Publications by authors named "V W MacDonald"
Emergency contraception access in Fijian community pharmacies: A descriptive study.
Aust N Z J Public Health
October 2024
Objective: To assess pharmacists' knowledge regarding emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs), their attitudes towards women obtaining ECPs, and ECP counselling and dispensing practices.
Methods: An online cross-sectional survey using Qualtrics was distributed via pharmacy emails and networks to recruit registered pharmacists working in community-based pharmacies.
Results: There were 22 valid respondents, predominantly female pharmacists (68%), with an average of 7.
Introduction: Social network-based testing approaches (SNAs) encourage individuals ("test promoters") to motivate sexual partners and/or those in their social networks to test for HIV. We conducted a systematic review to examine the effectiveness, acceptability and cost-effectiveness of SNA.
Methods: We searched five databases from January 2010 to May 2023, and included studies that compared SNA with non-SNA.
Background: Key populations are disproportionately affected by HIV, viral hepatitis (VH), and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and face barriers to care. Peer navigation programs are widely used, but evidence supporting their use has not been synthesized.
Setting: Peer navigation programs for sex workers, men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, prisoners, and trans and gender diverse people globally.
Background: During 2021 and 2023 two simplified Biological and Behavioural Study (BBS-Lite) surveys, and in 2022 one Standard Integrated Biological and Behavioural Study (IBBS), were conducted among people who inject drugs in seven cities in Georgia. From these, an opportunity to compare the implementation of these survey methods and results was able to be gained.
Methods: The two survey types were compared to find points of similarity and difference in their methodologies.
Article Synopsis
- The systematic review examines how different testing frequencies for hepatitis C virus (HCV) reinfection among key populations can impact detection and prevention of ongoing transmission.
- It analyzed data from 41 studies, finding an overall HCV reinfection rate of 4.13 per 100 person-years, with men who have sex with men (MSM) experiencing the highest rates.
- Results suggest that shorter testing intervals (≤6 months) may lead to higher detection rates of reinfections, emphasizing the need for more frequent testing to help in HCV elimination efforts.