Table of Contents
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
- Data to Action: A Mixed-Methods Study of Data Use Teams, Improved Availability of Contraceptives in Guinea, Indonesia, Kenya, and Myanmar
Information Mobilized for Performance Analysis and Continuous Transformation (IMPACT) Teams use a people-centered, data-driven approach to strengthen supply chains by fostering a continuous cycle of supply chain improvement. This study demonstrates that IMPACT Teams are an effective approach for improving contraceptive supply chain inventory management and availability.
- “Nothing for Us Without Us”: An Evaluation of Patient Engagement in an HIV Care Improvement Collaborative in the Caribbean
This evaluation suggests that it is both possible and valuable to include patients as partners in quality improvement efforts, especially when resources must be prioritized for the highest impact efforts. Patient engagement in the improvement process is particularly powerful when addressing illnesses that may be stigmatized such as HIV.
- A Cross-Sectional Assessment of HIV Self-Testing Preferences and Uptake Among Key Populations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Offering HIV self-testing services to key populations in Cambodia expanded HIV testing access to a large proportion of individuals with no prior testing history and resulted in high rates of new HIV case detection and subsequent linkages to HIV treatment.
- Improving Community Health Worker Compensation: A Case Study From India Using Quantitative Projection Modeling and Incentive Design Principles
We quantitatively assess the design and performance of the accredited social health activist (ASHA) incentive structure and suggest recommendations that could potentially drive ASHA effectiveness and support the achievement of health outcomes.
- Where Women Access Contraception in 36 Low- and Middle-Income Countries and Why It Matters
The public and private sectors are both important sources of modern contraception in nearly every low- and middle-income country studied and across sociodemographic groups. Catalyzing cross-sectoral collaboration and leveraging the potential of both sectors are critical as countries work to expand access to modern contraception and meet women's reproductive intentions.
- Evaluation of Community Perceptions and Prevention Practices Related to Ebola Virus as Part of Outbreak Preparedness in Uganda, 2020
Targeted risk communication and community engagement strategies to raise Ebola virus disease awareness and knowledge, particularly in setting where risk of infection is perceived to be low, may not be sufficient to motivate people to adopt protective behaviors and prevention practices.
- The Know-Do Gap: Understanding and Improving Service Quality Among Pharmacies Providing Injectable Contraceptives Through a Mystery Client Study in Nepal
Private pharmacists in Nepal CRS Company's Sangini network provided quality counseling on injectable contraceptives to mystery clients, suggesting that pharmacists can successfully expand their family planning offerings and equip clients with the information needed to select an appropriate method of their choice.
- Behavioral Determinants of Routine Health Information System Data Use in Senegal: A Qualitative Inquiry Based on the Integrated Behavioral Model
Although behavioral factors are thought to be important barriers to routine data use, they remain understudied particularly in low-income country settings. We show that the integrated behavior model can be a valuable theoretical framework for targeted communication strategies and capacity-building interventions aimed at promoting a culture of data use.
- “Testing Can Be Done Anywhere”: A Qualitative Assessment of Targeted Community-Based Point-of-Care Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV in Lusaka, Zambia
Community-based point-of-care testing is an acceptable, appropriate, and feasible strategy for improving access to HIV diagnostic services for high-risk HIV-exposed infants.
FIELD ACTION REPORTS
- Establishing a Standardized Surveillance System for Health Care-Associated Infections in Vietnam
Standardized surveillance for health care-associated infections (HAI) is critical for HAI prevention, yet standardized implementation across low- and middle-income countries is limited. With the support of partners, the Vietnam Ministry of Health implemented standardized HAI surveillance in 6 hospitals, and in doing so, identified 5 key elements for program success.
- Applying the iDARE Methodology in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania to Improve Health Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The iDARE methodology was implemented in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania during the COVID-19 pandemic to help build the capacity of local governments, facilities, and communities to identify, design, and implement local solutions to health problems. These solutions can be adapted and applied in any context with low-cost implications.
- Identifying the High-Risk Fetus in the Low-Risk Mother Using Fetal Doppler Screening
Continuous-wave Doppler ultrasound of the umbilical artery offers an inexpensive and scalable method of detecting undiagnosed fetal growth restriction. Using Doppler to screen low-risk pregnancies in low- and middle-income countries identifies fetuses at risk of stillbirth and, when managed appropriately, results in a step change reduction in the stillbirth rate.
- Early Lessons From Ethiopia in Establishing a Data Triangulation Process to Analyze Immunization Program and Supply Data for Decision Making
Health managers in Ethiopia used a data triangulation tool and process to prompt decision making and meaningful actions to improve immunization services. Immunization managers interested in incorporating data triangulation analyses into their current data review systems will need to determine practical, feasible means for operationalization, preferably through a collaborative, iterative process with users.
PROGRAMMATIC REVIEW & ANALYSIS
- A Review of Vitamin A Supplementation in South Sudan: Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities for the Way Forward
Although South Sudan's vitamin A supplementation program has demonstrated success, vitamin A supplementation remains a critical public health need for young children. How can South Sudan best maintain high vitamin A supplementation coverage for the short to medium term while planning a more sustainable delivery approach for the longer term?
TECHNICAL NOTE
- Development of a Modular and Equitable Surgical Simulator
Current trends in surgical simulation favor high-fidelity, costly models that are often limited to high-income academic centers. The GlobalSurgBox overcomes many of the barriers to routine implementation and use of surgical simulators in low-income countries by circumventing the often prohibitive financial, time, and personnel investments required of current simulation prototypes.
COMMENTARY
Understanding the relationship between self-care and reproductive empowerment is necessary to improve family planning self-care interventions. We offer a thematic analysis of 5 validated scales measuring reproductive empowerment-related concepts that could be used by self-care family planning programmers and researchers.