1
|
Zhu J, Cole CB, Fihman J, Adjagba A, Dasic M, Cernuschi T. Opportunities to accelerate immunization progress in middle-income countries. Vaccine 2023:S0264-410X(23)00782-X. [PMID: 37460357 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.06.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
There has been increasing recognition of vaccine access challenges in middle-income countries and the need for increased action, particularly in countries that are not eligible for or have transitioned out of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance support. These countries' immunization systems are more vulnerable than ever as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates existing programme challenges, increasing the risk of delayed vaccine introductions, backsliding immunization coverage rates, and increased coverage inequity. The potential health and equity impact of improving immunization outcomes in middle-income countries is substantial. Modelling suggests that the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and vaccines for rotavirus and human papillomavirus in this set of Gavi-transitioned and non-Gavieligible middle-income countries in 2020 could have saved an estimated 70,000 lives if 90 % coverage had been reached. Further, increasing coverage for already-introduced vaccines to 90 % could have saved an additional estimated 16,000 lives. Over the past decade, stakeholders have made considerable efforts to identify immunization challenges in middle-income countries as documented in the 2015 SAGE-endorsed Shared Partner Middle-Income Country Strategy. In the coming decade, new global platforms like Gavi 5.0 and the Immunization Agenda 2030 provide opportunities to align on MIC strategies and provide coordinated global support to middle-income countries. The international COVID-19 pandemic response has the potential to lay the foundation for long term support beyond the scope of COVID-19 to non-Gavi eligible middle-income countries. Meanwhile regional mechanisms to address immunization barriers in middle-income countries have grown in number and strength, offering sustainable platforms for cross-country collaboration and the provision of tailored technical support. To ensure that these opportunities are successfully acted upon and that middle-income countries achieve the Immunization Agenda 2030 goals, comprehensive, multi-stakeholder consultations were conducted to identify areas of action with the greatest potential to accelerate immunization progress. Stakeholders should work together to put these findings, highlighted in this paper, into action, adapting their approaches to specific country contexts and learning from and building on existing efforts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jason Zhu
- Clinton Health Access Initiative, Boston, MA, USA.
| | | | - Johanna Fihman
- World Health Organization, Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Alex Adjagba
- Immunization Unit, Health Section, UNICEF HQ, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mira Dasic
- South-Eastern Europe Health Network, Skopje, Macedonia
| | - Tania Cernuschi
- World Health Organization, Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, Genève, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rao KD, Mehta A, Kautsar H, Kak M, Karem G, Misra M, Joshi H, Herbst CH, Perry HB. Improving quality of non-communicable disease services at primary care facilities in middle-income countries: A scoping review. Soc Sci Med 2023; 320:115679. [PMID: 36731302 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Health systems in middle-income countries face important challenges in managing the high burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD). Primary health care is widely recognized as key to managing NCDs in communities. However, the effectiveness of this approach is limited by poor quality of care (QoC), among others. This scoping review identifies the types of interventions that have been used in middle-income countries to improve the quality of NCD services at primary care facilities. Further, it identifies the range of outcomes these quality interventions have influenced. This scoping review covered both the grey and peer-reviewed literature. The 149 articles reviewed were classified into four domains - governance, service-delivery systems, health workforce, and patients and communities. There was a remarkable unevenness in the geographic distribution of studies - lower middle-income countries and some regions (Middle East, North Africa, and South East Asia) had a scarcity of published studies. NCDs such as stroke and cardiovascular disease, mental health, cancer, and respiratory disorders received less attention. The thrust of quality interventions was directed at the practice of NCD care by clinicians, facilities, or patients. Few studies provided evidence from interventions at the organizations or policy levels. Overall, effectiveness of quality interventions was mixed across domains. In general, positive or mixed effects on provider clinical skills and behavior, as well as, improvements in patient outcomes were found across interventions. Access to care and coverage of screening services were positively influenced by the interventions reviewed. This review shows that quality improvement interventions tried in middle-income countries mostly focused at the provider and facility level, with few focusing on the organizational and policy level. There is a need to further study the effectiveness of organizational and policy level interventions on the practice and outcomes of NCD care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Krishna D Rao
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA
| | - Akriti Mehta
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.
| | - Hunied Kautsar
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA
| | | | | | - Madhavi Misra
- Johns Hopkins India Private Limited, New Delhi, India
| | - Harsha Joshi
- Johns Hopkins India Private Limited, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Henry B Perry
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Alyesh D, Pavri BB, Choe W, Chandara M, Sani MU, Phan PD, Bonny A, Khairy P, Sinha SK, Srivatsa U, Marine JE, Eagle K, Crawford TC, Lakkireddy D, Sundaram S. Advancing global equity in cardiac care as cardiac implantable electronic device reuse comes of age. Heart Rhythm O2 2022; 3:799-806. [PMID: 36589002 DOI: 10.1016/j.hroo.2022.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A nation's health and economic development are inextricably and synergistically connected. Stark differences exist between wealthy and developing nations in the use of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Cardiovascular disease is now the leading cause of death in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), with a significant burden from rhythm-related diseases. As science, technology, education, and regulatory frameworks have improved, CIED recycling for exportation and reuse in LMIC has become possible and primed for widespread adoption. In our manuscript, we outline the science and regulatory pathways regarding CIED reuse. We propose a pathway to advance this technology that includes creating a task force to establish standards for CIED reuse, leveraging professional organizations in areas of need to foster the professional skills for CIED reuse, collaborating with regulatory agencies to create more efficient regulatory expectations and bring the concept to scale, and establishing a global CIED reuse registry for quality assurance and future science.
Collapse
|
4
|
Nabovati E, TaherZadeh Z, Eslami S, Abu-Hanna A, Abbasi R. Antibiotic prescribing in inpatient and outpatient settings in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis study. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2021; 10:15. [PMID: 33446279 PMCID: PMC7809737 DOI: 10.1186/s13756-021-00887-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Antibiotic prescribing is common worldwide. There are several original studies about antibiotic prescribing in the healthcare setting of Iran reporting different levels of prescribing. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the prevalence of antibiotic prescribing in both inpatient and outpatient settings in Iran, an example of a developing country. Methods To identify published studies on antibiotic prescribing, databases such as ISI, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Electronic Persian were searched in Iran till January 2020. Eligible studies were those analyzing original data on the prescription and use of antibiotics in outpatient or inpatient settings in Iran. Moreover, all studies that used an intervention to improve antibiotic prescribing were included. The quality of the included studies was assessed using self-administered quality assessment criteria. The meta-analysis of prevalence of antibiotic prescribing was conducted based on the meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology guidelines. To calculate pooled rates, the random-effects model was used. Results A total of 54 studies (39 outpatients and 15 inpatients) were included in this study. The median of antibiotic prescribing in the outpatient and inpatient settings accounted for 45.25% and 68.2% of patients, respectively. The results of meta-analysis also showed that the antibiotic prescribing accounted for 45% of prescriptions in outpatient settings and 39.5%, 66%, and 75.3% of patients in all wards, pediatrics wards, and ICU wards of inpatient settings, respectively. The most commonly prescribed antibiotic classes in outpatient settings were penicillins, cephalosporins, and macrolides, while in inpatient settings, these were cephalosporins, penicillins, and carbapenems. There were seven studies using interventions to improve antibiotic prescribing pattern. It should be mentioned that intervention in a study had a statistically significant effect on improving antibiotic prescribing (p < .05). Conclusion Prevalence of antibiotic prescribing in Iran is high. Our findings highlight the need for urgent action to improve prescription practices. It seems that developing a national plan to improve antibiotic prescribing is necessary.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Nabovati
- Health Information Management Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.,Department of Health Information Management and Technology, School of Allied Health Professions, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Zhila TaherZadeh
- Targeted Drug Delivery Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Saeid Eslami
- Department of Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Ameen Abu-Hanna
- Department of Medical Informatics, Amsterdam UMC - Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Reza Abbasi
- Health Information Management Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran. .,Department of Health Information Management and Technology, School of Allied Health Professions, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Mihigo R, Okeibunor J, Cernuschi T, Petu A, Satoulou A, Zawaira F. Improving access to affordable vaccines for middle-income countries in the african region. Vaccine 2019; 37:2838-2842. [PMID: 30979568 PMCID: PMC6510904 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.03.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Despite the remarkable power of immunization reducing morbidity and mortality due to vaccine preventable diseases, one in five African children still does not receive all the basic, necessary vaccines. This is particularly true of the 10 middle-income countries (MICs) in the WHO African Region, where data demonstrates that immunization coverage is decreasing. These countries are not eligible for Gavi support in accessing new vaccines because of their relatively high per capita income level and will gradually increase with the transitioning of countries out of Gavi support. Thus, WHO was requested to facilitate access to affordable vaccines in relation to middle-income countries and those transitioning out of Gavi support in the near future. With commitment to address the issue, WHO Regional Office for Africa convened a consultative meeting from 09 to 11 April 2018 in Brazzaville, Congo to explore ways of improving access to affordable vaccines for MICs in the Region. The meeting brought together 17 low, middle and upper middle income countries in the African Region. Immunization partners and other WHO Regions also participated in the consultation to share experiences and explore ways of increasing access to affordable vaccines in MICs in the African Region. At the end of the meeting a number of solutions and action points were proposed for implementation in the Region.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Amos Petu
- WHO Intercountry Support Team for East & Southern Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Docherty M, Shaw K, Goulding L, Parke H, Eassom E, Ali F, Thornicroft G. Evidence-based guideline implementation in low and middle income countries: lessons for mental health care. Int J Ment Health Syst 2017; 11:8. [PMID: 28070218 PMCID: PMC5217244 DOI: 10.1186/s13033-016-0115-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There is a significant treatment gap in provision of effective treatment for people with mental disorders globally. In some Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) this gap is 90% or more in terms of untreated cases. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are one tool to improve health care provision. The aim of this review is to examine studies of the effectiveness of evidence-based CPG implementation across physical and mental health care, to inform mental healthcare provision in low and middle income countries (LMICs), and to identify transferable lessons from other non-communicable diseases to mental health. Methods A systematic literature review employing narrative synthesis and utilising the tools developed by the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) group was conducted. Experimental studies of CPG implementation relating to non-communicable diseases, including mental disorders, in LMICs were retrieved and synthesised. Results Few (six) studies were identified. Four cluster randomised controlled trials (RCTs) related to the introduction of CPGs for non-communicable diseases in physical health; one cluster-RCT included CPGs for both a non-communicable disease in physical health and mental health, and one uncontrolled before and after study described the introduction of a CPG for mental health. All of the included studies adopted multi-faceted CPG implementation strategies and used education as part of this strategy. Components of the multi-faceted strategies were sometimes poorly described. Results of the studies included generally show statistically significant improvement on some, but not all, outcomes. Conclusion Evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to improve uptake of, and compliance with, evidence-based CPGs in LMICs for mental disorders and for other non-communicable diseases is at present limited. The sparse literature does, however, suggest that multifaceted CPG implementation strategies that involve an educational component may be an effective way of improving guideline adherence and therefore of improving clinical outcomes. Further work is needed to examine cost-effectiveness of CPG implementation strategies in LMICs and to draw conclusions on the transferability of implementation experience in physical health care to mental health practice settings. Strategies to ensure that CPGs are developed with clear guidance for implementation, and with explicit, methods to evaluate them should be a priority for mental health researchers and for international agencies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13033-016-0115-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary Docherty
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, The Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Kate Shaw
- Centre for Implementation Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Lucy Goulding
- Centre for Implementation Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Hannah Parke
- Centre for Implementation Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Erica Eassom
- Centre for Implementation Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Farnoosh Ali
- Centre for Implementation Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Graham Thornicroft
- Centre for Global Mental Health and Centre for Implementation Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Evans CEL, Albar SA, Vargas-Garcia EJ, Xu F. School-Based Interventions to Reduce Obesity Risk in Children in High- and Middle-Income Countries. Adv Food Nutr Res 2015; 76:29-77. [PMID: 26602571 DOI: 10.1016/bs.afnr.2015.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
School-based interventions are relatively new and were first introduced in the United States in the 1990s. Early programs were mainly education based with many of the findings now embedded in school policy in the form of a healthy eating curriculum. More recent school programs have taken education outside the classroom and attempted to engage parents as well as teachers. Environmental changes such as improving the quality of foods available at lunchtime and at other times during the school day are now common. Reviews of evaluations of school-based programs have demonstrated that they are effective and successfully improve dietary quality such as increasing fruit and vegetable intake and decreasing sweet and savory snacks and sweetened drinks; not just in school but over the whole day and particularly in younger school children. School-based interventions are also effective at reducing obesity if components to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviors are also targeted but not if only dietary behaviors are tackled. Most of the high-quality evaluation studies using randomized controlled trials have been carried out in high-income countries as they are costly to run. However, middle-income countries have benefitted from the information available from these evaluation studies and many are now starting to fund and evaluate school-based programs themselves, resulting in unique problems such as concomitant under- and overnutrition being addressed. Action for the future demands more focus on populations most at risk of poor dietary quality and obesity in order to reduce inequalities in health and on adolescents who have not benefited as much as younger children from school-based interventions. This will involve innovative solutions within schools as well as targeting the food environment outside schools such as reducing the density of fast-food outlets and marketing of sweet and savory snacks and drinks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte E L Evans
- Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition, Nutritional Epidemiology Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - Salwa Ali Albar
- School of Food Science and Nutrition, King Abdul-Aziz University, PO Box 42807, 21551 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Nutritional Epidemiology Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Elisa J Vargas-Garcia
- Nutritional Epidemiology Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Fei Xu
- Nanjing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2, Zizhulin, Nanjing 210003, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Vecino-Ortiz AI, Bishai D, Chandran A, Bhalla K, Bachani AM, Gupta S, Slyunkina E, Hyder AA. Seatbelt wearing rates in middle income countries: a cross-country analysis. Accid Anal Prev 2014; 71:115-119. [PMID: 24906165 DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2014.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2013] [Revised: 04/30/2014] [Accepted: 04/30/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In settings with low seatbelt use prevalence, self-reported seatbelt use estimates often lack validity, and routine observational studies are scarce. In this paper, we aim to describe the prevalence of seatbelt use and associated factors in drivers and front-seat passengers across eight sites in four countries (Egypt, Mexico, Russia, Turkey) using observational studies as well as to produce estimates of country-level and site-level variance. As part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Program, data on driver and passenger seatbelt use across four middle-income countries was collected between October 2010 and May 2011 (n=122,931 vehicles). Logistic regression and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient analyses for sites- and country-level clustering were performed. We found high variability of seatbelt wearing rates ranging from 4 to 72% in drivers and 3-50% in front-seat passengers. Overall, average seatbelt wearing rates were low (under 60% in most sites). At the individual level, older and female drivers were more likely to wear seatbelts, as well as drivers of vehicles transiting at times of increased vehicle flow. We also found that 26-32% and 37-41% of the variance in seatbelt use among drivers and front-seat passengers respectively was explained by differences across sites and countries. Our results demonstrate that there is room for improvement on seatbelt use in middle-income countries and that standardized cross-country studies on road safety risk factors are feasible, providing valuable information for prevention and monitoring activities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andres I Vecino-Ortiz
- International Injury Research Unit, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - David Bishai
- International Injury Research Unit, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Aruna Chandran
- International Injury Research Unit, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kavi Bhalla
- International Injury Research Unit, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Abdulgafoor M Bachani
- International Injury Research Unit, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Shivam Gupta
- International Injury Research Unit, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ekaterina Slyunkina
- International Injury Research Unit, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Adnan A Hyder
- International Injury Research Unit, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| |
Collapse
|