Experiences of families with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in World Health Organization Afro-Regions: A scoping review.

A scoping review on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its impact on the families of affected children was undertaken due to insufficient information available on the diverse experiences impacting their lives. Using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, eligibility criteria were guided by Population (families), Concept (family experiences), and Context (African region). English-language articles were sought from a variety of databases and search engines. The publication date of the identified articles ranged from 2003 to 2021 with most published in 2020 (n = 10), and the majority using qualitative methodologies (n = 51). Most family members involved were parents (n = 51) and their ages ranged from 18 to 75 years. The families experienced various challenges related to their child with regard to education, healthcare, and the broader community including lack of support. Family coping strategies included believing in God, attending counseling sessions, adapting, and accepting the situation. Healthcare professionals should be prepared and positioned to educate families and siblings on various aspects of ASD. There is a need for active, continued research on families within most countries of World Health Organization Afro-region.

Implementation of Competency-Based Education for Quality Midwifery Programs in Africa: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Competency-based education (CBE) for midwifery programs is a system of academic instruction and evaluation that aims to achieve proficiency in midwifery student learning outcomes, which is based on students' ability to demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes, self-perceptions, and skills of a predetermined set of educational activities in theory and practice. CBE focuses on ensuring that midwifery students can develop critical thinking abilities, values, and the clinical decision-making abilities needed for the delivery of safe care in future practice. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this scoping review is to map and synthesize existing literature on the implementation of CBE for midwifery programs and its sustainability in Africa. METHODS: We will use the Arksey and O'Malley approach for scoping reviews for the research methodology. The 3-stage search process, proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute, will be used to determine the eligibility of published and unpublished studies. PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus will be searched to screen published articles. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses and Google Scholar will be used to search for unpublished studies. Findings will only apply to studies conducted in Africa from 2010 to the present year in English. The 2 reviewers will work independently to carefully screen and compare the full text of the selected citations to the inclusion criteria. In the event of any disagreements between the 2 reviewers at any stage of the selection process regarding the inclusion of an article, this will be settled by discussion or consultation with a third reviewer. The extracted data will be presented using a PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review) flow diagram with an attached narrative summary. The review will summarize and disseminate findings on the implementation of the CBE for midwifery programs and its sustainability in Africa. RESULTS: It is intended that this scoping review will be completed within 6 months following the publication of this protocol. CONCLUSIONS: The conclusions from this scoping review will inform midwifery educators, institutions, policy makers, and other stakeholders on the strategies to implement and sustain CBE for midwifery programs in Africa. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/47603.

Digital Mental Health Interventions for Young People in Rural South Africa: Prospects and Challenges for Implementation.

Globally, most young people living with mental health conditions lack access to mental health care but have access to a mobile device. The growing access to mobile devices in South Africa has the potential to increase access to mental health care services through digital platforms. However, uptake of digital mental health interventions may be hampered by several factors, such as privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, and affordability. This study identified the prospects and challenges of implementing a mobile phone-based mental health intervention for young people in Ingwavuma area. Data were collected from 93 young people in three villages purposefully selected in Ingwavuma area. Participants included in the study were aged 16-24. Data were collected through a questionnaire. Thematic and descriptive analysis was performed on the qualitative and quantitative data, respectively. Mental health education was low, with only 22% of participants having received prior education on mental health. About 50% of the participants had come across a mental health app, but none of them had used any of these apps; 87% of participants had Internet access; 60% preferred to use social media to contact a health worker; and 92% suggested that use of digital apps would improve mental health literacy among young people. Barriers to access of digital mental health interventions were identified as the high cost of data, restrictive religious beliefs, limited privacy, lack of native languages on most digital platforms, low digital literacy, and complicated user interface. In uMkhanyakude, uptake of digital mental health apps among the young people was low. We recommend that, developers create context-specific digital applications catered for young people from different cultural backgrounds. Socio-economic issues such as affordability also need to be addressed in developing these tools.