REASSURED evaluation of the Bioline HCV point-of-care testing for diagnosing hepatitis C virus infection in primary healthcare settings of Ghana: a study protocol.

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a silent epidemic that needs a comprehensive and contextualised approach to manage. Access to readily available, affordable and acceptable HCV point-of-care (POC) in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) is equally required to meet the global HCV goals. However, most guidelines for evaluating these IVDs such as the WHO prequalification process and country-specific standards disproportionately focus on diagnostic performance.

Understanding the preferences of young women in self-sampling interventions for sexually transmitted infection diagnosis: a discrete choice experimental protocol.

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a significant public health concern globally, particularly affecting young women. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to reducing or stopping the continuous spread of infections and the development of associated complications. Syndromic management, which is commonly used for STIs, presents several barriers, particularly for young women.

Accessibility of TB diagnostic services at primary healthcare clinics in the eThekwini district, South Africa: a geospatial analysis.

Background: Improving geographic access can aid in managing tuberculosis (TB) by enabling early diagnosis and treatment initiation. Although geospatial techniques have been used to map the transmission patterns of drug-resistant TB in South Africa, fewer studies have investigated the accessibility of TB diagnostic services. This study evaluated the accessibility of TB diagnostic services and disease distribution in the eThekwini district of South Africa.

Accuracy of self-collected versus healthcare worker collected specimens for diagnosing sexually transmitted infections in females: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

The use of self-collected specimens as an alternative to healthcare worker-collected specimens for diagnostic testing has gained increasing attention in recent years. This systematic review aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of self-collected specimens compared to healthcare worker-collected specimens across different sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), human papillomavirus (HPV), Mycoplasma genitalium (MG), Neisseria gonorrhoea (NG), Treponema pallidum and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) in females. A rigorous process was followed to screen for studies in various electronic databases.

Healthcare workers' perspectives on the availability and use of mobile health technologies for disease diagnosis and treatment support in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Introduction: Considering the usefulness of mobile health (mHealth) technologies in healthcare delivery in low- and middle-income countries, including Ghana; there is a need to explore healthcare professionals' perspectives on the availability and use of mHealth for disease screening and treatment of patients' conditions. The study's main aim is to explore healthcare professionals' perspectives regarding the availability and use of mHealth applications for disease screening and management at point-of-care in Ghana's Ashanti Region.

Materials And Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with healthcare professionals who use mHealth applications daily between July and September 2020.

Nurses' perspectives on user-friendly self-sampling interventions for diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections among young women in eThekwini district municipality: a nominal group technique.

Background: Syndromic management in the main non-laboratory-based management approach for sexually transmitted infections (STI) in most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) but it has limitations. Self-sampling has been proven as a suitable alternative approach to help improve management STIs by improving access to diagnosis among vulnerable populations. We sought to determine health workers' perspectives on user-friendly self-sampling interventions for STIs among young women in eThekwini District Municipality.

Stakeholder's perspectives on acceptable interventions for promoting hypertension medication adherence in Namibia: nominal group technique.

Objective: To determine the most acceptable hypertension intervention package to promote hypertension adherence based on stakeholders' perspectives.

Design: We employed the nominal group technique method and purposively sampled and invited key stakeholders offering hypertension services and patients with hypertension. Phase 1 was focused on determining barriers to hypertension adherence, phase 2 on enablers and phase 3 on the strategies.

Mapping evidence on the acceptability of human papillomavirus self-sampling for cervical cancer screening among women in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review.

Objectives: The objective of this scoping review was to map evidence on the acceptability of self-sampling for human papillomavirus testing (HPVSS) for cervical cancer screening among women in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

Design: Scoping review.

Methods: Using Arksey and O'Malley's framework, we searched Scopus, PubMed, Medline Ovid, Cochrane and Web of Science databases for evidence on the acceptability of HPVSS among women aged 25 years and older published between January 2011 and July 2021.

Designing and Piloting of a Mobile Learning Curriculum for Quality Point-Of-Care Diagnostics Services in Rural Clinics of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Background: The use of mobile technology has been reported to help improve access to education for people in remote areas. However, there is limited evidence of its adoption in resource-limited settings. The aim of this study was to utilize stakeholder generated ideas to design and pilot a mobile learning curriculum, with the purpose of facilitating training to improve the quality of point-of-care diagnostics services in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) rural clinics.

Exploring how outreach team leaders perceive community health workers' experiences of providing HIV services in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

In 2018, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health launched the ward-based primary health care outreach teams policy framework which sought to expand the community health worker (CHW) programme's provision of longitudinal patient support, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services in communities. This study sought to explore the perceptions of outreach team leaders who supervise CHWs on their experiences of providing HIV services in the province. This was a qualitative, phenomenology study.

A scoping review on health education programs for improving Men's engagement with health services in low- and middle- income countries.

Objectives: This study aimed to map evidence on health education programs (HEPs) for men engagement in health services in LMICs to guide future research.

Study Design: A scoping review was conducted.

Methods: We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, EBSCOhost (CINAHL, MEDLINE, Health Source, Nursing, Academic Edition and Academic Search Complete) and WEB of Science electronic databases for publications from January 2000 to March 2019.

Mapping Evidence of Self-Sampling to Diagnose Sexually Transmitted Infections in Women: A Scoping Review.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a major global healthcare burden, disproportionately affecting women. Self-sampling interventions for diagnostic purposes have the potential to improve STI healthcare management and expand STI services. However, there is currently no published evidence of the global use of self-sampling interventions to diagnose STIs in women.

Implementation Science: Bridging the Gap between Point-of-Care Diagnostics Research and Practice.

The advent of the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has fuelled technological innovation and led to the increased research on development and deployment of new diagnostics for use at point-of-care (POC) [...

The effect of a mobile-learning curriculum on improving compliance to quality management guidelines for HIV rapid testing services in rural primary healthcare clinics, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a quasi-experimental study.

Background: Despite significant achievements made towards HIV testing, linkage to antiretroviral therapy treatment and viral load suppression, the Sub-Saharan region of Africa continues to be reported to have the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS, with over 26 million people living with the disease. In light of the added burden on already overwhelmed health systems due to the Covid-19 pandemic, maintaining the reliability and accuracy of point-of-care diagnostics (POC) results is crucial to ensure the sustainability of quality service delivery. The integration of technology-based interventions into nurse education curricula is growing, to help prepare students for the current practice environment which requires access to large amounts of information.

Pregnant adolescents and nurses perspectives on accessibility and utilization of maternal and child health information in Ohangwena Region, Namibia.

Background: Adolescent reproductive health is still a challenge in Low and Middle Income Come Countries (LMICs). However, the reasons for the inability of most pregnant adolescent girls to access and utilize maternal and child health information (MCHI) are not well-documented. This is despite the policy guidelines promoting the provision of this necessary information to pregnant adolescents in order to prepare them for delivery.

Diagnostics Literacy Advocacy Model for Vulnerable Populations.

Evidence shows that vulnerable populations have lower levels of health literacy, resulting in poor health-seeking behavior and poor uptake of diagnostics. Being health literate promotes health care-seeking behavior and improves engagement with diagnostic services. In this editorial, I define health literacy in the context of access to technology for enabling disease screening, diagnosis and linkage to care.

Health trends, inequalities and opportunities in South Africa's provinces, 1990-2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study.

Background: Over the last 30 years, South Africa has experienced four 'colliding epidemics' of HIV and tuberculosis, chronic illness and mental health, injury and violence, and maternal, neonatal, and child mortality, which have had substantial effects on health and well-being. Using data from the 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD 2019), we evaluated national and provincial health trends and progress towards important Sustainable Development Goal targets from 1990 to 2019.

Methods: We analysed GBD 2019 estimates of mortality, non-fatal health loss, summary health measures and risk factor burden, comparing trends over 1990-2007 and 2007-2019.

Evaluation of a health education program for improving uptake of HIV self-testing by men in Rwanda: a pilot pragmatic randomized control trial.

Background: Health education interventions tailored to suit men have the potential to improve health outcomes for this underserved population. HIV self-testing (HIVST) is a promising approach to overcoming challenges associated with low HIV testing rates among men. The primary objective of this study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a definitive trial to determine the effectiveness of a locally adapted and optimized health education program (HEP) on the uptake of HIVST among men in Kigali, Rwanda.

Barriers and facilitators of rendering HIV services by community health workers in sub-Saharan Africa: a meta-synthesis.

Objectives: To synthesise qualitative studies that address the barriers to and facilitators of providing HIV services by community health workers (CHWs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Design: This meta-synthesis was guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. We included studies that were published between 2009 and 2019.

Availability and Use of Mobile Health Technology for Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Support by Health Workers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Mobile health (mHealth) technologies have been identified as promising strategies for improving access to healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. However, the extent of availability and use of mHealth among healthcare professionals in Ghana is not known. The study's main objective was to examine the availability and use of mHealth for disease diagnosis and treatment support by healthcare professionals in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Diagnostic Accuracy of Mobile-Linked Point-of-Care Diagnostics in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Mobile health devices are emerging applications that could help deliver point-of-care (POC) diagnosis, particularly in settings with limited laboratory infrastructure, such as Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The advent of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has resulted in an increased deployment and use of mHealth-linked POC diagnostics in SSA. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the accuracy of mobile-linked point-of-care diagnostics in SSA.