Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Metaverse-Powered Basic Sciences Medical Education: Bridging The Gaps For Lower Middle-Income Countries., Syeda Samnita Batool Zaidi, Umer Adnan, Kadriye O. Lewis, Syeda Sadia Fatima

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Traditional medical education often lacks contextual experience, hindering students' ability to effectively apply theoretical knowledge in real-world scenarios. The integration of the metaverse into medical education holds great enormous promise for addressing educational disparities, particularly in lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) accompanied by rapid technological advancements. This commentary paper aimed to address the potential of the metaverse in enhancing basic sciences education within the constraints faced by universities in LMICs. We also addressed learning design challenges by proposing fundamental design elements and a suggested conceptual framework for developing metaverse-based teaching methods.The goal is to assist educators and medical practitioners in comprehensivley …

Quality Improvement In Public-Private Partnerships In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review, Cassandra Iroz, Rohit Ramaswamy, Zulfiqar Bhutta, Paul Barach

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Public-private partnerships (PPP) are often how health improvement programs are implemented in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). We therefore aimed to systematically review the literature about the aim and impacts of quality improvement (QI) approaches in PPP in LMICs.

METHODS: We searched SCOPUS and grey literature for studies published before March 2022. One reviewer screened abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion. The study characteristics, setting, design, outcomes, and lessons learned were abstracted using a standard tool and reviewed in detail by a second author.

RESULTS: We identified 9,457 citations, of which 144 met the inclusion criteria and underwent full-text abstraction. We …

State Of The Science Of Scale-Up Of Cancer Prevention And Early Detection Interventions In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review, Tara M Friebel-Klingner, Gloria Guevara Alvarez, Hope Lappen, Lydia E Pace, Keng-Yen Huang, Maria E Fernández, Donna Shelley, Anne F Rositch

Journal Articles

PURPOSE: Cancer deaths in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) will nearly double by 2040. Available evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for cancer prevention and early detection can reduce cancer-related mortality, yet there is a lack of evidence on effectively scaling these EBIs in LMIC settings.

METHODS: We conducted a scoping review to identify published literature from six databases between 2012 and 2022 that described efforts for scaling cancer prevention and early detection EBIs in LMICs. Included studies met one of two definitions of scale-up: (1) deliberate efforts to increase the impact of effective intervention to benefit more people or (2) an intervention …

Exposure To Urban Green Spaces And Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence From Two Low And Lower-Middle-Income Countries, Muhammad Mainuddin Patwary, Mondira Bardhan, Hüseyin Ertan İnan, Matthew H E M Browning, Asma Safia Disha, Md Zahidul Haque, Mai Helmy, Sadia Ashraf, Angel M Dzhambov, Faysal Kabir Shuvo, Md Ashraful Alam, Sharif Mutasim Billah, Md Pervez Kabir, Md Riad Hossain, Md Golam Azam, Md Mijanur Rahman, Sarya Swed, Ranjit Sah, Juan J Montenegro-Idrogo, D Katterine Bonilla-Aldana, Alfonso J Rodriguez-Morales

Journal Articles

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health globally, with limited access to mental health care affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) the most. In response, alternative strategies to support mental health have been necessary, with access to green spaces being a potential solution. While studies have highlighted the role of green spaces in promoting mental health during pandemic lockdowns, few studies have focused on the role of green spaces in mental health recovery after lockdowns. This study investigated changes in green space access and associations with mental health recovery in Bangladesh and Egypt across the …

Application Of The Expert Recommendations For Implementing Change (Eric) Compilation Of Strategies To Health Intervention Implementation In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review, Kathryn L Lovero, Christopher G Kemp, Bradley H Wagenaar, Ali Giusto, M Claire Greene, Byron J Powell, Enola K Proctor

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) project developed a compilation of implementation strategies that are intended to standardize reporting and evaluation. Little is known about the application of ERIC in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We systematically reviewed the literature on the use and specification of ERIC strategies for health intervention implementation in LMICs to identify gaps and inform future research.

METHODS: We searched peer-reviewed articles published through March 2023 in any language that (1) were conducted in an LMIC and (2) cited seminal ERIC articles or (3) mentioned ERIC in the title or abstract. Two co-authors independently …

Can The Date Of Last Menstrual Period Be Trusted In The First Trimester? Comparisons Of Gestational Age Measures From A Prospective Cohort Study In Six Low-Income To Middle-Income Countries, Archana Patel, Carla M. Bann, Vanessa R. Thorsten, Sowmya R. Rao, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tshefu Kitoto, Melissa Bauserman, Lester Figueroa, Nancy F. Krebs, Fabian Esamai, Sherri Bucher, Sarah Saleem, Robert L. Goldenberg, Elwyn Chomba, Waldemar A. Carlo, Shivaprasad Goudar, Richard Derman, Marion Koso-Thomas, Elizabeth Mcclure, Patricia L. Hibberd

Global Health Articles

OBJECTIVES: We examined gestational age (GA) estimates for live and still births, and prematurity rates based on last menstrual period (LMP) compared with ultrasonography (USG) among pregnant women at seven sites in six low-resource countries.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This study included data from the Global Network's population-based Maternal and Newborn Health Registry which follows pregnant women in six low-income and middle-income countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan and Zambia). Participants in this analysis were 42 803 women, including their 43 230 babies, who registered for the study in their first trimester based …

Prevention Of Maternal And Neonatal Death/Infections With A Single Oral Dose Of Azithromycin In Women In Labour In Low-Income And Middle-Income Countries (A-Plus): A Study Protocol For A Multinational, Randomised Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial, Jennifer Hemingway-Foday, Alan Tita, Elwyn Chomba, Musaku Mwenechanya, Trecious Mweemba, Tracy Nolen, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tshefu Kitoto, Gustave Lomendje, Patricia L. Hibberd, Archana Patel, Prabir Kumar Das, Kunal Kurhe, Shivaprasad S Goudar, Avinash Kavi, Mrityunjay Metgud, Sarah Saleem, Shiyam S. Tikmani, Fabian Esamai, Paul Nyongesa, Amos Sagwe, Lester Figueroa, Manolo Mazariegos, Sk Masum Billah, Rashidul Haque, Md Shahjahan Siraj, Robert L. Goldenberg, Melissa Bauserman, Carl Bose, Edward A. Liechty, Osayame A. Ekhaguere, Nancy F. Krebs, Richard Derman, William A. Petri, Marion Koso-Thomas, Elizabeth Mcclure, Waldemar A. Carlo

Global Health Articles

INTRODUCTION: Maternal and neonatal infections are among the most frequent causes of maternal and neonatal mortality, and current antibiotic strategies have been ineffective in preventing many of these deaths. A randomised clinical trial conducted in a single site in The Gambia showed that treatment with an oral dose of 2 g azithromycin versus placebo for all women in labour reduced certain maternal and neonatal infections. However, it is unknown if this therapy reduces maternal and neonatal sepsis and mortality. In a large, multinational randomised trial, we will evaluate the impact of azithromycin given in labour to improve maternal and newborn …

Building A Predictive Model Of Low Birth Weight In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Prospective Cohort Study, Jackie K. Patterson, Vanessa R Thorsten, Barry Eggleston, Tracy Nolen, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tshefu, Shivaprasad S. Goudar, Richard J. Derman, Elwyn Chomba, Waldemar A. Carlo, Manolo Mazariegos, Nancy F. Krebs, Sarah Saleem, Robert L. Goldenberg, Archana Patel, Patricia L. Hibberd, Fabian Esamai, Edward A. Liechty, Rashidul Haque, Bill Petri, Marion Koso-Thomas, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Carl L. Bose, Melissa Bauserman

Global Health Articles

BACKGROUND: Low birth weight (LBW, < 2500 g) infants are at significant risk for death and disability. Improving outcomes for LBW infants requires access to advanced neonatal care, which is a limited resource in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Predictive modeling might be useful in LMICs to identify mothers at high-risk of delivering a LBW infant to facilitate referral to centers capable of treating these infants.

METHODS: We developed predictive models for LBW using the NICHD Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research Maternal and Newborn Health Registry. This registry enrolled pregnant women from research sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Kenya, Guatemala, India (2 sites: Belagavi, Nagpur), Pakistan, and Bangladesh between January 2017 - December 2020. We tested five predictive models: decision tree, random forest, logistic regression, K-nearest neighbor and support vector machine.

RESULTS: We report a rate of LBW of 13.8% among the eight Global Network sites from 2017-2020, with a range of 3.8% (Kenya) …

Landscape Of Team-Based Care To Manage Hypertension: Results From Two Surveys In Low/Middle-Income Countries, Oluwabunmi Ogungbe, Mark D Huffman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: Team-based care is essential for improving hypertension outcomes in low-resource settings. We assessed perceptions of country representatives and healthcare workers (HCWs) on team-based hypertension care in low/middle-income countries.

DESIGN: Two cross-sectional surveys.

SETTING: The first survey (Country Profile Survey) was conducted in 17 countries and eight in-country regions: Algeria, Bangladesh, Burundi, Chile, China (Beijing, Henan, Shandong), Cuba, Ethiopia, India (Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Telangana), Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda and Vietnam. The second survey (HCW Survey) was conducted in four countries: Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia and Nigeria.

PARTICIPANTS: Using convenience sampling, participants for the …

Building Capacity Of Community Nurses To Strengthen The Management Of Uncomplicated Hypertension In Persons Living With Hiv In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Dike Ojji, Daphne Lew, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: Poor training of non-physician healthcare workers (especially community nurses) could hinder the successful integration of cardiovascular disease (CVD) management into HIV chronic care in primary healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries. To address this limitation, we included a holistic training programme with a robust module for both practice facilitators and community nurses as part of the formative stages of the managing hypertension among people living with HIV: an integrated model (MAP-IT), which is a study that is evaluating the effectiveness of practice facilitation on the integration of a task-strengthening strategy for hypertension control (TASSH) into primary healthcare centres …

Reducing The Environmental Impact Of Surgery On A Global Scale: Systematic Review And Co-Prioritization With Healthcare Workers In 132 Countries, National Institute For Health And Care Research Global Health Research Unit On Global Surgery

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres.

METHODS: This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their …

Economic Evaluation Of Implementation Science Outcomes In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review, Akash Malhotra, Abigail Barker, Victor G Davila-Roman, William Effah, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Historically, the focus of cost-effectiveness analyses has been on the costs to operate and deliver interventions after their initial design and launch. The costs related to design and implementation of interventions have often been omitted. Ignoring these costs leads to an underestimation of the true price of interventions and biases economic analyses toward favoring new interventions. This is especially true in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where implementation may require substantial up-front investment. This scoping review was conducted to explore the topics, depth, and availability of scientific literature on integrating implementation science into economic evaluations of health interventions in …

Outcomes Of Children With Low-Grade Gliomas In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review, Richard Ward, Hannah M Jones, Davis Witt, Frederick Boop, Eric Bouffet, Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, Ibrahim Qaddoumi, Daniel C Moreira

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Purpose: Pediatric CNS tumors are increasingly a priority, particularly with the WHO designation of low-grade glioma (LGG) as one of six index childhood cancers. There are currently limited data on outcomes of pediatric patients with LGGs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: To better understand the outcomes of LGGs in LMICs, this systematic review interrogated nine literature databases.

Results: The search identified 14,977 publications. Sixteen studies from 19 countries met the selection criteria and were included for data abstraction and analysis. Eleven studies (69%) were retrospective reviews from single institutions, and one (6%) captured institutional data prospectively. The studies …

The Global Network Socioeconomic Status Index As A Predictor Of Stillbirths, Perinatal Mortality, And Neonatal Mortality In Rural Communities In Low And Lower Middle Income Country Sites Of The Global Network For Women's And Children's Health Research, Archana B Patel, Carla M Bann, Cherryl S Kolhe, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tshefu, Melissa Bauserman, Lester Figueroa, Nancy F Krebs, Fabian Esamai, Sherri Bucher, Sarah Saleem, Robert L Goldenberg, Elwyn Chomba, Waldemar A Carlo, Shivaprasad Goudar, Richard J Derman, Marion Koso-Thomas, Elizabeth M Mcclure, Patricia L Hibberd

Global Health Articles

BACKGROUND: Globally, socioeconomic status (SES) is an important health determinant across a range of health conditions and diseases. However, measuring SES within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can be particularly challenging given the variation and diversity of LMIC populations.

OBJECTIVE: The current study investigates whether maternal SES as assessed by the newly developed Global Network-SES Index is associated with pregnancy outcomes (stillbirths, perinatal mortality, and neonatal mortality) in six LMICs: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan, and Zambia.

METHODS: The analysis included data from 87,923 women enrolled in the Maternal and Newborn Health Registry of the NICHD-funded …

Younger Age Of Stroke In Low-Middle Income Countries Is Related To Healthcare Access And Quality, Mohammad H Rahbar, Martin Medrano, Franck Diaz-Garelli, Cosme Gonzalez Villaman, Sepideh Saroukhani, Sori Kim, Amirali Tahanan, Yahaira Franco, Gelanys Castro-Tejada, Sarah A Diaz, Manouchehr Hessabi, Sean I Savitz

Journal Articles

Stroke is the second leading cause of mortality globally with higher burden and younger age in low-middle income countries (LMICs) than high-income countries (HICs). However, it is unclear to what extent differences in healthcare access and quality (HAQ) and prevalence of risk factors between LMICs and HICs contribute to younger age of stroke in LMICs. In this systematic review, we conducted meta-analysis of 67 articles and compared the mean age of stroke between LMICs and HICs, before and after adjusting for HAQ index. We also compared the prevalence of main stroke risk factors between HICs and LMICs. The unadjusted mean …

The Politics Of Drug Rehabilitation In The Philippines, Gideon Lasco, Lee Edson Yarcia

Development Studies Faculty Publications

The international consensus to end compulsory drug treatments and close forced rehabilitation facilities needs urgent transformation to country policies. In the Philippines, as with other countries in Asia, rehabilitation can be compulsory and is seen as the humane alternative to the “war on drugs.” In this paper, we present the landscape of rehabilitation and narrate the ways in which people who use drugs are forced to undergo treatment. We unpack the politics behind rehabilitation and explain the sociocultural foundations that support compulsory treatment. We argue that a transition to a human rights-based approach, including voluntary alternatives in community settings, is …

Factor Structure And Equivalence Of Maternal Resources For Care In Bangladesh, Vietnam, And Ethiopia, Sulochana Basnet, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Phuong Hong Nguyen, Spencer Moore, Mandana Arabi

Faculty Publications

Objectives: Resources for care among women are crucial for children's growth and development. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to determine if: (1) the factor structure of measures of maternal resources for care was comparable across countries and consistent with the theoretical constructs and (2) the measures showed equivalence across contexts.

Methods: The study included 4400, 4029 and 2746 women from Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Ethiopia, respectively. The measures of resources for care were maternal education, knowledge, height, body mass index, mental well-being, financial autonomy, decision-making, employment, support in chores, and perceived support.

Results: The factor analysis demonstrated that a …

Protecting Sanitation Workers In Low-Middle Income Countries Amid Covid-19, Muhammad Mainuddin Patwary, Md Riad Hossain, Faysal Kabir Shuvo, Sadia Ashraf, Rabeya Sultana, Md Ashraful Alam

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Barriers And Facilitators To Implementation Of Oral Rehydration Therapy In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review., Obidimma Ezezika, Apira Ragunathan, Yasmine El-Bakri, Kathryn Barrett

Health Studies Publications

BACKGROUND: Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is an effective and cheap treatment for diarrheal disease; globally, one of the leading causes of death in children under five. The World Health Organization launched a global campaign to improve ORT coverage in 1978, with activities such as educational campaigns, training health workers and the creation of designate programming. Despite these efforts, ORT coverage remains relatively low. The objective of this systematic review is to identify the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of oral rehydration therapy in low and middle-income countries.

METHODS: A comprehensive search strategy comprised of relevant subject headings and keywords …

Barriers And Facilitators To Implementation Of Oral Rehydration Therapy In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review., Obidimma Ezezika, Apira Ragunathan, Yasmine El-Bakri, Kathryn Barrett

Health Studies Publications

BACKGROUND: Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is an effective and cheap treatment for diarrheal disease; globally, one of the leading causes of death in children under five. The World Health Organization launched a global campaign to improve ORT coverage in 1978, with activities such as educational campaigns, training health workers and the creation of designate programming. Despite these efforts, ORT coverage remains relatively low. The objective of this systematic review is to identify the barriers and facilitators to the implementation of oral rehydration therapy in low and middle-income countries.

METHODS: A comprehensive search strategy comprised of relevant subject headings and keywords …

Multiomics Characterization Of Preterm Birth In Low- And Middle-Income Countries., Fyezah Jehan, Sunil Sazawal, Abdullah H. Baqui, Muhammad Imran Nisar, Usha Dhingra, Rasheda Khanam, Muhammad Ilyas, Arup Dutta, Dipak K. Mitra, Usma Mehmood, Saikat Deb, Arif Mahmud, Aneeta Hotwani, Said Mohammed Ali, Sayedur Rahman, Ambreen Nizar, Shaali Makame Ame, Mamun Ibne Moin, Sajid Muhammad, Aishwarya Chauhan, Nazma Begum, Waqasuddin Khan, Sayan Das, Salahuddin Ahmed, Tarik Hasan, Javairia Khalid, Syed Jafar Raza Rizvi, Mohammed Hamad Juma, Nabidul Haque Chowdhury, Furqan Kabir, Fahad Aftab, Abdul Quaiyum, Alexander Manu, Sachiyo Yoshida, Rajiv Bahl, Anisur Rahman, Jesmin Pervin, Jennifer Winston, Patrick Musonda, Jeffrey S. A. Stringer, James A. Litch, Mohammad Sajjad Ghaemi, Mira N. Moufarrej, Kévin Contrepois, Songjie Chen, Ina A. Stelzer, Natalie Stanley, Alan L. Chang, Ghaith Bany Hammad, Ronald J. Wong, Candace Liu, Cecele C. Quaintance, Anthony Culos, Camilo Espinosa, Maria Xenochristou, Martin Becker, Ramin Fallahzadeh, Edward Ganio, Amy S. Tsai, Dyani Gaudilliere, Eileen S. Tsai, Xiaoyuan Han, Kazuo Ando, Martha Tingle, Ivana Maric, Paul H. Wise, Virginia D. Winn, Maurice L. Druzin, Ronald S. Gibbs, Gary L. Darmstadt, Jeffrey C. Murray, Gary M. Shaw, David K. Stevenson, Michael P. Snyder, Stephen R. Quake, Martin S. Angst, Brice Gaudilliere, Nima Aghaeepour

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Importance: Worldwide, preterm birth (PTB) is the single largest cause of deaths in the perinatal and neonatal period and is associated with increased morbidity in young children. The cause of PTB is multifactorial, and the development of generalizable biological models may enable early detection and guide therapeutic studies.

Objective: To investigate the ability of transcriptomics and proteomics profiling of plasma and metabolomics analysis of urine to identify early biological measurements associated with PTB.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This diagnostic/prognostic study analyzed plasma and urine samples collected from May 2014 to June 2017 from pregnant women in 5 biorepository cohorts in …

Impact Of Childhood Vaccinations Suspended Due To Covid-19, Karina I. Figueroa

2020 Symposium Posters

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020, a public health issue has been created that has the potential to significantly affect our view on society. Among the variety of preventative tactics to slow the spread of infection, there has been a suspension of childhood vaccination across the globe including among developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that governments suspend preventive vaccination programs briefly during the pandemic as of March 26th (Ray, 2020). As a result of this, there has been an impact on children's health and an increase in mortality rates. The purpose of this research paper …

Adea-Adee Shaping The Future Of Dental Education Iii: Engaging With Global Networking To Enable Global Oral Health, Upen S. Patel, Lior Shapira, Jennifer E. Gallagher, Joan Davis, Lily T. Garcia, Richard W. Valachovic

Dental Medicine Faculty Publications

Global networking has been identified as an important method of enhancing health care education and services in the field of dentistry.1 The ability to share expertise, resources, knowledge, and experience to benefit all is highly desired among students, educators, health care professionals, and communities globally. Both our student and patient populations are dynamic societies that are becoming increasingly complex and facing growing needs and expectations, which is a constant challenge for educators and health care professionals to satisfy.2 The key question, stemming from the Global Networking (GN) workshop of the 2017 ADEE‐ADEA Shaping the Future of Dental Education II meeting, …

Social, Economic, And Political Events Affect Gender Equity In China, Nepal, And Nicaragua: A Matched, Interrupted Time-Series Study, Tuan T. Nguyen, Ashley Darnell, Amy Weissman, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Roger Mathisen, Karin Lapping, Timothy D. Mastro, Mellissa Withers

Faculty Publications

: Progress in gender equity can improve health at the individual and country levels.: This study's objective was to analyze recent trends in gender equity and identify historical and contextual factors that contributed to changes in gender equity in three countries: China, Nepal, and Nicaragua.: To assess gender equity trends, we used the Gender Gap Index (GGI) from the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report (2006-2017). The GGI incorporated data on economic participation, educational attainment, health, and political empowerment for almost 150 countries. We selected China, Nepal, and Nicaragua because of their major changes in GGI and diversity in …

The President's Emergency Plan For Aids Relief And Adult Mortality: A Replication Study Of Hiv Development Assistance Effects In Sub-Saharan African Countries, Nicholas A. Hein, Danstan Bagenda, Jiangtao Luo

Journal Articles: Anesthesiology

The US budget for global health funding, which was by far the largest of similar funding in the world, increased from US $1.3 billion in 2001 to more than US $10 billion in recent years. More than 54% of this funding was allocated to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS through the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Africa. However, recent studies indicate contradictory results regarding the effectiveness of PEPFAR. One by Bendavid, Holmes, Bhattacharya, and Miller shows positive effects of PEPFAR in reducing adult mortality in Africa, while another by Duber, Coates, Szekeras, Kaji, and Lewis …

Unconditional Cash Transfers For Reducing Poverty And Vulnerabilities: Effect On Use Of Health Services And Health Outcomes In Low-And Middle-Income Countries, Frank Pega, Sze Yan Liu, Stefan Walter, Roman Pabayo, Ruhi Saith, S L. Lhachimi

Sze Yan Liu

Background

Unconditional cash transfers (UCTs; provided without obligation) for reducing poverty and vulnerabilities (e.g. orphanhood, old age or HIV infection) are a type of social protection intervention that addresses a key social determinant of health (income) in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). The relative effectiveness of UCTs compared with conditional cash transfers (CCTs; provided so long as the recipient engages in prescribed behaviours such as using a health service or attending school) is unknown.

Objectives

To assess the effects of UCTs for improving health services use and health outcomes in vulnerable children and adults in LMICs. Secondary objectives are to …

Preparing For A Short-Term Volunteer Experience, Beth Sullivan

Occupational Therapy Collection

Occupational Therapy (OT) practitioners who volunteer for short-term medical service trips in developing countries face many challenges, including gaining an appreciation of that country's culture (values, economy, political, and medical systems) and understanding how these factors influence provision of OT services.

As OT practitioners, we "contribute to the global health of society and individuals by enabling the right to engage in meaningful, purposeful occupations" (World Federation of Occupational Therapists, n.d., para 4). The frequency of short-term medical service trips (STMST) undertaken by persons living in high income countries to low income countries is increasing (Sykes, 2014). Despite this fact, systematic …

Retracted: The Epidemiology Of Stroke In A Developing Country (Pakistan), M Ishaq Khan, Junaid I. Khan, Sheikh I. Ahmed, Sajjad Ali

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Retraction Notice

Khan MI, Khan JI, Ahmed SI, Ali S. The epidemiology of stroke in a developing country (Pakistan).

Pak J Neurol Sci. 2018;13(3):30-44.

A reader brought to our attention that the article titled “The epidemiology of stroke in a developing country (Pakistan)”, published in Volume 13, Issue 3, of Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS) was a redundant (duplicate) publication. We investigated this complaint and found out that prior to its submission to PJNS on February 11 2018, this article had already been published almost verbatim in Journal of Neurology & Stroke on January 23, 2018.

Reference of the …

Low- And Lower Middle-Income Countries Advanced Practice Nurses: An Integrative Review, A. Scanlon, M. Murphy, Janice Smolowitz, V. Lewis

School of Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Aim: To review published literature descriptions of advanced practice nurses’ roles in low- and lower middle-income countries. Background: Advanced practice nurse roles have the potential to address insufficient healthcare resources in low- and lower middle-income countries. Introduction: This integrative review highlights advanced practice nurses’ roles in the delivery of healthcare services in low- and lower middle-income countries. Methods: Three electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL complete and ProQuest Health & Medicine were searched. No limits by year or language were set. The names for low- and lower middle-income countries and combinations ‘related to advanced practice nurses’ titles were used to identify papers. …

Spectrum, Management And Outcomes Of Structural And Functional Uropathies In Children Attending A Tertiary Care Center In Karachi; Pakistan, Arshalooz Rahman, Saima Hanif, Noor Ul-Ain Baloch, Abdul Rehman, Tauqeer Sheikh, Mohammad Irfan Ladhani

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Causes and outcomes of children diagnosed with hydronephrosis in resource-limited countries with a low utilization of antenatal ultrasonography remain unexplored. We performed a retrospective, crosssectional study of all paediatric patients diagnosed with hydronephrosis and managed at a tertiary care center in Karachi, Pakistan between 2005 and 2010. Data relating to demographics, clinical features, etiologies and treatment modalities were systematically collected. Of a total of 234 cases (74.4% male), 83 (35.5%) and 42 (17.9%) were neonates and infants respectively. Congenital urinary tract pathologies were noted in 192(72.2%) patients, of which only 96(50%) had undergone foetal ultrasonography and 77(40.1%) first presented after …