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Adrawa N, Ongiro S, Lotee K, Seret J, Adeke M, Izudi J. Use of a context-specific package to increase sputum smear monitoring among people with pulmonary tuberculosis in Uganda: a quality improvement study. BMJ Open Qual 2023; 12:e002314. [PMID: 37558284 PMCID: PMC10414073 DOI: 10.1136/bmjoq-2023-002314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND People with bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (BC-PTB) require sputum smear monitoring (SSM) to ascertain response to anti-TB treatment and cure from TB disease. We aimed to increase SSM at 2, 5 and 6 months among people with BC-PTB from the baseline (March to July 2021) of 68%, 37% and 39%, respectively, to 90% in February 2022 by implementing a context-specific improvement package at a rural health facility in northeastern Uganda. METHODS We designed a continuous quality improvement (CQI) study for people with BC-PTB, developed and tested an improvement package that consisted of the following context-specific measures: (1) line listing of all eligible persons for SSM; (2) use of reminder stickers to identify eligible persons for SSM; (3) use of community health workers to conduct home visits for people with missed clinic visits; and (4) integration of SSM into community-based ART points for distant persons. We implemented the measures using the plan-do-study-act cycle and tracked the progress in SSM through monthly data reviews and analyses. RESULTS SSM at 2 months improved from 68% (17/25) at the baseline to 74% (32/43) during phase I (p=0.818) and then to 94% (17/18) during phase II (p=0.562). SSM at 5 months improved from 37% (11/29) at the baseline to 82% (41/50) during phase I (p=0.094) and then to 100% (10/10) during phase II (p=0.688). SSM at 6 months improved from 39% (9/23) at the baseline to 59% (28/39) during phase I (p=0.189) and then to 100% (12/12) during phase II (p=0.487). CONCLUSION The use of a context-relevant CQI package was accompanied by improved SSM at 2, 5 and 6 months among people with BC-PTB. Trends are encouraging but this should be considered as preliminary report because of limited numbers. These data can inform the design of a fully powered randomised controlled trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Adrawa
- The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) Soroti Region Project, Soroti, Uganda
| | - Simon Ongiro
- Tokora Health Centre IV, Nakapiripirit District, Uganda
| | - Kizito Lotee
- Tokora Health Centre IV, Nakapiripirit District, Uganda
| | - Jacob Seret
- Tokora Health Centre IV, Nakapiripirit District, Uganda
| | - Mary Adeke
- Tokora Health Centre IV, Nakapiripirit District, Uganda
| | - Jonathan Izudi
- Department of Community Health, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
- Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
- The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi, Kenya
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Mandlate FM, Greene MC, Pereira LF, Gouveia ML, Mari JJ, Cournos F, Duarte CS, Oquendo MA, Mello MF, Wainberg ML. Association between mental disorders and adherence to antiretroviral treatment in health facilities in two Mozambican provinces in 2018: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry 2023; 23:274. [PMID: 37081470 PMCID: PMC10116733 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-04782-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Lower adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) has been found among people with HIV (PWH) who have comorbid mental disorders like depression and alcohol use in Sub-Saharan African. However, there has been less exploration with regards to other mental disorders. METHODS This study assessed the association of multiple mental disorders and adherence to ART based on the data from primary/tertiary health care facilities in Maputo and Nampula, Mozambique. We administered a sociodemographic questionnaire, Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) Plus 4.0.0 adapted for use in Mozambique to assess mental conditions, and a 3-item self-report to measure ART adherence. RESULTS 395 HIV-positive (self-report) participants on ART, with an average age of 36.7 years (SD = 9.8), and 30.4% were male. The most common mental disorders were major depressive disorder (27.34%) followed by psychosis (22.03%), suicidal ideation/behavior (15.44%), and alcohol-use disorder (8.35%). Higher odds of missing at least one dose in the last 30 days (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.10) were found in participants with any mental disorder compared to those without a mental disorder. The highest levels of non-adherence were observed among those with drug use disorders and panic disorder. CONCLUSIONS In Mozambique, PWH with any co-occurring mental conditions had a lower probability of ART adherence. Integrating comprehensive mental health assessment and treatment and ART adherence interventions tailored to PWH with co-occurring mental disorders is necessary to attain optimal ART adherence and reach the UNAIDS ART target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavio M. Mandlate
- Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Eduardo Mondlane Avenue, nr 1008, Postal Code 264 Maputo, Mozambique
- Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - M. Claire Greene
- Program on Forced Migration and Health, Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, USA
| | - Luis F. Pereira
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Maria Lidia Gouveia
- Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Eduardo Mondlane Avenue, nr 1008, Postal Code 264 Maputo, Mozambique
- Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jair Jesus Mari
- Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Francine Cournos
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | | | - Maria A. Oquendo
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Marcelo Feijó Mello
- Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Milton L. Wainberg
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, USA
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Izudi J, Kiragga AN, Kalyesubula P, Okoboi S, Castelnuovo B. Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on outcomes of HIV care among adults in Uganda. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e30282. [PMID: 36086721 PMCID: PMC10980429 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000030282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Uganda enforced several stringent restrictions such as night-time curfews, travel bans, school closure, and physical and social distancing among others that constituted a national lockdown to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These restrictions disrupted the delivery of health services but the impact on outcomes of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care has not been rigorously studied. We evaluated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on outcomes of HIV care among people living with HIV (PLHIV) aged ≥15 years in Kampala, Uganda. We designed a nonrandomized, quasi-experimental study using observational data retrieved from six large HIV clinics and used the data to construct two cohorts: a comparison cohort nonexposed to the restrictions and an exposed cohort that experienced the restrictions. The comparison cohort consisted of PLHIV commenced on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) between March 1, 2018, and February 28, 2019, followed for ≥1 year with outcomes assessed in March 2020, just before the restrictions were imposed. The exposed cohort comprised of PLHIV started on ART between March 1, 2019, and February 28, 2020, followed for ≥1 year with outcomes assessed in June 2021. The primary outcomes are retention, viral load testing, viral load suppression, and mortality. We employed inverse probability of treatment weighting using propensity score (IPTW-PS) to achieve comparability between the two cohorts on selected covariates. We estimated the effect of the restriction on the outcomes using logistic regression analysis weighted by propensity scores (PS), reported as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). We analyzed data for nine, 952 participants, with 5094 (51.2%) in the exposed group. The overall mean age was 32.7 ± 8.8 years. In the exposed group relative to the comparison group, viral load testing (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.59-1.78) and viral load suppression (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.110-1.63) increased while retention (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.70-0.81) and mortality (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.64-0.88) reduced. Among PLHIV in Kampala, Uganda, viral load testing and suppression improved while retention and mortality reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions due to new approaches to ART delivery and the scale-up of existing ART delivery models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Izudi
- Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
- Data Science and Evaluations (DSE) Unit, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Agnes N. Kiragga
- Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
- Data Science and Evaluations (DSE) Unit, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Philip Kalyesubula
- Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Stephen Okoboi
- Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Barbara Castelnuovo
- Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
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Izudi J, Kiragga AN, Okoboi S, Bajunirwe F, Castelnuovo B. Adaptations to HIV services delivery amidst the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in Kampala, Uganda: A qualitative study. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 2:e0000908. [PMID: 36962823 PMCID: PMC10022311 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The enforcement of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic restrictions disrupted health services delivery and currently, there is a limited understanding regarding measures employed by health facilities to ensure delivery of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services amidst the interruptions. We, therefore, designed a qualitative study to explore the measures for continuity of HIV services during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in Kampala, Uganda. This study was conducted at six large primary health care facilities in the Kampala Metropolitan area. Qualitative data were collected from anti-retroviral therapy (ART) focal persons and lay health workers namely linkage facilitators and peer mothers through key informant interviews (KIIs). Overall, 14 KIIs were performed, 10 with lay health workers and 4 with ART focal persons. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using the content approach, and the results were presented as themes along with participant quotations. Five themes emerged to describe measures for continuity of HIV services. The measures included: 1) leveraging the use of mobile phone technology to support ART adherence counseling, psychosocial care, and reminders concerning clinic appointments and referrals; 2) adoption of novel differentiated service delivery models for ART like the use of motorcycle taxis and introduction of an individualized ART delivery model for patients with non-disclosed HIV status; 3) scale-up of existing differentiated service delivery models for ART, namely multi-month dispensing of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), fast-track ARV refill, home-based ARV refill, peer ART delivery, use of community pharmacy model, and community client-led ART delivery model; and, 4) reorientation of health facility functioning to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions characterized by the use of nearby health facilities for ARV refill and viral load monitoring, transportation of healthcare providers and flexible work schedules and reliance on shift work. We found several measures were adopted to deliver HIV care, treatment, and support services during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in Kampala, Uganda. We recommend the scale-up of the new measures for service continuity in the post-COVID-19 period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Izudi
- Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
- African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
| | - Agnes N Kiragga
- Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
- African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Stephen Okoboi
- Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Francis Bajunirwe
- Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
| | - Barbara Castelnuovo
- Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
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