The lived experiences of HIV-positive women in rural Zimbabwe: A qualitative focus group study.

BACKGROUND:  The study explored and described the meaning attached to the lived experiences of women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the rural context of Zimbabwe. Stigma and discrimination negatively impact one's ability to perform the expected social roles, the quality of life, and the efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and reduce HIV-related mortality. Thus, the study aims to understand the meaning attached to the lived experiences of HIV-positive women living in rural areas or villages of Matabeleland South province in Zimbabwe. METHODS:  The study used a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory design. Four focus group discussions were conducted with 24 HIV-positive rural women living in Matabeleland South province, Zimbabwe. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was adopted to explore and describe the meaning attached to the lived experiences of women living with HIV. RESULTS:  Two interconnected themes were identified in the analysis with their sub-themes. These were: (1) struggle for social belonging, with subthemes - loss of social belonging and reduced access to community-based empowerment opportunities and (2) struggle for maintaining the quality of life with subthemes - lack of need-based community healthcare and food insecurity. CONCLUSION:  Being a woman living with HIV in rural Zimbabwe means a perpetual struggle to maintain one's humanness and quality of life.Contribution: This study's results will support the efforts of the Zimbabwean government to improve the quality of life of HIV-positive women living in rural areas.

Prevalence, risk factors and management of common mental health disorders in Cameroon: a systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Mental health disorders (MHDs) are considered a serious public health concern globally. The burden of mental health conditions is estimated to be higher in low-income and middle-income countries, including Cameroon, where reliable estimates are lacking. This review aims to synthesise evidence on the prevalence of MHDs, the effectiveness of mental health management interventions and identify risk factors for MHDs in Cameroon. METHOD: This review will systematically search electronic databases for studies focusing on one or more MHDs of interest within the context of Cameroon. We will include cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies which assessed the prevalence or risk factors for MHDs in Cameroon and intervention studies to provide evidence on the effectiveness of interventions for managing MHDs. Two reviewers will independently perform all screening stages, data extraction and synthesis. We will provide a narrative synthesis and, if we identify enough articles that are homogeneous, we will perform a meta-analysis using a random effect model. The strength of the evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. CONCLUSION: This review will contribute to the current body of knowledge by providing a synthesis of current evidence on the prevalence of common MHDs, risk factors for different MHDs and the effectiveness of interventions for managing different mental health conditions in Cameroon. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study will involve synthesis of published literature and does not warrant ethical approval. The findings will be disseminated through internationally peer-reviewed journals related to mental health. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022348427.

Antimicrobial stewardship in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review protocol on the opportunities and challenges for Sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains one of the leading threats to global public health and this may increase following COVID-19 pandemic. This is particularly the case in Africa where regulations on antimicrobial usage are weak. This protocol outlines the steps to undertake a systematic review to synthesize evidence on drivers of AMR and evaluate existing approaches to strengthening antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). On the basis of the evidence generated from the evidence synthesis, the overarching goal of this work is to provide recommendations to support best practices in AMS implementation in SSA. METHODS: A systematic search will be conducted using the following databases: Global Health Library, PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus, Google Scholar, Global Health, Embase, African Journals Online Library, Web of Science, antimicrobial databases (WHO COVID-19, TrACSS, NDARO, and JPIAMR), and the Cochrane databases for systematic reviews. Studies will be included if they assess AMR and AMS in SSA from January 2000 to January 31, 2023. RESULTS: The primary outcomes will include the drivers of AMR and approaches to AMS implementation in SSA. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses will guide the reporting of this systematic review. CONCLUSIONS: The findings are expected to provide evidence on best practices and resource sharing for policy consideration to healthcare providers and other stakeholders both at the local and international levels. Additionally, the study seeks to establish drivers specific to AMR during the COVID-19 era in the SSA, for example, with the observed increasing trend of antimicrobial misuse during the first or second year of the pandemic may provide valuable insights for policy recommendation in preparedness and response measures to future pandemics. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022368853.