Recruiting people with HIV to an online self-management support randomised controlled trial: barriers and facilitators.

Background Recruitment of people to randomised trials of online interventions presents particular challenges and opportunities. The aim of this study was to evaluate factors associated with the recruitment of people with HIV (PWHIV) and their doctors to the HealthMap trial, a cluster randomised trial of an online self-management program. METHODS: Recruitment involved a three-step process. Study sites were recruited, followed by doctors caring for PWHIV at study sites and finally PWHIV. Data were collected from study sites, doctors and patient participants. Factors associated with site enrolment and patient participant recruitment were investigated using regression models. RESULTS: Thirteen study sites, 63 doctor participants and 728 patient participants were recruited to the study. Doctors having a prior relationship with the study investigators (odds ratio (OR) 13.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.0, 58.7; P = 0.001) was positively associated with becoming a HealthMap site. Most patient participants successfully recruited to HealthMap (80%) had heard about the study from their HIV doctor. Patient enrolment was associated with the number of people with HIV receiving care at the site (ß coefficient 0.10; 95% CI 0.04, 0.16; P = 0.004), but not with employing a clinic or research nurse to help recruit patients (ß coefficient 55.9; 95% CI -2.55, 114.25; P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: Despite substantial investment in online promotion, a previous relationship with doctors was important for doctor recruitment, and doctors themselves were the most important source of patient recruitment to the HealthMap trial. Clinic-based recruitment strategies remain a critical component of trial recruitment, despite expanding opportunities to engage with online communities.

The systematic development of a complex intervention: HealthMap, an online self-management support program for people with HIV.

BACKGROUND: Despite persistent calls for HIV care to adopt a chronic care approach, few HIV treatment services have been able to establish service arrangements that prioritise self-management. To prevent cardiovascular and other chronic disease outcomes, the HealthMap program aims to enhance routine HIV care with opportunities for self-management support. This paper outlines the systematic process that was used to design and develop the HealthMap program, prior to its evaluation in a cluster-randomised trial. METHODS: Program development, planning and evaluation was informed by the PRECEDE-PROCOEDE Model and an Intervention Mapping approach and involved four steps: (1) a multifaceted needs assessment; (2) the identification of intervention priorities; (3) exploration and identification of the antecedents and reinforcing factors required to initiate and sustain desired change of risk behaviours; and finally (4) the development of intervention goals, strategies and methods and integrating them into a comprehensive description of the intervention components. RESULTS: The logic model incorporated the program's guiding principles, program elements, hypothesised causal processes, and intended program outcomes. Grounding the development of HealthMap on a clear conceptual base, informed by the research literature and stakeholder's perspectives, has ensured that the HealthMap program is targeted, relevant, provides transparency, and enables effective program evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a systematic process for intervention development facilitated the development of an intervention that is patient centred, accessible, and focuses on the key determinants of health-related outcomes for people with HIV in Australia. The techniques used here may offer a useful methodology for those involved in the development and implementation of complex interventions.

Development of the Organisational Health Literacy Responsiveness (Org-HLR) self-assessment tool and process.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization describes health literacy as a critical determinant of health and driver of citizen empowerment and health equity. Several studies have shown that health literacy is associated with a range of socioeconomic factors including educational attainment, financial position and ethnicity. The complexity of the health system influences how well a person is able to engage with information and services. Health organisations can empower the populations they serve and address inequity by ensuring they are health literacy responsive. The aim of this study was to develop the Organisational Health Literacy Responsiveness self-assessment tool (Org-HLR Tool), and an assessment process to support organisations with application of the tool. METHODS: A co-design workshop with health and social service professionals was undertaken to inform the structure of the tool and assessment process. Participants critiqued existing self-assessment tools and discussed the likely utility of the data they generate. A review of widely used organisational performance assessment tools informed the structure and self-assessment process. The Organisational Health Literacy Responsiveness (Org-HLR) Framework (with seven domains/24 sub-domains) provided the structure for the assessment dimensions of the tool. The performance indicators were drawn from raw data collected during development of the Org-HLR Framework. RESULTS: Twenty-two professionals participated in the workshop. Based on the feedback provided and a review of existing tools, a multi-stage, group-based assessment process for implementing the Org-HLR Tool was developed. The assessment process was divided into three parts; i) reflection; ii) self-rating; and iii) priority setting, each supported by a corresponding tool. The self-rating tool, consistent with the Org-HLR Framework, was divided into: External policy and funding environment; Leadership and culture; Systems, processes and policies; Access to services and programs; Community engagement and partnerships; Communication practices and standards; Workforce. Each of these had 1 to 5 sub-dimensions (24 in total), and 135 performance indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The Org-HLR Tool and assessment process were developed to address a gap in available tools to support organisations to assess their health literacy responsiveness, and prioritise and plan their quality improvement activities. The tool is currently in the field for further utility and acceptability testing.

Conceptualisation and development of the Conversational Health Literacy Assessment Tool (CHAT).

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to develop a tool to support health workers' ability to identify patients' multidimensional health literacy strengths and challenges. The tool was intended to be suitable for administration in healthcare settings where health workers must identify health literacy priorities as the basis for person-centred care. METHODS: Development was based on a qualitative co-design process that used the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) as a framework to generate questions. Health workers were recruited to participate in an online consultation, a workshop, and two rounds of pilot testing. RESULTS: Participating health workers identified and refined ten questions that target five areas of assessment: supportive professional relationships, supportive personal relationships, health information access and comprehension, current health behaviours, and health promotion barriers and support. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary evidence suggests that application of the Conversational Health Literacy Assessment Tool (CHAT) can support health workers to better understand the health literacy challenges and supportive resources of their patients. As an integrated clinical process, the CHAT can supplement existing intake and assessment procedures across healthcare settings to give insight into patients' circumstances so that decisions about care can be tailored to be more appropriate and effective.

Health literacy and fruit and vegetable intake in rural Australia.

OBJECTIVE: Adequate fruit and vegetable intake is important in the prevention of chronic disease. Health literacy is associated with health outcomes but its role in dietary behaviour has received little attention. The present study investigated the association between a multidimensional measure of health literacy, sociodemographic characteristics, and fruit and vegetable intake in rural Australia. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey on intake of fruits and vegetables (servings/d), demographic characteristics and health literacy profile using a nine-scale Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). Associations between health literacy and fruit and vegetable intake were assessed using logistic regression. SETTING: A large rural area of Victoria. SUBJECTS: Adults residing in the Grampians region (n 1154; 61 % female, mean age 52 (sd 17) years). RESULTS: The HLQ scale 'Actively managing my health' predicted (OR; 95 % CI) fruit (2·31; 1·87, 2·84) and vegetable (1·81; 1·45, 2·26) intake. The scales 'Appraisal of health information' (fruits: 1·73; 1·41, 2·13; vegetables: 1·49; 1·20, 1·86), 'Social support for health' (fruits: 1·31; 1·06, 1·63; vegetables: 1·40; 1·10, 1·76) and 'Ability to find good health information' (fruits: 1·25; 1·05, 1·48; vegetables: 1·36; CI 1·13, 1·63) also predicted fruit and vegetable intake. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, educational attainment and having private health insurance. CONCLUSIONS: Health literacy, particularly being proactive, appraising information and having social support for health, is associated with greater fruit and vegetable intake. Future interventions should consider the health literacy needs of the community to improve fruit and vegetable intake.

Systematic development and implementation of interventions to OPtimise Health Literacy and Access (Ophelia).

BACKGROUND: The need for healthcare strengthening to enhance equity is critical, requiring systematic approaches that focus on those experiencing lesser access and outcomes. This project developed and tested the Ophelia (OPtimising HEalth LIteracy and Access) approach for co-design of interventions to improve health literacy and equity of access. Eight principles guided this development: Outcomes focused; Equity driven, Needs diagnosis, Co-design, Driven by local wisdom, Sustainable, Responsive and Systematically applied. We report the application of the Ophelia process where proof-of-concept was defined as successful application of the principles. METHODS: Nine sites were briefed on the aims of the project around health literacy, co-design and quality improvement. The sites were rural/metropolitan, small/large hospitals, community health centres or municipalities. Each site identified their own priorities for improvement; collected health literacy data using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) within the identified priority groups; engaged staff in co-design workshops to generate ideas for improvement; developed program-logic models; and implemented their projects using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. Evaluation included assessment of impacts on organisations, practitioners and service users, and whether the principles were applied. RESULTS: Sites undertook co-design workshops involving discussion of service user needs informed by HLQ (n = 813) and interview data. Sites generated between 21 and 78 intervention ideas and then planned their selected interventions through program-logic models. Sites successfully implemented interventions and refined them progressively with PDSA cycles. Interventions generally involved one of four pathways: development of clinician skills and resources for health literacy, engagement of community volunteers to disseminate health promotion messages, direct impact on consumers' health literacy, and redesign of existing services. Evidence of application of the principles was found in all sites. CONCLUSIONS: The Ophelia approach guided identification of health literacy issues at each participating site and the development and implementation of locally appropriate solutions. The eight principles provided a framework that allowed flexible application of the Ophelia approach and generation of a diverse set of interventions. Changes were observed at organisational, staff, and community member levels. The Ophelia approach can be used to generate health service improvements that enhance health outcomes and address inequity of access to healthcare.

Development of the organisational health literacy responsiveness (Org-HLR) framework in collaboration with health and social services professionals.

BACKGROUND: The health literacy skills required by individuals to interact effectively with health services depends on the complexity of those services, and the demands they place on people. Public health and social service organisations have a responsibility to provide services and information in ways that promote equitable access and engagement, that are responsive to diverse needs and preferences, and support people to participate in decisions regarding their health and wellbeing. The aim of this study was to develop a conceptual framework describing the characteristics of health literacy responsive organisations. METHODS: Concept mapping (CM) workshops with six groups of professionals (total N = 42) from across health and social services sectors were undertaken. An online concept mapping consultation with 153 professionals was also conducted. In these CM activities, participants responded to the seeding statement "Thinking broadly from your experiences of working in the health system, what does an organisation need to have or do in order to enable communities and community members to fully engage with information and services to promote and maintain health and wellbeing". The CM data were analysed using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to derive concept maps and cluster tree diagrams. Clusters from the CM processes were then integrated by identifying themes and subthemes across tree diagrams. RESULTS: Across the workshops, 373 statements were generated in response to the seeding statement. An additional 1206 statements were generated in the online consultation. 84 clusters were derived within the workshops and 20 from the online consultation. Seven domains of health literacy responsiveness were identified; i) External policy and funding environment; ii) Leadership and culture; iii) Systems, processes and policies; iv) Access to services and programs; v) Community engagement and partnerships; vi) Communication practices and standards; and vii) Workforce. Each domain included 1 to 5 sub-domains (24 sub-domains in total). CONCLUSIONS: Using participatory research processes, a conceptual framework describing the characteristics, values, practices and capabilities of organisational health literacy responsiveness was derived. The framework may guide the planning and monitoring of health service and health system improvements, and has the potential to guide effective public health policy and health system reforms.

HealthMap: a cluster randomised trial of interactive health plans and self-management support to prevent coronary heart disease in people with HIV.

BACKGROUND: The leading causes of morbidity and mortality for people in high-income countries living with HIV are now non-AIDS malignancies, cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable diseases associated with ageing. This protocol describes the trial of HealthMap, a model of care for people with HIV (PWHIV) that includes use of an interactive shared health record and self-management support. The aims of the HealthMap trial are to evaluate engagement of PWHIV and healthcare providers with the model, and its effectiveness for reducing coronary heart disease risk, enhancing self-management, and improving mental health and quality of life of PWHIV. METHODS/DESIGN: The study is a two-arm cluster randomised trial involving HIV clinical sites in several states in Australia. Doctors will be randomised to the HealthMap model (immediate arm) or to proceed with usual care (deferred arm). People with HIV whose doctors are randomised to the immediate arm receive 1) new opportunities to discuss their health status and goals with their HIV doctor using a HealthMap shared health record; 2) access to their own health record from home; 3) access to health coaching delivered by telephone and online; and 4) access to a peer moderated online group chat programme. Data will be collected from participating PWHIV (n = 710) at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months and from participating doctors (n = 60) at baseline and 12 months. The control arm will be offered the HealthMap intervention at the end of the trial. The primary study outcomes, measured at 12 months, are 1) 10-year risk of non-fatal acute myocardial infarction or coronary heart disease death as estimated by a Framingham Heart Study risk equation; and 2) Positive and Active Engagement in Life Scale from the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ). DISCUSSION: The study will determine the viability and utility of a novel technology-supported model of care for maintaining the health and wellbeing of people with HIV. If shown to be effective, the HealthMap model may provide a generalisable, scalable and sustainable system for supporting the care needs of people with HIV, addressing issues of equity of access. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Universal Trial Number (UTN) U111111506489; ClinicalTrial.gov Id NCT02178930 submitted 29 June 2014.

Multifaceted Assessment of Health Literacy in People Receiving Dialysis: Associations With Psychological Stress and Quality of Life.

Health literacy (HL) refers to a person's ability to engage effectively with health information and services. We aimed to describe the HL of people receiving dialysis and the factors associated with it. A cross-sectional design was used, with demographic and clinical data as predictors. Participants were people receiving dialysis at a metropolitan health service in Melbourne, Australia. Health consumers with conditions not requiring dialysis were included for comparison. The Health Literacy Questionnaire, Kidney Disease Quality of Life-36, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 were administered. Participants (M age = 68.2 ± 13.7 years; n = 57 males) were 76 people receiving hemodialysis within a dialysis unit, 16 people receiving home peritoneal dialysis, and 8 people receiving home hemodialysis. Participants scored higher on the HL domains social support for health and engagement with health care providers but lower on active management of health than the comparison group (n = 813). Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed 2 clusters within the dialysis sample representing higher (n = 43) and lower (n = 57) profiles of HL. The higher HL cluster reported better quality of life across 4 of 5 domains of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-36, fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, and higher serum albumin (mean difference = 2.06 g/L, p = .04) than the lower HL cluster. These results show that people receiving dialysis feel better supported and informed about their health than other health consumers but are less active in managing it. Higher HL is associated with better mental health and quality of life. Identifying HL characteristics may help direct specific interventions to improve patient education and support.

Distribution of health literacy strengths and weaknesses across socio-demographic groups: a cross-sectional survey using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ).

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in the measurement of health literacy allow description of a broad range of personal and social dimensions of the concept. Identifying differences in patterns of health literacy between population sub-groups will increase understanding of how health literacy contributes to health inequities and inform intervention development. The aim of this study was to use a multi-dimensional measurement tool to describe the health literacy of adults in urban and rural Victoria, Australia. METHODS: Data were collected from clients (n = 813) of 8 health and community care organisations, using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). Demographic and health service data were also collected. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Effect sizes (ES) for standardised differences in means were used to describe the magnitude of difference between demographic sub-groups. RESULTS: Mean age of respondents was 72.1 (range 19-99) years. Females comprised 63% of the sample, 48% had not completed secondary education, and 96% reported at least one existing health condition. Small to large ES were seen for mean differences in HLQ scales between most demographic groups. Compared with participants who spoke English at home, those not speaking English at home had much lower scores for most HLQ scales including the scales 'Understanding health information well enough to know what to do' (ES -1.09 [95% confidence interval (CI) -1.33 to -0.84]), 'Ability to actively engage with healthcare providers' (ES -1.00 [95% CI -1.24, -0.75]), and 'Navigating the healthcare system' (ES -0.72 [95% CI -0.97, -0.48]). Similar patterns and ES were seen for participants born overseas compared with those born in Australia. Smaller ES were seen for sex, age group, private health insurance status, number of chronic conditions, and living alone. CONCLUSIONS: This study has revealed some large health literacy differences across nine domains of health literacy in adults using health services in Victoria. These findings provide insights into the relationship between health literacy and socioeconomic position in vulnerable groups and, given the focus of the HLQ, provide guidance for the development of equitable interventions.

The OPtimising HEalth LIterAcy (Ophelia) process: study protocol for using health literacy profiling and community engagement to create and implement health reform.

BACKGROUND: Health literacy is a multi-dimensional concept comprising a range of cognitive, affective, social, and personal skills and attributes. This paper describes the research and development protocol for a large communities-based collaborative project in Victoria, Australia that aims to identify and respond to health literacy issues for people with chronic conditions. The project, called Ophelia (OPtimising HEalth LIterAcy) Victoria, is a partnership between two universities, eight service organisations and the Victorian Government. Based on the identified issues, it will develop and pilot health literacy interventions across eight disparate health services to inform the creation of a health literacy response framework to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities. METHODS/DESIGN: The protocol draws on many inputs including the experience of the partners in previous co-creation and roll-out of large-scale health-promotion initiatives. Three key conceptual models/discourses inform the protocol: intervention mapping; quality improvement collaboratives, and realist synthesis. The protocol is outcomes-oriented and focuses on two key questions: 'What are the health literacy strengths and weaknesses of clients of participating sites?', and 'How do sites interpret and respond to these in order to achieve positive health and equity outcomes for their clients?'. The process has six steps in three main phases. The first phase is a needs assessment that uses the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), a multi-dimensional measure of health literacy, to identify common health literacy needs among clients. The second phase involves front-line staff and management within each service organisation in co-creating intervention plans to strategically respond to the identified local needs. The third phase will trial the interventions within each site to determine if the site can improve identified limitations to service access and/or health outcomes. DISCUSSION: There have been few attempts to assist agencies to identify, and respond, in a planned way, to the varied health literacy needs of their clients. This project will assess the potential for targeted, locally-developed health literacy interventions to improve access, equity and outcomes.

Development of the Health Literacy of Caregivers Scale - Cancer (HLCS-C): item generation and content validity testing.

BACKGROUND: Health literacy refers to an individual's ability to engage with health information and services. Cancer caregivers play a vital role in the care of people with cancer, and their capacity to find, understand, appraise and use health information and services influences how effectively they are able to undertake this role. The aim of this study was to develop an instrument to measure health literacy of cancer caregivers. METHOD: Content areas for the new instrument were identified from a conceptual model of cancer caregiver health literacy. Item content was guided by statements provided by key stakeholders during consultation activities and selected to be representative across the range of cancer caregiver experiences. Content validity of items was assessed through expert review (n = 7) and cognitive interviews with caregivers (n = 16). RESULTS: An initial pool of 82 items was generated across 10 domains. Two categories of response options were developed for these items: agreement with statements, and difficulty undertaking presented tasks. Expert review revealed that the majority of items were relevant and clear (Content Validity Index > 0.78). Cognitive interviews with caregivers suggested that all except three items were well understood. CONCLUSION: A resultant 88 item questionnaire was developed to assess cancer caregiver health literacy. Further work is required to assess the construct validity and reliability of the new measure, and to remove poorly performing and redundant items, which will result in a shorter, final measure. The new measure has the potential to inform the development and evaluation of interventions and the improvement of health service delivery to cancer caregivers.

The Better Operative Outcomes Software Tool (BOOST) Prospective Study: Improving the Quality of Cataract Surgery Outcomes in Low-Resource Settings.

PURPOSE: Post-operative vision impairment is common among patients who have undergone cataract surgery in low-resource settings, impacting quality of clinical outcomes and patient experience. This prospective, multisite, single-armed, pragmatic validation study aimed to assess whether receiving tailored recommendations via the free Better Operative Outcomes Software Tool (BOOST) app improved surgical outcomes, as quantified by post-operative unaided distance visual acuity (UVA) measured 1-3 days after surgery. METHODS: During the baseline data collection round, surgeons in low and middle-income countries recorded clinical characteristics of 60 consecutive cataract cases in BOOST. Additional data on the causes of poor outcomes from 20 consecutive cases with post-operative UVA of <6/60 (4-12 weeks post-surgery) were entered to automatically generate tailored recommendations for improvement, before 60 additional consecutive cases were recorded during the follow-up study round. Average UVA was compared between cases recorded in the baseline study round and those recorded during follow-up. RESULTS: Among 4,233 cataract surgeries performed by 41 surgeons in 18 countries, only 2,002 (47.3%) had post-operative UVA 6/12 or better. Among the 14 surgeons (34.1%) who completed both rounds of the study (1,680 cases total), there was no clinically significant improvement in post-operative average UVA (logMAR units ±SD) between baseline (0.50 ± 0.37) and follow-up (0.47 ± 0.36) rounds (mean improvement 0.03, p = 0.486). CONCLUSIONS: Receiving BOOST-generated recommendations did not result in improved UVA beyond what could be expected from prospective monitoring of surgical outcomes alone. Additional research is required to assess whether targeted support to implement changes could potentiate the uptake of app-generated recommendations and improve outcomes.

Climate change, malaria and neglected tropical diseases: a scoping review.

To explore the effects of climate change on malaria and 20 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and potential effect amelioration through mitigation and adaptation, we searched for papers published from January 2010 to October 2023. We descriptively synthesised extracted data. We analysed numbers of papers meeting our inclusion criteria by country and national disease burden, healthcare access and quality index (HAQI), as well as by climate vulnerability score. From 42 693 retrieved records, 1543 full-text papers were assessed. Of 511 papers meeting the inclusion criteria, 185 studied malaria, 181 dengue and chikungunya and 53 leishmaniasis; other NTDs were relatively understudied. Mitigation was considered in 174 papers (34%) and adaption strategies in 24 (5%). Amplitude and direction of effects of climate change on malaria and NTDs are likely to vary by disease and location, be non-linear and evolve over time. Available analyses do not allow confident prediction of the overall global impact of climate change on these diseases. For dengue and chikungunya and the group of non-vector-borne NTDs, the literature privileged consideration of current low-burden countries with a high HAQI. No leishmaniasis papers considered outcomes in East Africa. Comprehensive, collaborative and standardised modelling efforts are needed to better understand how climate change will directly and indirectly affect malaria and NTDs.

Integrating eye care in low-income and middle-income settings: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: Integrated people-centred eye care has been recommended as a strategic framework for reducing global vision impairment and blindness. The extent to which eye care has integrated with other services has not been widely reported. We aimed to investigate approaches to integrating eye care service delivery with other systems in low resource settings, and identify factors associated with integration. DESIGN: Rapid scoping review based on Cochrane Rapid Review and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane Library databases were searched in September 2021. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Papers with interventions involving eye care or preventative eye care integrated into other health systems, peer-reviewed in English, conducted in low-income or middle-income countries, and published between January 2011 and September 2021 were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two independent reviewers screened, quality appraised and coded included papers. A deductive-inductive iterative analysis approach was used with a focus on integrating service delivery. RESULTS: The search identified 3889 potential papers, of which 24 were included. Twenty papers incorporated more than one intervention type (promotion, prevention and/or treatment), but none included rehabilitation. Most articles involved human resources development yet rarely appeared to be people-centred. The level of integration was associated with building relationships and enhancing service coordination. Integrating human resources was challenged by the need for ongoing support and worker retention. In primary care settings, workers were often already at full capacity, had competing priorities, varying capabilities and limited motivation. Additional barriers included inadequate referral and information systems, poor supply chain management and procurement practices and finite financing. CONCLUSION: Integrating eye care into low resource health systems is a challenging task, compounded by resource limitations, competing priorities and ongoing support needs. This review highlighted a need for people-centred approaches to future interventions, and further investigation into integrating vision rehabilitation services.

Tropical Data: Approach and Methodology as Applied to Trachoma Prevalence Surveys.

PURPOSE: Population-based prevalence surveys are essential for decision-making on interventions to achieve trachoma elimination as a public health problem. This paper outlines the methodologies of Tropical Data, which supports work to undertake those surveys. METHODS: Tropical Data is a consortium of partners that supports health ministries worldwide to conduct globally standardised prevalence surveys that conform to World Health Organization recommendations. Founding principles are health ministry ownership, partnership and collaboration, and quality assurance and quality control at every step of the survey process. Support covers survey planning, survey design, training, electronic data collection and fieldwork, and data management, analysis and dissemination. Methods are adapted to meet local context and needs. Customisations, operational research and integration of other diseases into routine trachoma surveys have also been supported. RESULTS: Between 29th February 2016 and 24th April 2023, 3373 trachoma surveys across 50 countries have been supported, resulting in 10,818,502 people being examined for trachoma. CONCLUSION: This health ministry-led, standardised approach, with support from the start to the end of the survey process, has helped all trachoma elimination stakeholders to know where interventions are needed, where interventions can be stopped, and when elimination as a public health problem has been achieved. Flexibility to meet specific country contexts, adaptation to changes in global guidance and adjustments in response to user feedback have facilitated innovation in evidence-based methodologies, and supported health ministries to strive for global disease control targets.