More articles from ORIGINAL ARTICLE
- Progress in Harmonizing Tiered HIV Laboratory Systems: Challenges and Opportunities in 8 African Countries
Countries have had mixed results in adhering to laboratory instrument procurement lists, with some limiting instrument brand expansion and others experiencing substantial growth in instrument counts and brand diversity. Important challenges to advancing laboratory harmonization strategies include:
Lack of adherence to procurement policies
Lack of an effective coordinating body
Misalignment of laboratory policies, treatment guidelines, and minimum service packages
- Scheduled Follow-Up Referrals and Simple Prevention Kits Including Counseling to Improve Post-Discharge Outcomes Among Children in Uganda: A Proof-of-Concept Study
Post-hospital discharge is a vulnerable time for recurrent illness and death among children. An intervention package consisting of (1) referrals for scheduled follow-up visits, (2) discharge counseling, and (3) simple prevention items such as soap and oral rehydration salts resulted in much higher health seeking and hospital readmissions compared with historical controls.
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Trauma-Informed Support, Skills, and Psychoeducation Intervention for Survivors of Torture and Related Trauma in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq
Providing survivors of torture, imprisonment, and/or military attacks with a counseling program that includes support, skills and psychoeducation by well-trained and supervised community mental health workers can result in moderate yet meaningful improvements in depression and dysfunction.
- Intensive Group Learning and On-Site Services to Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health Among Young Adults in Liberia: A Randomized Evaluation of HealthyActions
Combining intensive group learning and provision of on-site reproductive health services through an existing alternative basic education program increased use of contraception and HIV testing and counseling among young out-of-school Liberians.
- Strengthening Postabortion Family Planning Services in Ethiopia: Expanding Contraceptive Choice and Improving Access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception
In Ethiopia, a comprehensive strategy to improve postabortion family planning services has produced overall improvement in the uptake of postabortion family planning and a rise in the choice of more effective long-acting reversible contraceptives to produce a more balanced method mix.
- Rapid Contraceptive Uptake and Changing Method Mix With High Use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives in Crisis-Affected Populations in Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Offering a broad choice of contraceptives can rapidly expand use in crisis-affected settings, particularly when the choice includes long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). Over 5 years, the governments of Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with support from an NGO, provided nearly 85,000 new clients with contraceptives. LARC users, which included an increasing number of IUD users, accounted for 73%.
- The Mayer Hashi Large-Scale Program to Increase Use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives and Permanent Methods in Bangladesh: Explaining the Disappointing Results. An Outcome and Process Evaluation
The Mayer Hashi program resulted in a modest increase in use of long-acting reversible contraceptives and permanent methods in Bangladesh, but less of an increase than in comparison nonprogram districts, which appears to have been the result of weaknesses in the health system environment in the program districts. Addressing system issues to support providers beyond training might have led to better results.
- Mentoring, Task Sharing, and Community Outreach Through the TutoratPlus Approach: Increasing Use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives in Senegal
Mentoring, task sharing, and community outreach at 100 rural facilities in Senegal led to an 86% increase over 6 months in the number of women choosing long-acting reversible contraceptives (from 1,552 to 2,879). Concurrent improvement of facilities and provider skills, coupled with the application of Senegal’s task-sharing policy, are increasing the range of contraceptive methods available to women throughout the country.
- The Tupange Project in Kenya: A Multifaceted Approach to Increasing Use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives
Use of long-acting reversible contraceptives increased significantly among women in a poor, urban setting through training, mentoring, commodity security, quality improvement, multiple service delivery models, and multiple demand-promotion approaches.
- Applying a Total Market Lens: Increased IUD Service Delivery Through Complementary Public- and Private-Sector Interventions in 4 Countries
Between 2013 and 2014, IUD services provided to women increased more than threefold–from 22,893 to 79,162–in 417 public facilities in Guatemala, Laos, Mali, and Uganda through a Population Services International pilot that engaged the public sector alongside existing private-sector interventions within an informed choice context. Based on family planning market analyses, the country-specific interventions focused on strengthening policy, service delivery, supply chain management, and demand promotion.