Publications by authors named "Wahdae-Mai Harmon Gray"
Background: The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of morbidity and mortality differentially affected populations. Between and within populations, behavior change was likewise heterogeneous. Factors influencing precautionary behavior adoption during COVID-19 have been associated with multidimensional aspects of risk perception; however, the influence of lived experiences during other recent outbreaks on behavior change during COVID-19 has been less studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: It is widely recognized that use of research evidence to guide health policy and practice could lead to adoption of life-saving interventions and more effective resource allocation. However, the skills around research utilization are often assumed and rarely taught, particularly in low- and middle-income country contexts. Here we present a set of competency areas and learning objectives developed for institutionalization of research utilization across health professions schools in Liberia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Research in low- and middle-income countries has shown that maternal mortality is directly related to inadequate or absent obstetric (OB) triage systems. Standard triage systems and knowledge on triaging for obstetric emergencies are often absent or lacking in most healthcare systems in Liberia.
Objective: The objective of this research was to address the third delay defined as receiving adequate, quality care when a facility is reached by increasing knowledge through the establishment of a midwife-led, hospital-based OB triage system to stratify care based on risk and imminence of birth and to improve timely assessment at two district referral hospitals.
Article Synopsis
- Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is crucial for HIV patients, significantly lowering health risks and transmission rates; however, retaining patients on ART remains difficult in low and middle-income countries despite increased accessibility.
- In a nationwide study in Liberia tracking patients aged 15 and older from HIV care facilities, 41.8% were lost to follow-up and 6.6% died within 24 months, indicating substantial challenges in patient retention and adherence.
- Factors influencing retention included WHO clinical stages, with higher risk of loss-to-follow-up for patients in advanced stages, while older age groups showed a decreased risk of dropping out of care.
Innovative game-based training methods that leverage the ubiquity of cellphones and familiarity with phone-based interfaces have the potential to transform the training of public health practitioners in low-income countries such as Liberia. This article describes the design, development, and testing of a prototype of the mobile game. The prototype game uses a disease outbreak scenario to promote evidence-based decision-making in determining the causative agent and prescribing intervention measures to minimize epidemiological and logistical burdens in resource-limited settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Interrupted time-series analyses, using 5 years of routinely collected health information system data, were conducted to estimate the magnitude of impact of the 2014-2015 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic and determine trends in tuberculosis (TB) care services in Liberia.
Methods: A segmented linear regression model was used to generate estimates and predictions for trends for three TB service indicators before, during, and after EVD, from January 2013 to December 2017.
Results: It was found that the number of presumptive TB cases declined significantly at the start of the EVD outbreak, with an estimated loss of 3222 cases (95% confidence interval (CI) -5691 to -752; P = 0.