Mental health interventions for adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa: protocol for a systematic review.

Introduction: Adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa have heightened risk for mental health and psychosocial burden owing to their exposure to a multiplicity of adverse conditions such as stigma and discrimination. However, there is no comprehensive evidence synthesis and evaluation of the effectiveness of mental health interventions for adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in this region. We aim to conduct a systematic review to synthesise the literature on existing mental health interventions for adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.

Beliefs and misconceptions about hypertension disease: A qualitative study among patients in a peri-urban community in Ghana.

Objective: This study aims to explore beliefs and perceptions about hypertension among patients living with hypertension in a local district in the Eastern region of Ghana.

Methods: A descriptive qualitative approach was adopted, and the Health Belief Model was used to guide the data collection, analysis, and organization of the study findings. Overall, seventeen participants were interviewed.

Ethnic spice use and perceived health benefits among women in a Suburb of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.

Background: Spices have a long history of both culinary use and health benefits. Ethnic spices are spices specific to a particular geographic location. In Ghana, there are varying perceptions and uses of ethnic spices which are mostly not documented.

Medication adherence and blood pressure control: A preliminary assessment of the role of health insurance in Nigeria and Ghana.

Objectives: This study sought to assess the current impact of health insurance coverage on medication adherence and blood pressure control of patients being managed for hypertension in Ghana and Nigeria.

Methods: The study was a prospective study among 109 patients with hypertension in two health facilities with similar population dynamics in Ghana and Nigeria. Patients were systematically selected, categorized as having health insurance coverage or not, and followed up monthly for 6 months.

Variations in the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation Among Reproductive-aged Women in Nigeria Across Three Generations.

Background And Objective: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is widespread mainly in low and middle-income countries. Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of FGM, accounting for about one of every four cases globally. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of FGM among three generations in Abuja, the federal capital city of Nigeria.

Perceptions of the functioning and effectiveness of nursing regulators in Ghana and South Africa: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Nursing regulators are important governance structures for nurses who are critical to the achievement of universal health coverage (UHC). This study examined the perspectives of the heads of nursing education institutions (NEIs) in Ghana and South Africa on the functioning and effectiveness of the respective nursing regulators.

Design: This was a cross-sectional survey.

Effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in Ghana.

Introduction: Ghana adopted the revised WHO recommendation on intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) in 2012. This study has assessed the effectiveness and safety of this policy in Ghana.

Methods: A total of 1926 pregnant women enrolled at antenatal care (ANC) clinics were assessed for birth outcomes at delivery, and placental histology results for malaria infection were obtained from 1642 participants.

Risk factors for 30-day in-hospital mortality for in-patient with stroke in sub-Saharan Africa: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: While individual studies have reported on in-hospital stroke mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the estimates are highly variable and inconclusive, buttressing the need for precise and reliable estimations. To overcome these inconsistencies, a well-structured systematic review and meta-analytical models are necessary. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no published systematic review and meta-analysis on risk factors for 30-day mortality for in-hospital patients with stroke in SSA.

HIV care and treatment models and their association with medication possession ratio among treatment-experienced adults in three African countries.

Objective: How clinics structure the delivery of antiretroviral therapy (ART) services may influence patient adherence. We assessed the relationship between models of HIV care delivery and adherence as measured by medication possession ratio (MPR) among treatment-experienced adults in Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Methods: Eighteen clinics were grouped into three models of HIV care.

Predictors of post-operative outcomes in patients with peripheral arterial disease and critical limb ischaemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: A very small proportion (1%) of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) present with critical limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI) with poor prognosis. The present review showcased several pre-operative predictors and key post-operative outcomes. Identification of any modifiable predictors may impact positively on surgical outcomes.

Burns pain management: The role of nurse-patient communication.

Background: Nursing is an embodiment of knowledge, clinical work, and interpersonal communication. Effective nursing care has a distinct influence on the overall satisfaction and experience of the patient. Communication is said to be indispensable in the delivery of quality healthcare.

Psycho-behavioral factors associated with neurocognitive performance among people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in Accra, Ghana.

Background: It is estimated that almost half of all people living with HIV have some form of neurocognitive impairment, but few studies have looked at the risk of neurocognitive impairment and its associated factors in Ghana, due in part to limited resources for such testing.

Objectives: To examine neurocognitive performance in a group of Ghanaians living with HIV and possible factors that contribute to their performance.

Methods: One hundred and four patients were assessed using a selection of brief non-invasive neuropsychological assessments as well as the International HIV Dementia Scale.

Incidence and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital: a baseline prospective study.

Objective: To determine the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and any associated risk factors among preterm infants at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH).

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Level 3 NICU of KBTH from June 2018 to February 2019.

Visual impairment and social isolation, depression and life satisfaction among older adults in Ghana: analysis of the WHO's Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 2.

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of visual impairment (VI) and associated factors and further quantify its association with social isolation, depression and life satisfaction among older adults in Ghana.

Methods: WHO Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health Ghana dataset for older adults 50 years and above was used for this study. Social isolation, depression and life satisfaction were our primary outcomes with VI being our secondary outcome.

Trends in the proportionate mortalities attributed to noncommunicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa for the period 2000 to 2016.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) remain a growing global health issue and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is no exception. Using secondary data obtained from the World Bank on 48 SSA countries, we describe the trends in the proportionate mortalities attributed to NCDs in SSA between 2000 and 2016. The baseline proportionate mortalities attributed to NCDs in SSA increased from 22.

Akwa Ibom AIDS indicator survey: Key findings and lessons learnt.

Background: The burden of HIV/AIDS epidemic is huge, but this varies widely by population in Nigeria. Data that could be used to guide the scale up of HIV prevention and control strategies has significant gaps. The study sought to estimate the prevalence of HIV and its associated determinants in Akwa Ibom state.

Impact evaluation of the free maternal healthcare policy on the risk of neonatal and infant deaths in four sub-Saharan African countries: a quasi-experimental design with propensity score Kernel matching and difference in differences analysis.

Objective: Despite the huge financial investment in the free maternal healthcare policy (FMHCP) by the Governments of Ghana and Burkina Faso, no study has quantified the impact of FMHCP on the relative reduction in neonatal and infant mortality rates using a more rigorous matching procedure with the difference in differences (DID) analysis. This study used several rounds of publicly available population-based complex survey data to determine the impact of FMHCP on neonatal and infant mortality rates in these two countries.

Design: A quasi-experimental study to evaluate the FMHCP implemented in Burkina Faso and Ghana between 2007 and 2014.

HIV comprehensive knowledge and prevalence among young adolescents in Nigeria: evidence from Akwa Ibom AIDS indicator survey, 2017.

Background: Despite the recent increase in HIV infections among adolescents, little is known about their HIV knowledge and perceptions. This study, therefore, sought to examine the factors associated with comprehensive HIV knowledge, stigma, and HIV risk perceptions among young adolescents aged 10-14 years in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Additionally, consenting parents and assenting young adolescents were tested for HIV.

Factors influencing adherence to the new intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy policy in Keta District of the Volta region, Ghana.

Background: About 25% of pregnant women in malaria-endemic areas are infected with malaria and this accounts for about 15% of maternal deaths globally. Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) is one of the main strategies for prevention of malaria in pregnancy. A new recommendation was made by the World Health Organization (WHO) that at least three doses of IPTp-SP should be administered before delivery.

Surgical leadership in Africa - challenges and opportunities.

Surgical care has been described as one of the Cinderellas in the global health development agenda, taking a backseat to public health, child health, and infectious diseases. In the midst of such competing health-care needs, surgical care, often viewed by policy makers as luxurious and the preserve of the rich, gets relegated to the bottom of priority lists. In the meantime, infectious disease, malnutrition, and other ailments, viewed as largely affecting the poor and disadvantaged in society, get embedded in national health plans, receiving substantial funding and public health program development.

Dynamics of genotype-specific HPV clearance and reinfection in rural Ghana may compromise HPV screening approaches.

Persistent Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a prerequisite for cervical cancer development. Few studies investigated clearance of high-risk HPV in low-and-middle-income countries. Our study investigated HPV clearance and persistence over four years in women from North Tongu District, Ghana.

The effects of centering pregnancy on maternal and fetal outcomes in northern Nigeria; a prospective cohort analysis.

Background: Maternal and infant mortality remains high in Nigeria primarily due to low use of skilled birth attendants. Huge disparities exist between southern and northen Nigeria on use of skilled birth attendants with south significantly higher than the north. We assessed the effect of centering pregnancy group (CPG) antenatal care on the uptake of antenatal care (ANC), facility delivery and immunization rates for infants in Kano state.

Identifying models of HIV care and treatment service delivery in Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia using cluster analysis and Delphi survey.

Background: Organization of HIV care and treatment services, including clinic staffing and services, may shape clinical and financial outcomes, yet there has been little attempt to describe different models of HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Information about the relative benefits and drawbacks of different models could inform the scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and associated services in resource-limited settings (RLS), especially in light of expanded client populations with country adoption of WHO's test and treat recommendation.

Methods: We characterized task-shifting/task-sharing practices in 19 diverse ART clinics in Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia and used cluster analysis to identify unique models of service provision.