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Leke AZ, Malherbe H, Kalk E, Mehta U, Kisa P, Botto LD, Ayede I, Fairlie L, Maboh NM, Orioli I, Zash R, Kusolo R, Mumpe-Mwanja D, Serujogi R, Bongomin B, Osoro C, Dah C, Sentumbwe–Mugisha O, Shabani HK, Musoke P, Dolk H, Barlow-Mosha L. The burden, prevention and care of infants and children with congenital anomalies in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 3:e0001850. [PMID: 37379291 PMCID: PMC10306220 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this scoping review was to determine the scope, objectives and methodology of contemporary published research on congenital anomalies (CAs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), to inform activities of the newly established sub-Saharan African Congenital Anomaly Network (sSCAN). MEDLINE was searched for CA-related articles published between January 2016 and June 2021. Articles were classified into four main areas (public health burden, surveillance, prevention, care) and their objectives and methodologies summarized. Of the 532 articles identified, 255 were included. The articles originated from 22 of the 49 SSA countries, with four countries contributing 60% of the articles: Nigeria (22.0%), Ethiopia (14.1%), Uganda (11.7%) and South Africa (11.7%). Only 5.5% of studies involved multiple countries within the region. Most articles included CA as their primary focus (85%), investigated a single CA (88%), focused on CA burden (56.9%) and care (54.1%), with less coverage of surveillance (3.5%) and prevention (13.3%). The most common study designs were case studies/case series (26.6%), followed by cross-sectional surveys (17.6%), retrospective record reviews (17.3%), and cohort studies (17.2%). Studies were mainly derived from single hospitals (60.4%), with only 9% being population-based studies. Most data were obtained from retrospective review of clinical records (56.1%) or via caregiver interviews (34.9%). Few papers included stillbirths (7.5%), prenatally diagnosed CAs (3.5%) or terminations of pregnancy for CA (2.4%).This first-of-a-kind-scoping review on CA in SSA demonstrated an increasing level of awareness and recognition among researchers in SSA of the contribution of CAs to under-5 mortality and morbidity in the region. The review also highlighted the need to address diagnosis, prevention, surveillance and care to meet Sustainable Development Goals 3.2 and 3.8. The SSA sub-region faces unique challenges, including fragmentation of efforts that we hope to surmount through sSCAN via a multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aminkeng Zawuo Leke
- Institute for Nursing and Health Research, Centre for Maternal, Fetal and Infant Research, Ulster University, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom
- Centre for Infant and Maternal Health Research, Health Research Foundation, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Helen Malherbe
- Research & Epidemiology, Rare Diseases South Africa NPC, Bryanston, Sandton, South Africa
| | - Emma Kalk
- Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Research, School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ushma Mehta
- Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Research, School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Phylis Kisa
- Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Lorenzo D. Botto
- Division of Medical Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
- International Center on Birth Defects, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Idowu Ayede
- Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Lee Fairlie
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nkwati Michel Maboh
- Centre for Infant and Maternal Health Research, Health Research Foundation, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Ieda Orioli
- Genetics Department, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- ReLAMC: Latin American Network for Congenital Malformation Surveillance, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rebecca Zash
- The Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ronald Kusolo
- Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Daniel Mumpe-Mwanja
- Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Robert Serujogi
- Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Bodo Bongomin
- Gulu University Faculty of Medicine: Gulu, Gulu, UG/ World Health Organization, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Caroline Osoro
- Kenya Medical Research Institute, Centre for Global Health Research, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Clarisse Dah
- Centre de Recherche en Santé de Nouna, Nouna, Burkina Faso
| | | | | | - Philippa Musoke
- Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Helen Dolk
- Institute for Nursing and Health Research, Centre for Maternal, Fetal and Infant Research, Ulster University, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom
| | - Linda Barlow-Mosha
- Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
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Edwards JG, Barry M, Essam D, Elsayed M, Abdulkarim M, Elhossein BMA, Mohammed ZHA, Elnogomi A, Elfaki ASE, Elsayed A, Chang AY. Health system and patient-level factors serving as facilitators and barriers to rheumatic heart disease care in Sudan. Glob Health Res Policy 2021; 6:35. [PMID: 34598719 PMCID: PMC8486630 DOI: 10.1186/s41256-021-00222-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa despite widely available preventive therapies such as prophylactic benzathine penicillin G (BPG). In this study, we sought to characterize facilitators and barriers to optimal RHD treatment with BPG in Sudan. METHODS We conducted a mixed-methods study, collecting survey data from 397 patients who were enrolled in a national RHD registry between July and November 2017. The cross-sectional surveys included information on demographics, healthcare access, and patient perspectives on treatment barriers and facilitators. Factors associated with increased likelihood of RHD treatment adherence to prophylactic BPG were assessed by using adjusted logistic regression. These data were enhanced by focus group discussions with 20 participants, to further explore health system factors impacting RHD care. RESULTS Our quantitative analysis revealed that only 32% of the study cohort reported optimal prophylaxis adherence. Younger age, reduced primary RHD healthcare facility wait time, perception of adequate health facility staffing, increased treatment costs, and high patient knowledge about RHD were significantly associated with increased odds of treatment adherence. Qualitative data revealed significant barriers to RHD treatment arising from health services factors at the health system level, including lack of access due to inadequate healthcare staffing, lack of faith in local healthcare systems, poor ancillary services, and patient lack of understanding of disease. Facilitators of RHD treatment included strong interpersonal support. CONCLUSIONS Multiple patient and system-level barriers to RHD prophylaxis adherence were identified in Khartoum, Sudan. These included patient self-efficacy and participant perception of healthcare facility quality. Strengthening local health system infrastructure, while enhancing RHD patient education, may help to improve treatment adherence in this vulnerable population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey G. Edwards
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
- Present Address: Boston Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Residency Program Coordinator, c/o Jeffrey Edwards, 801 Albany, St Boston, MA 02119-2598 USA
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Michele Barry
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
- Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Dary Essam
- Alazhari Health Research Center, Alzaeim Alazhari University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Mohammed Elsayed
- Alazhari Health Research Center, Alzaeim Alazhari University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | | | | | - Zahia H. A. Mohammed
- Faculty of Medicine, Alzaeim Alazhari University, Khartoum, Sudan
- Department of Psychiatry, Alzaeim Alazhari University Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | | | - Amna S. E. Elfaki
- Alazhari Health Research Center, Alzaeim Alazhari University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Ahmed Elsayed
- Alazhari Health Research Center, Alzaeim Alazhari University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Andrew Y. Chang
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
- Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
- Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
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