Articles

The infrastructural capacity of Ghanaian health facilities to provide safe abortion and post-abortion care: a cross-sectional study

Ghana is one of few countries in sub-Saharan Africa with relatively liberal abortion laws, but little is known about the availability and quality of abortion services nationally. The aim of this study was to d...

Authors: Onikepe Owolabi, Taylor Riley, Easmon Otupiri, Chelsea B. Polis and Roderick Larsen-Reindorf

A feasibility study to assess non-clinical community health workers’ capacity to use simplified protocols and tools to treat severe acute malnutrition in Niger state Nigeria

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a major determinant of childhood mortality and morbidity. Although integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illnesses is a strategy for increasing access to l...

Authors: Olatunde Adesoro, Olusola Oresanya, Helen Counihan, Prudence Hamade, Dare Eguavon, Chika Emebo, Bethany Marron, Naoko Kozuki, Amina Isah, Patrick Gimba, Chris Osa Isokpunwu, Kolawole Maxwell and James K. Tibenderana

Developing the first pan-Canadian survey on patient engagement in patient safety

Patient safety is a worldwide problem, and the patient contribution to mitigate the risk of patient harm is now recognized as a cornerstone to its solution. In order to understand the nature of integrating pat...

Authors: Ursulla Aho-glele, Khayreddine Bouabida, Allison Kooijman, Ioana Cristina Popescu, Marie Pascale Pomey, Lisa Hawthornthwaite, Jodi Ploquin, Susan Dunn, Patricia Trbovich, Benoit Tétrault, Maiana Regina Gomes de Sousa, Louise Clément and Nelea Lungu

Burnout, lifestyle and relaxation among dentists in Lithuania: a cross-sectional study

The aim of this study was to estimate the association of burnout level with lifestyle and relaxation among dentists in Lithuania. A better understanding of this association could help in the development of tar...

Authors: Eglė Slabšinskienė, Andrej Gorelik, Aistė Kavaliauskienė and Apolinaras Zaborskis

An economic evaluation of an intervention to increase demand for medical male circumcision among men aged 25–49 years in South Africa

Studies estimate that circumcising men between the ages of 20–30 years who have exhibited previous risky sexual behaviour could reduce overall HIV prevalence. Demand creation strategies for medical male circum...

Authors: M. Holmes, R. Mukora, D. Mudzengi, S. Charalambous, C. M. Chetty-Makkan, H. Kisbey-Green, M. Maraisane and J. Grund

Working in a minefield; Nurses’ strategies for handling medicine administration interruptions in hospitals, -a qualtiative interview study

Administering medicines is one of the most high-risk tasks in health care. However, nurses are frequently interrupted during medicine administration, which jeopardises patient safety. Few studies have examined...

Authors: Johanne Alteren, Marit Hermstad, Lisbeth Nerdal and Sue Jordan

Adverse events in women giving birth in a labor ward: a retrospective record review study

Childbirth could negatively affect the woman’s health through adverse events. To prevent adverse events and increase patient safety it is important to detect and learn from them. The aim of the study was to de...

Authors: Annika Skoogh, Marie Louise Hall-Lord, Carina Bååth and Ann-Kristin Sandin Bojö

The Annual costs of treating genital warts in the Public Healthcare Sector in Peru

To estimate the cost of six different techniques used to treat Genital Warts and the annual average cost of treating a typical GW patient in Peru. To estimate the annual economic burden diagnosing and treating...

Authors: Enrique M Saldarriaga, Cesar P. Cárcamo, Joseph B. Babigumira and Patricia J. García

Cross-sectional study on the drug utilization and evaluation indicator of antibiotics used in pediatric population

The lack of medication standards is a serious problem in paediatrics mainly because of age-related differences in organ development and physiological functions in children. Consequently, dosage measurement bec...

Authors: Xu Hu, Xueting Zhang, Yao Wang and Xuefeng Xie

Quality of care is what we make of it: a qualitative study of managers’ perspectives on quality of care in high-performing nursing homes

Leadership has a vital role regarding quality of care in nursing homes. However, few studies have explored upper-level managers’ views on how to assure that residents receive high quality of care. Therefore, t...

Authors: Brigitte Lalude Asante, Franziska Zúñiga and Lauriane Favez

‘Fix the issues at the coalface and mental wellbeing will be improved’: a framework analysis of frontline NHS staff experiences and use of health and wellbeing resources in a Scottish health board area during the COVID-19 pandemic

Frontline healthcare staff working in pandemics have been reported to experience mental health issues during the early and post-peak stages. To alleviate these problems, healthcare organisations have been prov...

Authors: Catherine Clarissa, Sam Quinn and Rosie Stenhouse

Outpatient cardiovascular diseases and diabetes medicines dispensing in the population with government health insurance in Syria between 2018 and 2019: a retrospective analysis

Low- and middle-income countries bear the highest burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) mortality and morbidity. Syria has undergone an epidemiological transition from infectious diseases to NCDs in the p...

Authors: Saleh Aljadeeah, Eckhard Nagel and Veronika J. Wirtz

Factors influencing procurement behaviour and decision-making: an exploratory qualitative study in a UK healthcare provider

In 2016 the UK Department of Health and Social Care published the results of a comprehensive review of efficiency in hospitals, identifying “unwarranted variation” in procurement (or purchasing) practices for ...

Authors: Harriet Boulding and Saba Hinrichs-Krapels

Examining health facility financing in Kenya in the context of devolution

How health facilities are financed affects their performance and health system goals. We examined how health facilities in the public sector are financed in Kenya, within the context of a devolved health system.

Authors: Angela Kairu, Stacey Orangi, Boniface Mbuthia, Joanne Ondera, Nirmala Ravishankar and Edwine Barasa

Impact of universal home visits on child health in Bauchi State, Nigeria: a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial

Nigeria is the second biggest contributor to global child mortality. Infectious diseases continue to be major killers. In Bauchi State, Nigeria, a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial tested the h...

Authors: Khalid Omer, Altine Joga, Umar Dutse, Khalid Hasan, Amar Aziz, Umaira Ansari, Yagana Gidado, Muhd Chadi Baba, Adamu Ibrahim Gamawa, Rilwanu Mohammad, Neil Andersson and Anne Cockcroft

Spatial analysis and evaluation of medical resource allocation in China based on geographic big data

Spatial allocation of medical resources is closely related to people’s health. Thus, it is important to evaluate the abundance of medical resources regionally and explore the spatial heterogeneity of medical r...

Authors: Sida Wan, Yanming Chen, Yijia Xiao, Qiqi Zhao, Manchun Li and Shuqi Wu

A costing analysis of B-GAP: index-linked HIV testing for children and adolescents in Zimbabwe

By testing children and adolescents of HIV positive caretakers, index-linked HIV testing, a targeted HIV testing strategy, has the ability to identify high risk children and adolescents earlier and more effici...

Authors: Arthi Vasantharoopan, Hendramoorthy Maheswaran, Victoria Simms, Chido Dziva Chikwari, Tariro Chigwenah, Rudo Chikodzore, Khulamuzi Nyathi, Gertrude Ncube, Rashida A. Ferrand and Lorna Guinness

Contextual and mental health service factors in mental disorder-based disability pensioning in Finland – a regional comparison

We investigated the regional differences in all mental disorder disability pensions (DP) between 2010 and 2015 in Finland, and separately in mood disorders and non-affective psychotic disorder DP. We also stud...

Authors: Tino Karolaakso, Reija Autio, Turkka Näppilä, Helena Leppänen, Päivi Rissanen, Martti T. Tuomisto, Sakari Karvonen and Sami Pirkola

Organizational factors associated with health worker protection during the COVID-19 pandemic in four provinces of South Africa

Health workers, in short supply in many low-and-middle-income countries, are at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study aimed to assess how South Africa, prepared to protect its health workers from ...

Authors: Muzimkhulu Zungu, Kuku Voyi, Nosimilo Mlangeni, Saiendhra Vasudevan Moodley, Jonathan Ramodike, Nico Claassen, Elizabeth Wilcox, Nkululeko Thunzi, Annalee Yassi, Jerry Spiegel and Molebogeng Malotle

Capacity development and safety measures for health care workers exposed to COVID-19 in Bangladesh

The safety of health care workers (HCWs) in Bangladesh and the factors associated with getting COVID-19 have been infrequently studied. The aim of this study was to address this gap by assessing the capacity d...

Authors: Tapan Kumar Nath, Alak Paul, Dwaipayan Sikdar, Janardan Mahanta, Sujat Paul, Md Robed Amin, Shahanara Chowdhury, Md. Nur Hossain Bhuiyan, Md. Abdur Rob, Abdur Rahim, Md Khairul Islam, Md Mohiuddin Sharif and Kannan Navaneetham

Measuring hospital spatial accessibility using the enhanced two-step floating catchment area method to assess the impact of spatial accessibility to hospital and non-hospital care on the length of hospital stay

Optimal healthcare access improves the health status and decreases health inequalities. Many studies demonstrated the importance of spatial access to healthcare facilities in health outcomes, particularly usin...

Authors: Fei Gao, Matthieu Jaffrelot and Séverine Deguen

Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to design and implement a perinatal education program in a large maternity hospital

Implementation science aims to embed evidence-based practice as ‘usual care’ using theoretical underpinnings to guide these processes. Conceptualising the complementary purpose and application of theoretical appr...

Authors: Sheridan Guyatt, Megan Ferguson, Michael Beckmann and Shelley A. Wilkinson

COVID-19 pandemic and waiting times in outpatient specialist care in Germany: an empirical analysis

International healthcare systems face the challenge that waiting times may create barriers to accessing medical care, and that those barriers are unequally distributed between different patient groups. The dis...

Authors: Jennifer Muschol and Christian Gissel

Assessment of segmentation and targeted counseling on family planning quality of care and client satisfaction: a facility-based survey of clients in Niger

Niger demonstrates high fertility and low contraceptive use that are typical in much of the West and Central African region. The government of Niger has committed to increasing modern contraceptive use as part...

Authors: Ilene S. Speizer, Hachimou Amani, Jennifer Winston, Souleymane Amadou Garba, Amelia Maytan-Joneydi, Illiassou Chaibou Halidou, Lisa M. Calhoun and Abdoul Moumouni Nouhou

Factors associated with needlestick injuries among healthcare workers: implications for prevention

Our study sought to determine the frequency of Needlestick injuries (NSIs) among Healthcare Workers (HCWs) working at governmental hospital and to study the factors that associated with occurrence of NSIs, and...

Authors: Kifah Habib Alfulayw, Sultan T. Al-Otaibi and Hatem A. Alqahtani

Mental health service engagement with family and carers: what practices are fundamental?

Substantial and important benefits flow to all stakeholders, including the service user, when mental health services meaningfully engage with carers and family members. Government policies around the world cle...

Authors: Darryl Maybery, Irene Casey Jaffe, Rose Cuff, Zoe Duncan, Anne Grant, Melissa Kennelly, Torleif Ruud, Bjorg Eva Skogoy, Bente Weimand and Andrea Reupert

Correction to: Proactive integrated virtual healthcare resource use in primary care

Authors: Jolie N. Haun, Bridget A. Cotner, Christine Melillo, Vanessa Panaite, William Messina, Shilpa Patel-Teague and Brian Zilka

Exploring senior managers’ perceptions of the COVID-19 Crisis in Iran: a qualitative content analysis study

Identification of the experience of senior managers in tackling biological crises can be a roadmap for future crisis management planning. The aim of the present study was to investigate the experiences of seni...

Authors: Mostafa Bijani, Shahnaz Karimi, Aliasghar Khaleghi, Yousef Gholampoor and Zhila Fereidouni

Quality of antenatal care and its sociodemographic determinants: results of the 2015 Pelotas birth cohort, Brazil

Inadequate antenatal care (ANC) has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. ANC quality is considered a key component of the right to health and a route to equity and dignity for women and their child...

Authors: Lina Sofia Morón-Duarte, Andrea Ramirez Varela, Andrea Dâmaso Bertoldi, Marlos R. Domingues, Fernando C. Wehrmeister and Mariangela Freitas Silveira

Patients' assessment of care for type 2 diabetes: Results of the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care scale in a Danish population

The Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) scale is the most appropriate for assessing self-reported experience in chronic care. We aimed to validate the PACIC questionnaire by (1) assess patients’...

Authors: Anne Frølich, Ann Nielsen, Charlotte Glümer, Christian U Eriksen, Helle Terkildsen Maindal, Bodil Helbech Kleist, Hanne Birke and Anders Stockmarr

Barriers to symptom management care pathway implementation in pediatric Cancer

Objectives were to describe barriers to pediatric cancer symptom management care pathway implementation and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical research evaluating their implementation.

Authors: L. Lee Dupuis, Allison Grimes, Emily Vettese, Lisa M. Klesges and Lillian Sung

Attitudes of medical workers in China toward artificial intelligence in ophthalmology: a comparative survey

In the development of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology, the ophthalmic AI-related recognition issues are prominent, but there is a lack of research into people’s familiarity with and their attitudes to...

Authors: Bo Zheng, Mao-nian Wu, Shao-jun Zhu, Hong-xia Zhou, Xiu-lan Hao, Fang-qin Fei, Yun Jia, Jian Wu, Wei-hua Yang and Xue-ping Pan

Translating evidence into policy: opinions and insights of Health Researchers and Policymakers in Nepal

The Evidence-Based Policymaking (EBP) process in Nepal is rife with poor practices where often policymakers are portrayed as perpetrators for such practices. However, we need to think of the EBP as a two-sided...

Authors: Biplav Babu Tiwari, Anusha Ban, Sony Gurung and Khem Bahadur Karki

A qualitative study on the implementation of a holistic care package for control and management of lymphoedema: experience from a pilot intervention in northern Ethiopia

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) such as podoconiosis, lymphatic filariasis (LF) and leprosy mainly affect communities in low resource settings. These diseases are associated with physical disability due to ...

Authors: Oumer Ali, Mersha Kinfe, Maya Semrau, Abebayehu Tora, Abraham Tesfaye, Asrat Mengiste, Gail Davey and Abebaw Fekadu

The use of accelerometer-based wearable activity monitors in clinical settings: current practice, barriers, enablers, and future opportunities

Wearable activity monitors (WAMs, e.g. Fitbits and research accelerometers) show promise for helping health care professionals (HCPs) measure and intervene on patients’ activity patterns. This study aimed to d...

Authors: Carol Maher, Kimberley Szeto and John Arnold

Referral patterns to outpatient child and adolescent mental health services and factors associated with referrals being rejected. A cross-sectional observational study

Outpatient child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are faced with the challenge of balancing increasing demands with limited resources. An additional challenge is high rejection rates of referrals ...

Authors: Anna Sofie Hansen, Cecilie Haugaard Christoffersen, Gry Kjaersdam Telléus and Marlene Briciet Lauritsen

Baseline assessment of pharmacovigilance activities in four sub-Saharan African countries: a perspective on tuberculosis

New medicines have become available for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) and are introduced in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by the national TB programs (NTPs) through special access schemes. Ph...

Authors: Everdina W. Tiemersma, Ibrahim Ali, Asnakech Alemu, Yohanna Kambai Avong, Alemayehu Duga, Cassandra Elagbaje, Ambrose Isah, Alexander Kay, Blandina Theophil Mmbaga, Elice Mmari, Kissa Mwamwitwa, Siphesihle Nhlabatsi, Kassech Sintayehu, Aida Arefayne, Mekonnen Teferi, Frank Cobelens…

COVID-19 information dissemination in Uganda: Perspectives from sub-national health workers

In many places, health workers at the sub-national level are on the frontlines of disseminating information about coronavirus (COVID-19) to communities. To ensure communities are receiving timely and accurate ...

Authors: Cristin Alexis Fergus, Elizabeth Storer, Moses Arinaitwe, Solomon Kamurari and Moses Adriko

Family support on intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative evaluation study into experiences of relatives

During the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, relatives of patients with COVID-19 admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) were severely restricted in visiting their relatives and in commun...

Authors: Hanna T. Klop, Mana Nasori, Tjitske W. Klinge, Rianne Hoopman, Mirjam A. de Vos, Chantal du Perron, Lia van Zuylen, Monique Steegers, Birkitt L. ten Tusscher, Floor C. H. Abbink, Bregje D. Onwuteaka-Philipsen and H. Roeline W. Pasman

Clinical scientists’ early career choices and progression: an exploratory mixed methods study

Understanding the influences on healthcare professionals’ career choices and progression can inform interventions to improve workforce retention. Retention of health professionals is a high priority worldwide,...

Authors: Megan Smith, Jaimini Patel, Sandie Gay, Ian Davison and Sharon Buckley

When do physicians perceive the success of a new care model differently?

The health care innovation “MamBo – people with multimorbidity in outpatient care: patient-focused and needs-oriented healthcare management” aims to improve the efficiency and quality of care for multimorbid p...

Authors: Simone Richter, Ibrahim Demirer, Maya Nocon, Holger Pfaff and Ute Karbach

The impact of hospital accreditation on the quality of healthcare: a systematic literature review

Accreditation is viewed as a reputable tool to evaluate and enhance the quality of health care. However, its effect on performance and outcomes remains unclear. This review aimed to identify and analyze the ev...

Authors: Mohammed Hussein, Milena Pavlova, Mostafa Ghalwash and Wim Groot

Assessing health system factors affecting access and delivery of IPTp-SP and ITN to pregnant women attending ANC clinics in Ghana

Malaria interventions including use of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine as Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPTp-SP) and distribution of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) have been implemented through ante-natal clin...

Authors: Virtue Fiawokome De-Gaulle, Pascal Magnussen, Joseph Kamgno, Wilfred Mbacham, Verner N. Orish and Harry Tagbor

“It changed everything”: The Safe Home Care qualitative study of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on home care aides, clients, and managers

Home care (HC) services are crucial to the health and social wellbeing of older adults, people with disabilities, and the chronically ill. Although the HC sector is growing rapidly in the USA, there is high jo...

Authors: Pia Markkanen, Natalie Brouillette, Margaret Quinn, Catherine Galligan, Susan Sama, John Lindberg and Nicole Karlsson

Outcome evaluation of capacity building and mentorship partnership (CBMP) program on data quality in the public health facilities of Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia: a quasi-experimental evaluation

Capacity Building and Mentorship Partnership (CBMP) is a flagship program designed by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health in collaboration with six local universities to strengthen the national health informatio...

Authors: Melaku Birhanu Alemu, Asmamaw Atnafu, Tsegaye Gebremedhin, Berhanu Fikadie Endehabtu, Moges Asressie and Binyam Tilahun

Does integrated medical insurance system alleviate the difficulty of using cross-region health Care for the Migrant Parents in China-- evidence from the China migrants dynamic survey

Many internal migrants during the urbanization process in China are Migrant Parents, the aging group who move to urban areas to support their family involuntarily. They are more vulnerable economically and phy...

Authors: Chao Ma, Shutong Huo and Hao Chen

Experiences of people seen in an acute hospital setting by a liaison mental health service: responses from an online survey

In recent years the UK has expanded the provision of liaison mental health services (LMHS). Little work has been undertaken to explore first-hand experiences of them.

Authors: Elspeth Guthrie, Daniel Romeu, Carolyn Czoski-Murray, Samuel Relton, Andrew Walker, Peter Trigwell, Jenny Hewison, Robert West, Matt Fossey, Claire Hulme and Allan House

Evaluation of United States chiropractic professional subgroups: a survey of randomly sampled chiropractors

Professional subgroups are common and may play a role in aiding professional maturity or impeding professional legitimization. The chiropractic profession in the United States has a long history of diverse int...

Authors: Jordan A. Gliedt, Stephen M. Perle, Aaron A. Puhl, Sarah Daehler, Michael J. Schneider and Joel Stevans

The impact of COVID-19 on primary health care and antibiotic prescribing in rural China: qualitative study

In China, the primary health care (PHC) system has been designated responsible for control and prevention of COVID-19, but not treatment. Suspected COVID-19 cases presenting to PHC facilities must be transferr...

Authors: Tingting Zhang, Xingrong Shen, Rong Liu, Linhai Zhao, Debin Wang, Helen Lambert and Christie Cabral

Patient-public engagement strategies for health system improvement in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic scoping review

Actively involving patients and communities in health decisions can improve both peoples’ health and the health system. One key strategy is Patient-Public Engagement (PPE). This scoping review aims to identify...

Authors: Samuel Egyakwa Ankomah, Adam Fusheini, Christy Ballard, Emmanuel Kumah, Gagan Gurung and Sarah Derrett