Newborn and child health national and provincial clinical practice guidelines in South Africa, Nigeria and Malawi: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Low and middle-income countries remain disproportionately affected by high rates of child mortality. Clinical practice guidelines are essential clinical tools supporting implementation of effective, safe, and cost-effective healthcare. High-quality evidence-based guidelines play a key role in improving clinical management to impact child mortality. We aimed to identify and assess the quality of guidelines for newborn and child health published in South Africa, Nigeria and Malawi in the last 5 years (2017-2022). METHODS: We searched relevant websites (June-July 2022), for publicly available national and subnational de novo or adapted guidelines, addressing newborn and child health in the three countries. Pairs of reviewers independently extracted information from eligible guidelines (scope, topic, target population and users, responsible developers, stakeholder consultation process, adaptation description, assessment of evidence certainty). We appraised guideline quality using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument. RESULTS: We identified 40-guidelines from the three countries. Of these, 8/40 reported being adopted from a parent guideline. More guidelines (n = 19) provided guidance on communicable diseases than on non-communicable diseases (n = 8). Guidelines were most often developed by national health ministries (n = 30) and professional societies (n = 14). Eighteen guidelines reported on stakeholder consultation; with Nigeria (10/11) and Malawi (3/6) faring better than South Africa (5/23) in reporting this activity. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) approach was used in 1/7 guidelines that reported assessing certainty of evidence. Overall guidelines scored well on two AGREE II domains: scope and purpose median (IQR) score 68% (IQR 47-83), and clarity of presentation 81% (67-94). Domains critical for ensuring credible guidance scored below 20%: rigour of development 11% (4-32) and editorial independence 6% (0-27). CONCLUSION: National ministries and professional societies drive guideline activities in Malawi, Nigeria and South Arica. However, the methods and reporting do not adhere to global standards. We found low AGREE II scores for rigour of guideline development and editorial independence and limited use of GRADE or adaptation methods. This undermines the credibility of available guidelines to support evidence-informed care. Our findings highlight the importance of ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships, capacity, and support for guideline development.

Health Technology Assessment in Support of National Health Insurance in South Africa.

South Africa has embarked on major health policy reform to deliver universal health coverage through the establishment of National Health Insurance (NHI). The aim is to improve access, remove financial barriers to care, and enhance care quality. Health technology assessment (HTA) is explicitly identified in the proposed NHI legislation and will have a prominent role in informing decisions about adoption and access to health interventions and technologies. The specific arrangements and approach to HTA in support of this legislation are yet to be determined. Although there is currently no formal national HTA institution in South Africa, there are several processes in both the public and private healthcare sectors that use elements of HTA to varying extents to inform access and resource allocation decisions. Institutions performing HTAs or related activities in South Africa include the National and Provincial Departments of Health, National Treasury, National Health Laboratory Service, Council for Medical Schemes, medical scheme administrators, managed care organizations, academic or research institutions, clinical societies and associations, pharmaceutical and devices companies, private consultancies, and private sector hospital groups. Existing fragmented HTA processes should coordinate and conform to a standardized, fit-for-purpose process and structure that can usefully inform priority setting under NHI and for other decision makers. This transformation will require comprehensive and inclusive planning with dedicated funding and regulation, and provision of strong oversight mechanisms and leadership.

Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of long-acting reversible contraceptive methods among healthcare workers in sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions (KAP) of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods among healthcare workers (HCWs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following the PRISMA method. Two authors independently searched three electronic databases for studies published between 2000 and January 2020 reporting on the KAP of LARC methods among HCWs in SSA. Titles and abstracts were screened against eligibility criteria, data were extracted and the included studies were assessed for risk of bias. A meta-analysis of proportions for 11 pre-determined questions relating to LARC KAP was performed. Heterogeneity was explored using the I2 -statistic and publication bias investigated using funnel plots and Egger's tests. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies comprising 11,272 HCWs from 11 SSA countries were included. 50% (95% CI: 34%, 67%) of HCWs had received intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) insertion training while 63% (95% CI: 44%, 81%) expressed a desire for training. Only 27% (95% CI: 18%, 36%) deemed IUCD appropriate for HIV-infected women. Restrictions for IUCD and injectables based on a minimum age were imposed by 56% (95% CI: 33%, 78%) and 60% (95% CI: 36%, 84%), respectively. Minimum parity restrictions were observed among 29% (95% CI: 9%, 50%) of HCWs for IUCDs and 36% (95% CI: 16%, 56%) for injectable contraceptives. Heterogeneity was high and publication bias was present in two of the 11 questions. CONCLUSION: The systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that unnecessary provider-imposed restrictions may hinder the uptake of LARC methods by women in SSA.

A review and economic analysis of the dapivirine vaginal ring as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis for women, to inform South African public-sector guidelines.

BACKGROUND: South Africa has a high HIV incidence and oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is available as public-sector standard of care. Access to alternative prevention methods for women may further reduce HIV acquisition. SETTING: South African public-sector. METHODS: We performed a systematic search for high-quality up-to-date guidelines recommending dapivirine ring as PrEP using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE)-Adolopment process. We appraised the systematic review and randomised controlled trial (RCT) evidence underpinning the selected guideline's recommendations and conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis. The GRADE Evidence-to-Decision framework guided the adaptation of source guideline recommendations, according to our local context. RESULTS: We identified the 2021 World Health Organization PrEP Guidelines, informed by two placebo-controlled RCTs, which were included in a contemporaneous systematic review. There were 23 fewer HIV acquisitions per 1000 clients with dapivirine ring versus placebo (95% confidence interval 10-34), with no increase in adverse events (moderate certainty evidence). We found no RCTs comparing dapivirine to oral PrEP, or amongst adolescent/pregnant/breastfeeding clients. Dapivirine is less cost-effective than oral PrEP at $14.59/ring, at the current price. CONCLUSION: The source guideline recommendation was adapted for the local context. Dapivirine ring appears to be less efficacious than oral PrEP, although comparative studies are lacking. Data in adolescents and pregnancy are also lacking, currently limiting the use of dapivirine as an alternative for women unable to take oral PrEP. At the current price, dapivirine is not cost-effective and unaffordable for inclusion in the South African Essential Medicines List.

Comment on Hosseini et al. Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on COVID-19 Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients 2022, 14, 2134.

Medicines have been re-purposed as therapeutics for COVID-19 and it is with great interest that we read the publication entitled, "Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on COVID-19 Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" [...].