HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Care in Belgium: A mixed-methods Study on PrEP Users' Experiences and Service Delivery Preferences.

In Belgium, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services are mainly provided through specialised HIV clinics. To optimise PrEP uptake and retention in care, we require insights into users' perspectives on PrEP care. We aimed to elicit experiences with, and preferences for, PrEP service delivery among PrEP users in Belgium, including willingness to involve their family physician (FP) in PrEP care. We adopted a sequential mixed-methods design. We used a web-based longitudinal study among 326 PrEP users that consisted of two questionnaires at six-month intervals, and complemented this with 21 semi-structured interviews (September 2020-January 2022). We conducted descriptive analyses and logistic regression to examine factors associated with willingness to involve their FP in PrEP care. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Survey respondents reported high satisfaction with care received in HIV clinics [median score 9 (IQR 8-10), 10='very satisfied']. Interviews revealed the importance of regular HIV/STI screening, and the expertise and stigma-free environment of HIV clinics. Yet, they also contextualised service delivery barriers reported in the questionnaire, including the burden of cost and challenges integrating PrEP visits into their private and professional lives. Although 63.8% (n = 208/326) of baseline respondents preferred attending an HIV clinic for PrEP follow-up, 51.9% (n = 108/208) of participants in the follow-up questionnaire reported to be willing to have their FP involved in PrEP care. Participants reporting trust in FPs' PrEP and sexual health expertise, or who didn't feel judged by their FP, were more likely to be willing to involve them in PrEP care. Therefore, we recommend a differentiated PrEP service delivery approach, including involving FPs, to make PrEP care more client-centred.

Prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Sputum and Reported Symptoms Among Clinic Attendees Compared With a Community Survey in Rural South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) case finding efforts typically target symptomatic people attending health facilities. We compared the prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) sputum culture-positivity among adult clinic attendees in rural South Africa with a concurrent, community-based estimate from the surrounding demographic surveillance area (DSA). METHODS: Clinic: Randomly selected adults (≥18 years) attending 2 primary healthcare clinics were interviewed and requested to give sputum for mycobacterial culture. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and antiretroviral therapy (ART) status were based on self-report and record review. Community: All adult (≥15 years) DSA residents were invited to a mobile clinic for health screening, including serological HIV testing; those with ≥1 TB symptom (cough, weight loss, night sweats, fever) or abnormal chest radiograph were asked for sputum. RESULTS: Clinic: 2055 patients were enrolled (76.9% female; median age, 36 years); 1479 (72.0%) were classified HIV-positive (98.9% on ART) and 131 (6.4%) reported ≥1 TB symptom. Of 20/2055 (1.0% [95% CI, .6-1.5]) with Mtb culture-positive sputum, 14 (70%) reported no symptoms. Community: 10 320 residents were enrolled (68.3% female; median age, 38 years); 3105 (30.3%) tested HIV-positive (87.4% on ART) and 1091 (10.6%) reported ≥1 TB symptom. Of 58/10 320 (0.6% [95% CI, .4-.7]) with Mtb culture-positive sputum, 45 (77.6%) reported no symptoms. In both surveys, sputum culture positivity was associated with male sex and reporting >1 TB symptom. CONCLUSIONS: In both clinic and community settings, most participants with Mtb culture-positive sputum were asymptomatic. TB screening based only on symptoms will miss many people with active disease in both settings.

'You say you are a TB doctor, but actually, you do not have any power': health worker (de)motivation in the context of integrated, hospital-based tuberculosis care in eastern China.

BACKGROUND: In China, tuberculosis (TB) care, traditionally provided through the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), has been integrated into 'designated' public hospitals at County level, with hospital staff taking on delivery of TB services supported by CDC staff. Little is known about the impact of this initiative on the hospital-based health workers who were delegated to manage TB. Drawing on a case study of two TB 'designated' hospitals in Zhejiang province, we explored factors influencing hospital-based health workers' motivation in the context of integrated TB service delivery. METHODS: We conducted 47 in-depth interviews with health officials, TB/hospital managers, clinicians, radiologists, laboratory staff and nurses involved in the integrated model of hospital-based TB care. Thematic analysis was used to develop and refine themes, code the data and assist in interpretation. RESULTS: Health workers tasked with TB care in 'designated' hospitals perceived their professional status to be low, related to their assessment of TB treatment as lacking need for professional skills, their limited opportunities for professional development, and the social stigma surrounding TB. In both sites, the integrated TB clinics were under-staffed: health workers providing TB care reported heavy workloads, and expressed dissatisfaction with a perceived gap in their salaries compared with other clinical staff. In both sites, health workers were concerned about poor infection control and weak risk management assessment systems. CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate attention to workforce issues for TB control in China, specifically the professional status, welfare, and development as well as incentivization of infectious disease control workers has contributed to dissatisfaction and consequently poor motivation to serve TB patients within the integrated model of TB care. It is important to address the failure to motivate health workers and maximize public good-oriented TB service provision through improved government funding and attention to the professional welfare of health workers providing TB care in hospitals.

Changing men or changing health systems? A scoping review of interventions, services and programmes targeting men's health in sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: Sex and gender have been shown to influence health literacy, health seeking behaviour, and health outcomes. However, research examining the links between gender and health has mainly focused on women's health, which is a long-standing global health priority. We examine literature focused on the 'missing men' in global health research, in particular empirical studies that document interventions, programmes, and services targeting men's health issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. Within these studies, we identify dominant conceptualisations of men and men's health and how these have influenced the design of men's health interventions and services. METHODS: This is a scoping review of published and grey literature. Following comprehensive searches, we included 56 studies in the review. We conducted a bibliographic analysis of all studies and used inductive methods to analyse textual excerpts referring to conceptualizations of men and service design. An existing framework to categorise services, interventions, or programs according to their gender-responsiveness was adapted and used for the latter analysis. RESULTS: From the included studies, we distinguished four principal ways in which men were conceptualized in programs and interventions: men are variously depicted as 'gatekeepers'; 'masculine' men, 'marginal' men and as 'clients. Additionally, we classified the gender-responsiveness of interventions, services or programmes described in the studies within the following categories: gender-neutral, -partnering, -sensitive and -transformative. Interventions described are predominantly gender-neutral or gender-partnering, with limited data available on transformative interventions. Health systems design features - focused mainly on achieving women's access to, and uptake of services - may contribute to the latter gap leading to poor access and engagement of men with health services. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the need for transformation in sub-Saharan African health systems towards greater consideration of men's health issues and health-seeking patterns.

"An unnecessary cut?" multilevel health systems analysis of drivers of caesarean sections rates in Italy: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Improvements in medical technologies have seen over-medicalization of childbirth. Caesarean section (CS) is a lifesaving procedure proven effective in reducing maternal and perinatal mortality across the globe. However, as with any medical procedure, the CS intrinsically carries some risk to its beneficiaries. In recent years, CS rates have risen alarmingly in high-income countries. Many exceeding the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation of a 10 to 15% annual CS rate. While this situation poses an increased risk to women and their children, it also represents an excess human and financial burden on health systems. Therefore, from a health system perspective this study systematically summarizes existing evidence relevant to the factors driving the phenomenon of increasing CS rates using Italy as a case study. METHODS: Employing the WHO Health System Framework (WHOHSF), this systematic review used the PRISMA guidelines to report findings. PubMed, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar databases were searched up until April 1, 2020. Findings were organised through the six dimensions of the WHOHSF framework: service delivery, health workforce, health system information; medical products vaccine and technologies, financing; and leadership and governance. RESULTS: CS rates in Italy are affected by complex interactions among several stakeholder groups and contextual factors such as the hyper-medicalisation of delivery, differences in policy and practice across units and the national context, issues pertaining to the legal and social environment, and women's attitudes towards pregnancy and childbirth. CONCLUSION: Mitigating the high rates of CS will require a synergistic multi-stakeholder intervention. Specifically, with processes able to attract the official endorsement of policy makers, encourage concensus between regional authorities and local governments and guide the systematic compliance of delivery units with its clinical guidelines.

Health workers' perceptions of private-not-for-profit health facilities' organizational culture and its influence on retention in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: An in-depth understanding of how organizational culture is experienced by health workers (HWs), and influences their decisions to leave their jobs is a fundamental, yet under-examined, basis for forming effective retention strategies. This research examined HWs' working experiences and perceptions of organisational culture within private-not-for-profit, largely mission-based hospitals, and how this influenced retention. METHODS: Thirty-two HWs, including managers, in 19 health facilities in Uganda were interviewed using a semi-structured topic guide. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Interviews showed that the organizational culture was predominantly hierarchical, with non-participative management styles which emphasized control and efficiency. HWs and managers held different perceptions of the organizational culture. While the managers valued results and performance, HWs valued team work, recognition and participative management. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study indicate that organizational culture influences retention of HWs in health facilities and provide a useful context to inform health care managers in the PNFP sub-sector in Uganda and similar contexts. To improve retention of HWs, a gradual shift in organizational culture will be necessary, focussing on the values, beliefs and perceptions which have the greatest influence on observable behaviour.

Job preferences among clinical officers in public sector facilities in rural Kenya: a discrete choice experiment.

BACKGROUND: Clinical officers (COs), a mid-level cadre of health worker, are the backbone of healthcare provision in rural Kenya. However, the vacancy rate for COs in rural primary healthcare facilities is high. Little is known about factors motivating COs' preferences for rural postings. METHODS: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) questionnaire was used with 57 COs at public health facilities in nine districts of Nyanza Province, Kenya. The questionnaire was developed on the basis of formative qualitative interviews with COs (n = 5) and examined how five selected job attributes influenced COs' preferences for working in rural areas. Conditional logit models were employed to examine the relative importance of different job attributes. RESULTS: Analysis of the qualitative data revealed five important job attributes influencing COs' preferences: quality of the facility, educational opportunities, housing, monthly salary and promotion. Analysis of the DCE indicated that a 1-year guaranteed study leave after 3 years of service would have the greatest impact on retention, followed by good quality health facility infrastructure and equipment and a 30% salary increase. Sub-group analysis shows that younger COs demonstrated a significantly stronger preference for study leave than older COs. Female COs placed significantly higher value on promotion than male COs. CONCLUSIONS: Although both financial incentives and non-financial incentives were effective in motivating COs to stay in post, the study leave intervention was shown to have the strongest impact on COs' retention in our study. Further research is required to examine appropriate interventions at each career stage that might boost COs' professional identity and status but without leading to larger deficits in the availability of generalist COs.

Cost-effectiveness of community-based practitioner programmes in Ethiopia, Indonesia and Kenya.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of community-based practitioner programmes in Ethiopia, Indonesia and Kenya. METHODS: Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for the three programmes were estimated from a government perspective. Cost data were collected for 2012. Life years gained were estimated based on coverage of reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health services. For Ethiopia and Kenya, estimates of coverage before and after the implementation of the programme were obtained from empirical studies. For Indonesia, coverage of health service interventions was estimated from routine data. We used the Lives Saved Tool to estimate the number of lives saved from changes in reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health-service coverage. Gross domestic product per capita was used as the reference willingness-to-pay threshold value. FINDINGS: The estimated incremental cost per life year gained was 82 international dollars ($)in Kenya, $999 in Ethiopia and $3396 in Indonesia. The results were most sensitive to uncertainty in the estimates of life-years gained. Based on the results of probabilistic sensitivity analysis, there was greater than 80% certainty that each programme was cost-effective. CONCLUSION: Community-based approaches are likely to be cost-effective for delivery of some essential health interventions where community-based practitioners operate within an integrated team supported by the health system. Community-based practitioners may be most appropriate in rural poor communities that have limited access to more qualified health professionals. Further research is required to understand which programmatic design features are critical to effectiveness.

'Deep down in their heart, they wish they could be given some incentives': a qualitative study on the changing roles and relations of care among home-based caregivers in Zambia.

BACKGROUND: Across Sub-Saharan Africa, the roll-out of antiretroviral treatment (ART) has contributed to shifting HIV care towards the management of a chronic health condition. While the balance of professional and lay tasks in HIV caregiving has been significantly altered due to changing skills requirements and task-shifting initiatives, little attention has been given to the effects of these changes on health workers' motivation and existing care relations. METHODS: This paper draws on a cross-sectional, qualitative study that explored changes in home-based care (HBC) in the light of widespread ART rollout in the Lusaka and Kabwe districts of Zambia. Methods included observation of HBC daily activities, key informant interviews with programme staff from three local HBC organisations (n = 17) and ART clinic staff (n = 8), as well as in-depth interviews with home-based caregivers (n = 48) and HBC clients (n = 31). RESULTS: Since the roll-out of ART, home-based caregivers spend less time on hands-on physical care and support in the household, and are increasingly involved in specialised tasks supporting their clients' access and adherence to ART. Despite their pride in gaining technical care skills, caregivers lament their lack of formal recognition through training, remuneration or mobility within the health system. Care relations within homes have also been altered as caregivers' newly acquired functions of monitoring their clients while on ART are met with some ambivalence. Caregivers are under pressure to meet clients and their families' demands, although they are no longer able to provide material support formerly associated with donor funding for HBC. CONCLUSIONS: As their responsibilities and working environments are rapidly evolving, caregivers' motivations are changing. It is essential to identify and address the growing tensions between an idealized rhetoric of altruistic volunteerism in home-based care, and the realities of lay worker deployment in HIV care interventions that not only shift tasks, but transform social and professional relations in ways that may profoundly influence caregivers' motivation and quality of care.

Qualitative system dynamics modelling to support the design and implementation of tuberculosis infection prevention and control measures in South African primary health care facilities.

Tuberculosis infection prevention and control (TB IPC) measures are a cornerstone of policy, but measures are diverse and variably implemented. Limited attention has been paid to the health system environment which influences successful implementation of these measures. We used qualitative system dynamics and group-model-building methods 1) develop a qualitative causal map of the interlinked drivers of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) transmission in South African primary health care facilities which in turn, helped us to 2) identify plausible IPC interventions to reduce risk of transmission. Two one-day participatory workshops were held in 2019 with policy- and decision-makers at national and provincial level, and patient advocates and health professionals at clinic and district level. Causal loop diagrams were generated by participants and combined by investigators. The research team reviewed diagrams to identify the drivers of nosocomial transmission of Mtb in primary health care facilities. Interventions proposed by participants were mapped onto diagrams to identify anticipated mechanisms of action and effect. Three systemic drivers were identified: 1) Mtb nosocomial transmission is driven by bottlenecks in patient flow at given times; 2) IPC implementation and clinic processes are anchored within a staff "culture of nominal compliance"; and 3) limited systems-learning at policy level inhibits effective clinic management and IPC implementation. Interventions prioritised by workshop participants included infrastructural, organisational, and behavioural strategies that target three areas: 1) improve air quality; 2) improve use of personal protective equipment; and 3) reduce the number of individuals in the clinic. In addition to core mechanisms, participants elaborated specific additional enablers that would help sustain implementation. Qualitative system dynamics modelling (SDM) methods allowed us to capture stakeholder views and potential solutions to address the problem of sub-optimal TB IPC implementation. The participatory elements of SDM facilitated problem-solving and inclusion of multiple factors frequently neglected when considering implementation.

Understanding adaptive responses in PrEP service delivery in Belgian HIV clinics: a multiple case study using an implementation science framework.

INTRODUCTION: In Belgium, oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is primarily provided in specialized clinical settings. Optimal implementation of PrEP services can help to substantially reduce HIV transmission. However, insights into implementation processes, and their complex interactions with local context, are limited. This study examined factors that influence providers' adaptive responses in the implementation of PrEP services in Belgian HIV clinics. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative multiple case study on PrEP care implementation in eight HIV clinics. Thirty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted between January 2021 and May 2022 with a purposive sample of PrEP care providers (e.g. physicians, nurses, psychologists), supplemented by 50 hours of observations of healthcare settings and clinical interactions. Field notes from observations and verbatim interview transcripts were thematically analysed guided by a refined iteration of extended Normalisation Process Theory. RESULTS: Implementing PrEP care in a centralized service delivery system required considerable adaptive capacity of providers to balance the increasing workload with an adequate response to PrEP users' individual care needs. As a result, clinic structures were re-organized to allow for more efficient PrEP care processes, compatible with other clinic-level priorities. Providers adapted clinical and policy norms on PrEP care (e.g. related to PrEP prescribing practices and which providers can deliver PrEP services), to flexibly tailor care to individual clients' situations. Interprofessional relationships were reconfigured in line with organizational and clinical adaptations; these included task-shifting from physicians to nurses, leading them to become increasingly trained and specialized in PrEP care. As nurse involvement grew, they adopted a crucial role in responding to PrEP users' non-medical needs (e.g. providing psychosocial support). Moreover, clinicians' growing collaboration with sexologists and psychologists, and interactions with PrEP users' family physician, became crucial in addressing complex psychosocial needs of PrEP clients, while also alleviating the burden of care on busy HIV clinics. CONCLUSIONS: Our study in Belgian HIV clinics reveals that the implementation of PrEP care presents a complex-multifaceted-undertaking that requires substantial adaptive work to ensure seamless integration within existing health services. To optimize integration in different settings, policies and guidelines governing PrEP care implementation should allow for sufficient flexibility and tailoring according to respective local health systems.

'I cry every day': experiences of patients co-infected with HIV and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVES: To understand patients' challenges in adhering to treatment for MDR-TB/HIV co-infection within the context of their life circumstances and access to care and support. METHODS: Qualitative study using in-depth interviews with 12 HIV/MDR-TB co-infected patients followed in a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) clinic in Mumbai, India, five lay caregivers and ten health professionals. The data were thematically analysed along three dimensions of patients' experience of being and staying on treatment: physiological, psycho-social and structural. RESULTS: By the time patients and their families initiate treatment for co-infection, their financial and emotional resources were often depleted. Side effects of the drugs were reported to be severe and debilitating, and patients expressed the burden of care and stigma on the social and financial viability of the household. Family caregivers were crucial to maintaining the mental and physical health of patients, but reported high levels of fatigue and stress. Médecins Sans Frontières providers recognised that the barriers to patient adherence were fundamentally social, rather than medical, yet were limited in their ability to support patients and their families. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of MDR-TB among HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy is hugely demanding for patients, caregivers and families. Current treatment regimens and case-holding strategies are resource intensive and require high levels of support from family and lay caregivers to encourage patient adherence and retention in care.

Cost-effectiveness of tuberculosis infection prevention and control interventions in South African clinics: a model-based economic evaluation informed by complexity science methods.

INTRODUCTION: Nosocomial Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) transmission substantially impacts health workers, patients and communities. Guidelines for tuberculosis infection prevention and control (TB IPC) exist but implementation in many settings remains suboptimal. Evidence is needed on cost-effective investments to prevent Mtb transmission that are feasible in routine clinic environments. METHODS: A set of TB IPC interventions was codesigned with local stakeholders using system dynamics modelling techniques that addressed both core activities and enabling actions to support implementation. An economic evaluation of these interventions was conducted at two clinics in KwaZulu-Natal, employing agent-based models of Mtb transmission within the clinics and in their catchment populations. Intervention costs included the costs of the enablers (eg, strengthened supervision, community sensitisation) identified by stakeholders to ensure uptake and adherence. RESULTS: All intervention scenarios modelled, inclusive of the relevant enablers, cost less than US$200 per disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) averted and were very cost-effective in comparison to South Africa's opportunity cost-based threshold (US$3200 per DALY averted). Two interventions, building modifications to improve ventilation and maximising use of the existing Central Chronic Medicines Dispensing and Distribution system to reduce the number of clinic attendees, were found to be cost saving over the 10-year model time horizon. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were sensitive to assumptions on baseline clinic ventilation rates, the prevalence of infectious TB in clinic attendees and future HIV incidence but remained highly cost-effective under all uncertainty analysis scenarios. CONCLUSION: TB IPC interventions in clinics, including the enabling actions to ensure their feasibility, afford very good value for money and should be prioritised for implementation within the South African health system.

Time to change the way we think about tuberculosis infection prevention and control in health facilities: insights from recent research.

In clinical settings where airborne pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, are prevalent, they constitute an important threat to health workers and people accessing healthcare. We report key insights from a 3-year project conducted in primary healthcare clinics in South Africa, alongside other recent tuberculosis infection prevention and control (TB-IPC) research. We discuss the fragmentation of TB-IPC policies and budgets; the characteristics of individuals attending clinics with prevalent pulmonary tuberculosis; clinic congestion and patient flow; clinic design and natural ventilation; and the facility-level determinants of the implementation (or not) of TB-IPC interventions. We present modeling studies that describe the contribution of M. tuberculosis transmission in clinics to the community tuberculosis burden and economic evaluations showing that TB-IPC interventions are highly cost-effective. We argue for a set of changes to TB-IPC, including better coordination of policymaking, clinic decongestion, changes to clinic design and building regulations, and budgeting for enablers to sustain implementation of TB-IPC interventions. Additional research is needed to find the most effective means of improving the implementation of TB-IPC interventions; to develop approaches to screening for prevalent pulmonary tuberculosis that do not rely on symptoms; and to identify groups of patients that can be seen in clinic less frequently.

Organisation of care for people receiving drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment in South Africa: a mixed methods study.

OBJECTIVES: Treatment for multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) is increasingly transitioning from hospital-centred to community-based care. A national policy for decentralised programmatic MDR/RR-TB care was adopted in South Africa in 2011. We explored variations in the implementation of care models in response to this change in policy, and the implications of these variations for people affected by MDR/RR-TB. DESIGN: A mixed methods study was done of patient movements between healthcare facilities, reconstructed from laboratory records. Facility visits and staff interviews were used to determine reasons for movements. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: People identified with MDR/RR-TB from 13 high-burden districts within South Africa. OUTCOME MEASURES: Geospatial movement patterns were used to identify organisational models. Reasons for patient movement and implications of different organisational models for people affected by MDR/RR-TB and the health system were determined. RESULTS: Among 191 participants, six dominant geospatial movement patterns were identified, which varied in average hospital stay (0-281 days), average patient distance travelled (12-198 km) and number of health facilities involved in care (1-5 facilities). More centralised models were associated with longer delays to treatment initiation and lengthy hospitalisation. Decentralised models facilitated family-centred care and were associated with reduced time to treatment and hospitalisation duration. Responsiveness to the needs of people affected by MDR/RR-TB and health system constraints was achieved through implementation of flexible models, or the implementation of multiple models in a district. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding how models for organising care have evolved may assist policy implementers to tailor implementation to promote particular patterns of care organisation or encourage flexibility, based on patient needs and local health system resources. Our approach can contribute towards the development of a health systems typology for understanding how policy-driven models of service delivery are implemented in the context of variable resources.

Access to medicine among asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants across the migratory cycle: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Migration creates new health vulnerabilities and exacerbates pre-existing medical conditions. Migrants often face legal, system-related, administrative, language and financial barriers to healthcare, but little is known about factors that specifically influence migrants' access to medicines and vaccines. This scoping review aims to map existing evidence on access to essential medicines and vaccines among asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants who aim to reach Europe. We will consolidate existing information and analyse the barriers that limit access at the different stages of the migratory phases, as well as policies and practices undertaken to address them. METHODS: We follow the Arksey and O'Malley framework for knowledge synthesis of research, as updated by Levac et al. For reporting the results of our search and to synthetise evidence, we will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extended reporting guideline for scoping reviews. This scoping review consists of five iterative stages. Bibliographic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Scopus) and grey literature databases (Open Grey, Grey Literature Report and Google Scholar, Web of Science Conference Proceedings, non-governmental organisations and United Nations agency websites) will be searched for relevant studies. DISSEMINATION AND ETHICS: This review will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed article in a scientific open-access journal and conference presentations. Furthermore, findings will be shared at workshops of research and operational stakeholders for facilitating translation into research and operational practices. Since it consists of reviewing and collecting data from publicly available materials, this scoping review does not require ethics approval.

Complexity and evidence in health sector decision-making: lessons from tuberculosis infection prevention in South Africa.

To better understand and plan health systems featuring multiple levels and complex causal elements, there have been increasing attempts to incorporate tools arising from complexity science to inform decisions. The utilization of new planning approaches can have important implications for the types of evidence that inform health policymaking and the mechanisms through which they do so. This paper presents an empirical analysis of the application of one such tool-system dynamics modelling (SDM)-within a tuberculosis control programme in South Africa in order to explore how SDM was utilized, and to reflect on the implications for evidence-informed health policymaking. We observed group model building workshops that served to develop the SDM process and undertook 19 qualitative interviews with policymakers and practitioners who partook in these workshops. We analysed the relationship between the SDM process and the use of evidence for policymaking through four conceptual perspectives: (1) a rationalist knowledge-translation view that considers how previously-generated research can be taken up into policy; (2) a programmatic approach that considers existing goals and tasks of decision-makers, and how evidence might address them; (3) a social constructivist lens exploring how the process of using an evidentiary planning tool like SDM can shape the understanding of problems and their solutions; and (4) a normative perspective that recognizes that stakeholders may have different priorities, and thus considers which groups are included and represented in the process. Each perspective can provide useful insights into the SDM process and the political nature of evidence use. In particular, SDM can provide technical information to solve problems, potentially leave out other concerns and influence how problems are conceptualized by formalizing the boundaries of the policy problem and delineating particular solution sets. Undertaking the process further involves choices on stakeholder inclusion affecting whose interests may be served as evidence to inform decisions.

Perceived challenges in delivering comprehensive care for patients following stroke: a qualitative study of stroke care providers in Guangdong Province, China.

PURPOSE: To understand the challenges in delivering comprehensive care for patients recovering from stroke in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted in two tertiary hospitals with different socio-economic characteristics in Guangdong Province, Southern China. Interviews were conducted with 16 stroke care providers including doctors, nurses, rehabilitation therapists and care workers. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and translated from Mandarin to English. Thematic analysis was used to draw out descriptive and analytical themes relating to care providers' experiences of existing routine stroke care services and the perceptions of challenges in delivering comprehensive stroke care. RESULTS: The interviews with stroke care providers highlighted three key factors that hinder the capacity of the two hospitals to deliver comprehensive stroke care. First, expertise and knowledge regarding stroke and stroke care are lacking among both providers and patients; second, stroke care systems are not fully integrated, with inadequate coordination of the stroke team and inconsistency in care following discharge of stroke patients; third, stroke patients have insufficient social support. CONCLUSIONS: While comprehensive stroke care has become a priority in China, our study highlights some important gaps in the current provision of stroke care.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONComprehensive integrated stroke care is essential to maximize the effectiveness of stroke services and in China it needs to be further improved.Multidisciplinary stroke care systems should strengthen collaborations across all relevant disciplines and should include a clear role for registered nurses.Follow-up care after discharge needs more engagement with family caregivers.