Capacity building in operational research on obstetric fistula: Experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 2017-2021.

OBJECTIVE: To implement a Flexible Operational Research Training (FORT) course within the Fistula Care Plus Project, Democratic Republic of Congo, from 2017 to 2021. METHODS: A descriptive study using design and implementation (process and outcome) data. Two to four members of medical teams from three supported sites were selected for the training based on their research interests and level of involvement in the program. RESULTS: Two courses (13-14 months each) involving nine facilitators and 17 participants overall were conducted between 2017 and 2021. Most participants in both courses were medical doctors (67% and 71%, respectively) from the supported hospitals (83% and 77%, respectively). About half were women. In addition to classic face-to-face didactic modules, the courses integrated online platforms to cope with the changing contexts (Ebola virus and COVID-19). Most participants reported having gained new skills in developing research protocols, collecting, managing, and analyzing data, and developing research manuscripts. The two courses resulted in six scientific manuscripts and three presentations at international conferences. Participants subsequently published five papers from their research after the first course. The total direct costs for both courses were representing a cost of $3669 per participant trained. CONCLUSION: The FORT model proved feasible, efficient, and successful. However, scaling up will require more adaptation efforts from programs and participating sites.

Social Immersion for Women After Repair for Obstetric Fistula: An Experience in Guinea.

Background: Reintegration of women after repair of their female genital fistula remains a challenge. The objective of this study was to document the medical pathway and the reintegration process of women through the "social immersion" program of EngenderHealth in Kissidougou and Labé (Guinea). Methods: This was a qualitative descriptive study with 55 participants, including women seeking fistula care and stakeholders involved in the social immersion for repaired women in Kissidougou and Labé. The study included collecting demographic and clinical data of women, interviews with women before and after surgery, after social immersion, and 3 months post-discharge. Municipal officials, health providers, and members of host families were also interviewed. The study protocol was approved by the Guinea National Ethics Committee for Health Research. Results: The study confirmed that obstetric fistula still occurs among women living in rural and underserved areas. Most women attended at least two to five antenatal care visits, but nine over 10 reported a tragic experience of child loss associated with the occurrence of fistula. Most of them received support from their husband/partner during referral after the obstructed labor and later in the search for treatment. Women and stakeholders reported a good experience of surgery and social immersion in both Kissidougou and Labé. About 3 months after discharge, women who were continent reported being happy with their new life compared to women discharged with repair failure and residual incontinence. Conclusion: The study found the positive impacts of social immersion on the quality of life of women after fistula repair, particularly for those women who had a successful repair. The approach can be included in fistula care programs, either through direct provision or through referral to programs that can provide this service.

Retention of healthcare workers 1 year after recruitment and deployment in rural settings: an experience post-Ebola in five health districts in Guinea.

BACKGROUND: Guinea undertook health workforce reform in 2016 following the Ebola outbreak to overcome decades-long shortages and maldistribution of healthcare workers (HCWs). Specifically, over 5000 HCWs were recruited and deployed to rural health districts and with a signed 5-year commitment for rural medical practice. Governance structures were also established to improve the supervision of these HCWs. This study assessed the effects of this programme on local health systems and its influence on HCWs turnover in rural Guinea. METHODS: An exploratory study design using a mixed-method approach was conducted in five rural health districts. Data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires, in-depth interview guides, and documentary reviews. RESULTS: Of the 611 HCWs officially deployed to the selected districts, 600 (98%) took up duties. Female HCWs (64%), assistant nurses (39%), nurses (26%), and medical doctors (20%) represented the majority. Findings showed that 69% of HCWs were posted in health centres and the remaining in district hospitals and the health office (directorate); the majority of which were medical doctors, nurses, and midwives. The deployment has reportedly enhanced quality and timely data reporting. However, challenges were faced by local health authorities in the posting of HCWs including the unfamiliarity of some with primary healthcare delivery, collaboration conflicts between HCWs, and high feminization of the recruitment. One year after their deployment, 31% of the HCWs were absent from their posts. This included 59% nurses, 29% medical doctors, and 11% midwives. The main reasons for absenteeism were unknown (51%), continuing training (12%), illness (10%), and maternity leave (9%). Findings showed a confusion of roles and responsibilities between national and local actors in the management of HCWs, which was accentuated by a lack of policy documents. CONCLUSION: The post-Ebola healthcare workers policy appears to have been successfully positive in the redistribution of HCWs, quality improvement of staffing levels in peripheral healthcare facilities, and enhancement of district health office capacities. However, greater attention should be given to the development of policy guidance documents with the full participation of all actors and a clear distinction of their roles and responsibilities for improved implementation and efficacy of this programme.

Fréquence des grossesses en milieu scolaire et profil des adolescentes concernées à Conakry, Guinée.

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy in schools is an obstacle to the development and education of young girls, especially in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of pregnancies within a school setting and the profile of adolescent girls who have had the experience in Conakry, Guinea. METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional study covering the period from January 1 to June 30, 2017 in 16 schools. RESULTS: A total of 2,419 adolescent girls consented to participate in the study. The mean age was 16.48±0.04 years with extremes of 10 and 19 years. Students aged 15 to 19 (93.0%), those in college (53.3%) and single (69.8%) were the most likely to have been pregnant in school (P<0.05). The factors statistically significantly associated with the occurrence of teenage pregnancies in a school environment were age (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.5; 95%CI=1.3-1.7; P<0.001), school level (AOR=0.6; 95%CI=0.4-0.8; P=0.003 for Lycée), the place of residence (AOR=0.5; 95%CI=0.4-0.9; P=0.002 for Matam, AOR=0.4; 95%CI=0.3-0.8; P<0.001 for Dixinn, AOR=0,3; 95%CI=0.2-0.8; P=0.010 for Ratoma), marital status (AOR=8.7; 95%CI=3.4-7.0; P<0.001), information on reproductive health (AOR=2.4; 95%CI=1.1-3.0; P=0.015), knowledge of the benefits of family planning (AOR=2.2; 95%CI=1.0-2.2; P=0.030) and the difficulty of accessing sexual and reproductive health services (AOR=3.4; 95%CI=1.4-3,7; P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of school pregnancies remains a worrying reality among adolescent girls in Guinea. Factors associated with the occurrence of pregnancy in the school are age, school level, place of residence, marital status, knowledge of sexual health information, knowledge of the benefits of family planning, and related difficulties access to sexual and reproductive health services.

Efficacy and safety of artesunate-amodiaquine and artemether-lumefantrine and prevalence of molecular markers associated with resistance, Guinea: an open-label two-arm randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Anti-malarial resistance is a threat to recent gains in malaria control. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) and artemether-lumefantrine (AL) in the management of uncomplicated malaria and to measure the prevalence of molecular markers of resistance of Plasmodium falciparum in sentinel sites in Maferinyah and Labé Health Districts in Guinea in 2016. METHODS: This was a two-arm randomised controlled trial of the efficacy of AL and ASAQ among children aged 6-59 months with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in two sites. Children were followed for 28 days to assess clinical and parasitological response. The primary outcome was the Kaplan-Meier estimate of Day 28 (D28) efficacy after correction by microsatellite-genotyping. Pre-treatment (D0) and day of failure samples were assayed for molecular markers of resistance in the pfk13 and pfmdr1 genes. RESULTS: A total of 421 participants were included with 211 participants in the Maferinyah site and 210 in Labé. No early treatment failure was observed in any study arms. However, 22 (5.3%) participants developed a late treatment failure (8 in the ASAQ arm and 14 in the AL arm), which were further classified as 2 recrudescences and 20 reinfections. The Kaplan-Meier estimate of the corrected efficacy at D28 was 100% for both AL and ASAQ in Maferinyah site and 99% (95% Confidence Interval: 97.2-100%) for ASAQ and 99% (97.1-100%) for AL in Labé. The majority of successfully analysed D0 (98%, 380/389) and all day of failure (100%, 22/22) samples were wild type for pfk13. All 9 observed pfk13 mutations were polymorphisms not associated with artemisinin resistance. The NFD haplotype was the predominant haplotype in both D0 (197/362, 54%) and day of failure samples (11/18, 61%) successfully analysed for pfmdr1. CONCLUSION: This study observed high efficacy and safety of both ASAQ and AL in Guinea, providing evidence for their continued use to treat uncomplicated malaria. Continued monitoring of ACT efficacy and safety and molecular makers of resistance in Guinea is important to detect emergence of parasite resistance and to inform evidence-based malaria treatment policies.

[Frequency of pregnancies within school environment and profile of adolescent girls who have had the experience in Conakry city, Guinea]. / Fréquence des grossesses en milieu scolaire et profil des adolescentes concernées à Conakry, Guinée.

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy in schools is an obstacle to the development and education of young girls, especially in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of pregnancies within a school setting and the profile of adolescent girls who have had the experience in Conakry, Guinea. METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional study covering the period from January 1 to June 30, 2017 in 16 schools. RESULTS: A total of 2,419 adolescent girls consented to participate in the study. The mean age was 16.48±0.04 years with extremes of 10 and 19 years. Students aged 15 to 19 (93.0%), those in college (53.3%) and single (69.8%) were the most likely to have been pregnant in school (P<0.05). The factors statistically significantly associated with the occurrence of teenage pregnancies in a school environment were age (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.5; 95%CI=1.3-1.7; P<0.001), school level (AOR=0.6; 95%CI=0.4-0.8; P=0.003 for Lycée), the place of residence (AOR=0.5; 95%CI=0.4-0.9; P=0.002 for Matam, AOR=0.4; 95%CI=0.3-0.8; P<0.001 for Dixinn, AOR=0,3; 95%CI=0.2-0.8; P=0.010 for Ratoma), marital status (AOR=8.7; 95%CI=3.4-7.0; P<0.001), information on reproductive health (AOR=2.4; 95%CI=1.1-3.0; P=0.015), knowledge of the benefits of family planning (AOR=2.2; 95%CI=1.0-2.2; P=0.030) and the difficulty of accessing sexual and reproductive health services (AOR=3.4; 95%CI=1.4-3,7; P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of school pregnancies remains a worrying reality among adolescent girls in Guinea. Factors associated with the occurrence of pregnancy in the school are age, school level, place of residence, marital status, knowledge of sexual health information, knowledge of the benefits of family planning, and related difficulties access to sexual and reproductive health services.

'Never let a crisis go to waste': post-Ebola agenda-setting for health system strengthening in Guinea.

INTRODUCTION: Guinea is a country with a critical deficit and maldistribution of healthcare workers along with a high risk of epidemics' occurrence. However, actors in the health sector have missed opportunities for more than a decade to attract political attention. This article aims to explain why this situation exists and what were the roles of actors in the agenda-setting process of the post-Ebola health system strengthening programme. It also assesses threats and opportunities for this programme's sustainability. METHODS: We used Kingdon's agenda-setting methodological framework to explain why actors promptly focused on the health sector reform after the Ebola outbreak. We conducted a qualitative explanatory study using a literature review and key informant interviews. RESULTS: We found that, in the problem stream, the Ebola epidemic caused considerable fear among national as well as international actors, a social crisis and an economic system failure. This social crisis was entertained by communities' suspicion of an 'Ebola-business'. In response to these problems, policy actors identified three sets of solutions: the temporary external funds generated by the Ebola response; the availability of experienced health workers in the Ebola control team; and the overproduction of health graduates in the labour market. We also found that the politics agenda was dominated by two major factors: the global health security agenda and the political and financial interests of national policy actors. Although the opening of the policy window has improved human resources, finance and logistics, and infrastructures pillars of the health system, it, however, disproportionally focuses on epidemic preparedness and response. and neglects patients' financial affordability of essential health services. CONCLUSION: Domestic policy entrepreneurs must realise that agenda-setting of health issues in the Guinean context strongly depends on the construction of the problem definition and how this is influenced by international actors.

Impact of an Antenatal Counseling on Use of Modern Family Planning Methods in the Postpartum in Rural Guinea.

In Guinea, family planning (FP) uptake remains low. The objective of this study was to compare the impact of two types of antenatal counseling on modern FP uptake in the postpartum in rural Guinea. This was a two-group non-equivalent study comparing the impact of a reinforced antenatal counseling (intervention) to the routine antenatal counseling (control). The study included 404 pregnant women at five rural health centres in Forécariah district, Western Guinea. Each woman was followed up until the ninth month postpartum. The study was conducted from October 12, 2013 to December 30, 2014. Findings showed that at the ninth month postpartum, use of modern FP was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (5.7% and 1.1%, respectively; p=0.024). However, 67.6% and 65.7% of women in the intervention group and the control group, respectively, abstained from sexual intercourse at the sixth month postpartum and had the intention to do so until the child walks. At the ninth month postpartum such women represented 70.5% and 59.5%, respectively. Therefore, a longer study period is recommended to assess the effect of antenatal counseling on use of modern FP in the postpartum in Guinea.

Fistula recurrence, pregnancy, and childbirth following successful closure of female genital fistula in Guinea: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Female genital fistula is a devastating maternal complication of delivery in developing countries. We sought to analyse the incidence and proportion of fistula recurrence, residual urinary incontinence, and pregnancy after successful fistula closure in Guinea, and describe the delivery-associated maternal and child health outcomes. METHODS: We did a longitudinal study in women discharged with a closed fistula from three repair hospitals supported by EngenderHealth in Guinea. We recruited women retrospectively (via medical record review) and prospectively at hospital discharge. We used Kaplan-Meier methods to analyse the cumulative incidence, incidence proportion, and incidence ratio of fistula recurrence, associated outcomes, and pregnancy after successful fistula closure. The primary outcome was recurrence of fistula following discharge from repair hospital in all eligible women who consented to inclusion and could provide follow-up data. FINDINGS: 481 women eligible for analysis were identified retrospectively (from Jan 1, 2012, to Dec 31, 2014; 348 women) or prospectively (Jan 1 to June 20, 2015; 133 women), and followed up until June 30, 2016. Median follow-up was 28·0 months (IQR 14·6-36·6). 73 recurrent fistulas occurred, corresponding to a cumulative incidence of 71 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 56·5-89·3) and an incidence proportion of 18·4% (14·8-22·8). In 447 women who were continent at hospital discharge, we recorded 24 cases of post-repair residual urinary incontinence, equivalent to a cumulative incidence of 23·1 per 1000 person-years (14·0-36·2), and corresponding to 10·3% (5·2-19·6). In 305 women at risk of pregnancy, the cumulative incidence of pregnancy was 106·0 per 1000 person-years, corresponding to 28·4% (22·8-35·0) of these women. Of 50 women who had delivered by the time of follow-up, only nine delivered by elective caesarean section. There were 12 stillbirths, seven delivery-related fistula recurrences, and one maternal death. INTERPRETATION: Recurrence of female genital fistula and adverse pregnancy-related maternal and child health outcomes were frequent in women after fistula repair in Guinea. Interventions are needed to safeguard the health of women after fistula repair. FUNDING: Belgian Development Cooperation (DGD), Institute of Tropical Medicine of Antwerp (ITM), and Maferinyah Training and Research Center in Rural Health (Guinea).

Effect of the 2014/2015 Ebola outbreak on reproductive health services in a rural district of Guinea: an ecological study.

Background: The 2014/2015 Ebola outbreak was the most sustained in history. In Guinea, we compared trends in family planning, antenatal care, and institutional deliveries over the period before, during and after the outbreak. Methods: We carried out an ecological study involving all the health facilities during pre-Ebola (1 March 2013 to 28 February 2014), intra-Ebola (1 March 2014 to 28 February 2015) and post-Ebola (1 March to 31 July 2016) periods in Macenta district. Results: Utilization of family planning declined from a monthly average of 531 visits during the pre-Ebola period to 242 visits in the peak month of the Ebola outbreak (51% decline) but recovered in the post-Ebola period. From a monthly average of 2053 visits pre-Ebola, antenatal care visits declined by 41% during Ebola and then recovered to only 63% of the pre-Ebola level (recovery gap of 37%, p<0.001). From a monthly average of 1223 deliveries pre-Ebola, institutional deliveries also declined during Ebola and then recovered to only 66% of the pre-Ebola level (p<0.001). Conclusions: All services assessed were affected by Ebola. Family planning recovered post-Ebola; however, shortfalls were observed in recovery of antenatal care and institutional deliveries. We call for stronger political will, international support and generous funding to change the current state of affairs.