying gaps and provisions for improvement.

Background: Healthcare service delivery systems need to ensure standard quality of care (QoC) for achieving expected health outcomes. Although Bangladesh has a good healthcare service delivery system, there are major concerns about the quality of maternal and newborn health (MNH) care services, which is imperative for achievements in health. The study aimed to measure the QoC for different MNH services in two selected public health facilities of Bangladesh.

A survey of members of the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergy and the EU project "StanDerm" to identify allergens tested in cosmetic series across Europe.

Background: There is currently no agreed cosmetic series for use across Europe.

Objectives: To establish allergens currently tested in local and national cosmetic series.

Method: Members of the European Surveillance System on Contact Allergy and the European Cooperation in Science and Technology project TD1206 ("StanDerm") were surveyed to establish their current practice.

Does mHealth voice messaging work for improving knowledge and practice of maternal and newborn healthcare?

Background: Aponjon (meaning "near and dear ones"), a mobile phone-based mHealth service, customized voice messages for expectant (6-42 weeks pregnancy) and new mothers (1-52 weeks after delivery) for promotion of recommended healthcare practices. The Aponjon system sent two voice messages per week to subscribers, tailored to the timing during pregnancy or post-partum. The current study is an external evaluation of the effect of Aponjon use on knowledge and behaviors related to maternal and newborn health (MNH) care.

Assessing whether medical language is a barrier to receiving healthcare services in Bangladesh: an exploratory study.

Background: In many global settings, medical language acts as a barrier to accessing and using health services. However, this issue remained unexplored in Bangladesh, where the non-native English language is commonly used for health care.

Aim: To examine whether medical language is an obstacle for obtaining health services in Bangladesh and to provide policy recommendations.

A newly developed tool for measuring the availability of human resources for emergency obstetric and newborn care services: prospective analytic study in two district-level public facilities in Bangladesh.

Background: In Bangladesh, while the infrastructure of public health facilities to provide maternal and newborn care services is adequate, services are not always available due to insufficient staffing. A human resource availability index for health facilities is needed for monitoring and advocacy. This study aimed to develop indices for measuring the availability of different types of human resources to provide round-the-clock emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) service at district-level public facilities.

Evaluating the implementation related challenges of Shasthyo Suroksha Karmasuchi (health protection scheme) of the government of Bangladesh: a study protocol.

Background: Rapidly increasing healthcare costs and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases have increased the out-of-pocket (OOP) spending (63.3% of total health expenditure) in Bangladesh. This increasing OOP spending for healthcare has catastrophic economic impact on households.

Postnatal care for newborns in Bangladesh: The importance of health-related factors and location.

Background: Bangladesh achieved Millennium Development Goal 4, a two thirds reduction in under-five mortality from 1990 to 2015. However neonatal mortality remains high, and neonatal deaths now account for 62% of under-five deaths in Bangladesh. The objective of this paper is to understand which newborns in Bangladesh are receiving postnatal care (PNC), a set of interventions with the potential to reduce neonatal mortality.

Emergency obstetric and newborn care signal functions in public and private facilities in Bangladesh.

Background: Signal functions for emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) are the major interventions for averting maternal and neonatal mortalities. Readiness of the facilities is essential to provide all the basic and comprehensive signal functions for EmONC to ensure emergency services from the designated facilities. The study assessed population coverage and availability of EmONC services in public and private facilities in Bangladesh.

Can mHealth improve access to safe blood for transfusion during obstetric emergency?

Purpose: Of the 99% maternal deaths that take place in developing countries, one-fourth is due to postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). PPH accounts for one-third of all blood transfusions in Bangladesh where the transfusion process is lengthy as most facilities do not have in-house blood bank facilities. In this context, the location where blood is obtained and the processes of obtaining blood products are not standardized, leading to preventable delays in collecting blood, when it is needed.

Use of a geographic information system to assess accessibility to health facilities providing emergency obstetric and newborn care in Bangladesh.

Objective: To use a geographic information system (GIS) to determine accessibility to health facilities for emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) and compare coverage with that stipulated by UN guidelines (5 EmONC facilities per 500 000 individuals, ≥1 comprehensive).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken of all public facilities providing EmONC in 24 districts of Bangladesh from March to October 2012. Accessibility to each facility was assessed by applying GIS to estimate the proportion of catchment population (comprehensive 500 000; basic 100 000) able to reach the nearest facility within 2 hours and 1 hour of travel time, respectively, by existing road networks.

Barriers to Timely and Safe Blood Transfusion for PPH Patients: Evidence from a Qualitative Study in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Background And Objectives: In Bangladesh, postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality accounting for 31% of all blood transfusions in the country. Although safe blood transfusion is one of the 8 signal functions of Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Care (CEmOC) strategy, most of the designated public sector CEmOC facilities do not have on-site blood storage system. Emergent blood is mainly available from external blood banks.

The role of transportation to access maternal care services for women in rural Bangladesh and Burkina Faso: A mixed methods study.

Objective: To understand the role of transportation in accessing health care during pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period among women in rural Bangladesh and Burkina Faso.

Methods: An exploratory mixed methods study was conducted in Mymensingh district in Bangladesh and Kaya district in Burkina Faso. We recruited 300 women from Bangladesh and 340 from Burkina Faso with a delivery outcome within one year of interview.

ESSCA results with the baseline series, 2009-2012: rubber allergens.

Background: Allergic contact dermatitis caused by rubber allergens is common, and causes significant patient morbidity. Contemporary data are important to allow appropriate preventive measures and identification of contact allergy trends.

Objectives: To describe the pattern of patch test reactivity to rubber allergens, including those in the European baseline series.