Health Topics
- Alternative Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food Yields Less Recovery Than the Standard for Treating Acute Malnutrition in Children From Ghana
In Ghana, an alternative ready-to-use food (RUTF) formulation that met all specifications was not as good as standard RUTF in affecting recovery from acute malnutrition among children aged 6 to 59 months.
- Evaluating WHO-Recommended Interventions for Preterm Birth: A Mathematical Model of the Potential Reduction of Preterm Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa
Using the Maternal and Neonatal Directed Assessment of Technology (MANDATE) model, we estimate that WHO-recommended interventions could have saved nearly 300,000 lives in 2015. Combined interventions had the greatest impact. MANDATE can allow health officials to prioritize implementation strategies.
- Introduction of Community-Based Provision of Subcutaneous Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA-SC) in Benin: Programmatic Results
Lay community health workers and facility-based health care providers in Benin were trained to administer DMPA-SC safely and effectively in 10 health zones. Community-based DMPA-SC was popular, particularly among new users of contraception, and could help the country achieve its family planning goals.
- Are Procured Quantities of Implants Adequate and Appropriate? Modeling Procurement, Inventory, and Consumption of Contraceptive Implants During Rapid Uptake
Recent rapid increases in implant procurement have not resulted in system overstocks to date. We found no standard factor for relating inventory quantities to consumption rates. Rather, that relationship requires specific understanding of the country supply chain, inventory control parameters, and current and future demand.
- The Challenges of Transition From Donor-Funded Programs: Results From a Theory-Driven Multi-Country Comparative Case Study of Programs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia Supported by the Global Fund
Transitioning from donor funding toward domestic financing for HIV and TB programs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia presents major challenges. It will require a substantial multipronged approach through well-planned collective and coordinated responses from global, bilateral, and national partners.
- Efficacy of a Digital Health Tool on Contraceptive Ideation and Use in Nigeria: Results of a Cluster-Randomized Control Trial
A mobile digital health tool piloted in Kaduna City, Nigeria, was efficacious in promoting positive contraceptive attitudes and encouraging women to adopt a modern contraceptive method, thus showing potential for reducing unmet need in Nigeria.
- Adding a Question About Method Switching to the Method Information Index Is a Better Predictor of Contraceptive Continuation
Adding the question “Were you told about the possibility of switching to another method if the method you selected was not suitable?” to the Method Information Index (MII) was associated with better contraceptive continuation. This MIIplus variable includes another domain of quality of care, and thus better reflects voluntary contraceptive use and continuation.
- Associations Between Practices and Behaviors at the Health Facility Level and Supply Chain Management for Antiretrovirals: Evidence from Cameroon, Namibia, and Swaziland
Using antiretrovirals (ARVs) as tracer products, we identified the following key practices that may affect supply chain management at the facility level: order verification, actions taken when stock is received, changes in prescription and dispensing due to ARV stock-out, actions to ensure patient adherence, and communication with other affiliated facilities and higher-level supply chain management. We propose a set of indicators to measure these practices.
- Planning for Outcomes (P4O) Modeling Tool: Estimating the Impact of Changing the Proportion of Injectable Progestins in the Contraceptive Method Mix
The interactive deterministic online modeling tool P4O allows users to estimate how changing the proportion of injectable progestins in the contraceptive method mix might affect HIV and maternal and child health outcomes. With careful consideration for women's individual choices, policy makers and program planners may use country-specific results to help inform programming and policy decisions.
- The Extent to Which Performance-Based Financing Programs' Operations Manuals Reflect Rights-Based Principles: Implications for Family Planning Services
Rights principles should be prioritized and more clearly stated in performance-based financing (PBF) guidance and operational documents. Additional research, including development of validated measurement metrics, is needed to help PBF programs systematically align with rights-based approaches to health care including family planning.