Integration of a social network strategy into index testing to increase HIV case finding among Haitian migrants and their descendants in the Dominican Republic.

Introduction: Increasing effectiveness, efficiency, and reach of HIV case-finding strategies among priority populations is essential for epidemic control. Index testing is effective but presents potential risks, including stigma, violence, abandonment, and challenges such as fear of disclosure and reluctance to list contacts. We integrated the enhanced peer outreach approach (EPOA) social network strategy into index testing to increase case finding among Haitian migrants and individuals of Haitian descent in Dominican Republic.

Discontinuation of HIV oral pre-exposure prophylaxis: findings from programmatic surveillance within two general population HIV programs in Nigeria.

Background: As oral PrEP scales up in Nigeria, information about uptake, use pattern and client preference in a real-world, implementation setting is invaluable to guide refining service provision and incorporation of oral PrEP and other prevention measures into routine health services. To add to this body of knowledge, our study examines factors associated with discontinuation of PrEP among HIV negative individuals across two large scale programs in Nigeria.

Methods: Using program implementation data from two large-scale HIV projects in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states in Nigeria between January 2020 and July 2021, we used logistic regression to explore factors associated with early discontinuation (i.

Advocating for Policy Change: Examples Emerging From a Medical-Legal Partnership in Primary Care.

Medical-legal partnerships bring legal services directly into clinical settings. Policy advocacy is often opportunistic and varies across partnerships. Our objective was to study policy advocacy that emerged from a medical-legal partnership in Toronto over a four-year period.

Gender and Racialization Status of Medical Eponym Namesakes: Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Many medical eponyms were established when women and racialized individuals were excluded from medicine. The objective of this study was to determine the gender and racialization status of individuals whose names are incorporated in medical eponyms.

Methods: This study is a cross-sectional analysis of gender and racialization of medical eponym namesakes.

Screening for hypertension in adults: protocol for evidence reviews to inform a Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care guideline update.

Purpose: To inform updated recommendations by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care on screening in a primary care setting for hypertension in adults aged 18 years and older. This protocol outlines the scope and methods for a series of systematic reviews and one overview of reviews.

Methods: To evaluate the benefits and harms of screening for hypertension, the Task Force will rely on the relevant key questions from the 2021 United States Preventive Services Task Force systematic review.

Shared health governance, mutual collective accountability, and transparency in COVAX: A qualitative study triangulating data from document sampling and key informant interviews.

Background: To facilitate global COVID-19 vaccine equity, the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations, and the United Nations Children's Fund supported the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) partnership. COVAX's goals may have best been pursued through shared health governance - a theory of global health governance based on six premises, in which global health actors collaborate to achieve a shared goal. Shared health governance employs a framework for accountability termed "mutual collective accountability", in which actors hold each other accountable for achieving their goal, thus relying on transparency with one another.

Xylitol for the prevention of acute otitis media episodes in children aged 1-5 years: a randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate the regular use of xylitol, compared with sorbitol, to prevent acute otitis media (AOM), upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and dental caries.

Design: Blinded randomised controlled trial with a 6-month study period.

Setting: Enrolment took place at 11 primary care practices in Ontario, Canada.

Evaluating the Supporting Evidence of Medical Cannabis Claims Made on Clinic Websites: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Since the legalization of medical cannabis in Canada in 2013, prescription of cannabis for medical purposes has become commonplace and a multibillion dollar industry has formed. Much of the media coverage surrounding medical cannabis has been positive in nature, leading to Canadians potentially underestimating the adverse effects of medical cannabis use. In recent years, there has been a large increase in clinic websites advertising the use of medical cannabis for health indications.

The Cost of Providing Comprehensive HIV Services to Key Populations: An Analysis of the LINKAGES Program in Kenya and Malawi.

Introduction: Timely data on HIV service costs are critical for estimating resource needs and allocating funding, but few data exist on the cost of HIV services for key populations (KPs) at higher risk of HIV infection in low- and middle-income countries. We aimed to estimate the total and per contact annual cost of providing comprehensive HIV services to KPs to inform planning and budgeting decisions.

Methods: We collected cost data from the Linkages across the Continuum of HIV Services for Key Populations Affected by HIV (LINKAGES) program in Kenya and Malawi serving female and male sex workers, men who have sex with men, and transgender women.

Predicting Treatment Interruption Among People Living With HIV in Nigeria: Machine Learning Approach.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV from a fatal illness to a chronic disease. Given the high rate of treatment interruptions, HIV programs use a range of approaches to support individuals in adhering to ART and in re-engaging those who interrupt treatment. These interventions can often be time-consuming and costly, and thus providing for all may not be sustainable.

Screening for prostate cancer: protocol for updating multiple systematic reviews to inform a Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care guideline update.

Purpose: To inform updated recommendations by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care on screening for prostate cancer in adults aged 18 years and older in primary care. This protocol outlines the planned scope and methods for a series of systematic reviews.

Methods: Updates of two systematic reviews and a de novo review will be conducted to synthesize the evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for prostate cancer with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and/or digital rectal examination (DRE) (with or without additional information) and patient values and preferences.

Interventions to address potentially inappropriate prescriptions and over-the-counter medication use among adults 65 years and older in primary care settings: protocol for a systematic review.

Purpose: To inform recommendations by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care on potentially inappropriate prescribing and over-the-counter (OTC) medication use among adults aged 65 years and older in primary care settings. This protocol outlines the planned scope and methods for a systematic review of the benefits and harms and acceptability of interventions to reduce potentially inappropriate prescriptions and OTC medication use.

Methods: De novo systematic reviews will be conducted to synthesize the available evidence on (a) the benefits and harms of interventions to reduce potentially inappropriate prescriptions and OTC medications compared to no intervention, usual care, or non- or minimally active intervention among adults aged 65 years and older and (b) the acceptability of these interventions or attributes among patients.

Acceptability of a short list of essential medicines to patients and prescribers: Multimethod study.

Objective: To determine the acceptability of providing free access to only a short list of medicines used in the Carefully seLected and Easily Accessible at No charge Medications (CLEAN Meds) trial.

Design: A multimethod explanatory sequential design including interviews with trial participants and focus groups with prescribers.

Setting: Ontario.

HIV Testing Approaches to Optimize Prevention and Treatment for Key and Priority Populations in Malawi.

Background: Despite progress in improving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people with HIV in Malawi, the burden of HIV infections and HIV treatment outcomes among key populations is suboptimal. Client-centered differentiated service delivery approaches may facilitate addressing HIV prevention and treatment needs of key populations in Malawi.

Methods: De-identified program data routinely collected as part of the LINKAGES project-Malawi were assembled from October 2017 to September 2019.

How Home Delivery of Antiretroviral Drugs Ensured Uninterrupted HIV Treatment During COVID-19: Experiences From Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, and Nigeria.

Introduction: Faced with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, governments worldwide instituted lockdowns to curtail virus spread. Health facility closures and travel restrictions disrupted access to antiretroviral (ARV) therapy for people living with HIV. This report describes how HIV programs in Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, and Nigeria supported treatment continuation by introducing home delivery of ARVs.

Cash transfer during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a one-time cash transfer of $C1000 in people who are unable to physically distance due to insufficient income.

Design: Open-label, multi-centre, randomised superiority trial.

Setting: Seven primary care sites in Ontario, Canada; six urban sites associated with St.

Differentiated service delivery models among PLHIV in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic: descriptive analysis of programmatic data.

Introduction: The rapid increase in the number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states in Nigeria led to overcrowding at clinics. Patients were devolved to receive ART refills through five differentiated service delivery (DSD) models: fast-track (FT), adolescent refill clubs (ARCs), community pharmacy ART refill programs (CPARPs), community ART refill clubs (CARCs) and community ART refill groups (CARGs) designed to meet the needs of different groups of PLHIV. In the context of COVID-19-related travel restrictions, out-of-facility models offered critical mechanisms for continuity of treatment.

Increasing Testing Options for Key Populations in Burundi Through Peer-Assisted HIV Self-Testing: Descriptive Analysis of Routine Programmatic Data.

Background: In Burundi, given the low testing numbers among key populations (KPs), peer-assisted HIV self-testing (HIVST) was initiated for female sex workers (FSWs), men who have sex with men (MSM), and transgender people to provide another testing option. HIVST was provided by existing peer outreach workers who were trained to provide support before, during, and after the administration of the test. People who screened reactive were referred and actively linked to confirmatory testing, and those confirmed positive were linked to treatment.

Readiness for Use of HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Malawi: Qualitative Focus Group and Interview Study.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are a key group for HIV interventions in Malawi considering their high HIV prevalence (17.5% compared to 8.4% among men in the general population).

Reporting of Sociodemographic Variables in Randomized Clinical Trials, 2014-2020.

This cross-sectional study assesses the frequency and thoroughness of reporting of sociodemographic variables in randomized clinical trials published in 5 high-impact health journals from January 2014 to July 2020.