Latest Articles
- 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.
- Effective LARC Providers: Moving Beyond Training (Republication)
Effective and productive providers are the key to successful provision of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). But LARCs demand more of providers than short-acting resupply methods. In addition to sound training, key elements to developing highly productive providers of LARCs include a thorough understanding of the service delivery system context; selecting providers with the most potential, especially from mid-level cadres; strong mentoring and supportive supervision; and attention to the supply chain and to demand-side support.
- Successful Implementation of a Multicountry Clinical Surveillance and Data Collection System for Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa: Findings and Lessons Learned
Despite resource and logistical constraints, International Medical Corps cared for thousands at 5 Ebola treatment units in Liberia and Sierra Leone between 2014 and 2015 while collecting hundreds of data points on each patient. To facilitate data collection and global reporting in future humanitarian responses, standardized data forms and databases, with clear definitions of clinical and epidemiological variables, should be developed and adopted by the international community.
- Accessible Contraceptive Implant Removal Services: An Essential Element of Quality Service Delivery and Scale-Up
Use of contraceptive implants has surged in recent years, yet emerging data show a deficit of service delivery capacity and coverage for implant removals. The number of projected removals needed in the 69 FP2020 focus countries in 2018 (4.9–5.8 million) is more than twice that estimated for 2015 (2.2 million). We must proactively plan and execute high-quality implant removal services in order to fulfill the exceptional promise of implants in meeting client needs and advancing toward FP2020 goals.
- Increasing Use of Postpartum Family Planning and the Postpartum IUD: Early Experiences in West and Central Africa
Competency-based training in postpartum family planning and postpartum IUD (PPIUD) service delivery of antenatal, maternity, and postnatal care providers from 5 francophone African countries generated an enthusiastic response from the providers and led to government and donor support for expansion of the approach. More than 2,000 women chose and received the PPIUD between 2014 and 2015. This model of South–South cooperation, when coupled with demand promotion, supportive supervision, and reliable collection of service outcome data, can help to expand PPIUD services in other regions as well.
- 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.