Search

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted rural and under-resourced urban communities in Kansas. The state's response to COVID-19 has relied on a highly decentralized and underfunded public health system, with 100 local health departments in the state, few of which had prior experience engaging local community coalitions in a coordinated response to a public health crisis., Methods: To improve the capacity for local community-driven responses to COVID-19 and other public health needs, the University of Kansas Medical Center, in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, will launch Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) in 20 counties across Kansas. COPE will establish Local Health Equity Action Teams (LHEATs), coalitions comprised of community members and service providers, who work with COPE-hired community health workers (CHWs) recruited to represent the diversity of the communities they serve. CHWs in each county are tasked with addressing unmet social needs of residents and supporting their county's LHEAT. LHEATs are charged with implementing strategies to improve social determinants of health in their county. Monthly, LHEATs and CHWs from all 20 counties will come together as part of a learning collaborative to share strategies, foster innovation, and engage in peer problem-solving. These efforts will be supported by a multilevel communications strategy that will increase awareness of COPE activities and resources at the local level and successes across the state. Our mixed methods evaluation design will assess the processes and impact of COPE activities as well as barriers and facilitators to implementation using aspects of both the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) models., Discussion: This protocol is designed to expand community capacity to strategically partner with local public health and social service partners to prioritize and implement health equity efforts. COPE intentionally engages historically resilient communities and those living in underserved rural areas to inform pragmatic strategies to improve health equity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Pacheco, Bridges, Ellerbeck, Ablah, Greiner, Chen, Collie-Akers, Ramírez, LeMaster, Sykes, Parente, Corriveau, Miras Neira, Scott, Knapp, Finocchario-Kessler and COPE Team.)

The United States' public health sector plays a crucial role in preventing illness and promoting health. Public health drove massive gains in life expectancy during the 20th century by supporting vaccination campaigns, promoting motor vehicle safety, and preventing and treating tobacco use. However, public health is underfunded and underappreciated, forcing the field to do more with fewer resources. In this position paper, the American College of Physicians (ACP) updates its 2012 policy recommendations on strengthening the nation's public health infrastructure. ACP calls for effective coordination of public health activities, robust and stable year-to-year funding of public health services, a renewed and well-supported public health workforce, action to address health-related dis- and misinformation, modernized public health data systems, and greater coordination between public health and medical sectors., Competing Interests: Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M23-0670.

Objectives: Information professionals have supported medical providers, administrators and decision-makers, and guideline creators in the COVID-19 response. Searching COVID-19 literature presented new challenges, including the volume and heterogeneity of literature and the proliferation of new information sources, and exposed existing issues in metadata and publishing. An expert panel developed best practices, including recommendations, elaborations, and examples, for searching during public health emergencies., Methods: Project directors and advisors developed core elements from experience and literature. Experts, identified by affiliation with evidence synthesis groups, COVID-19 search experience, and nomination, responded to an online survey to reach consensus on core elements. Expert participants provided written responses to guiding questions. A synthesis of responses provided the foundation for focus group discussions. A writing group then drafted the best practices into a statement. Experts reviewed the statement prior to dissemination., Results: Twelve information professionals contributed to best practice recommendations on six elements: core resources, search strategies, publication types, transparency and reproducibility, collaboration, and conducting research. Underlying principles across recommendations include timeliness, openness, balance, preparedness, and responsiveness., Conclusions: The authors and experts anticipate the recommendations for searching for evidence during public health emergencies will help information specialists, librarians, evidence synthesis groups, researchers, and decision-makers respond to future public health emergencies, including but not limited to disease outbreaks. The recommendations complement existing guidance by addressing concerns specific to emergency response. The statement is intended as a living document. Future revisions should solicit input from a broader community and reflect conclusions of meta-research on COVID-19 and health emergencies., (Copyright © 2023 Stacy Brody, Sara Loree, Margaret Sampson, Shaila Mensinkai, Jennifer Coffman, Mark Heinrich Mueller, Nicole Askin, Cheryl Hamill, Emma Wilson, Mary Beth McAteer, Heather Staines, Best Practices for Searching During Public Health Emergencies Working Group.)

Potential limits and risk of digitalization in public health will be a core topic of the High profile Research Area Health Sciences at the University of Bremen in coming years. A white paper was developed to support positioning in this dynamic research. The paper describes the Health Sciences viewpoint on core evaluation criteria for digital public health, identifies interfaces and approaches for interdisciplinary cooperation and discusses cross-cutting themes as well as demarcations with respect to digitalization in medicine (digital health). An abbreviated version of the white paper is presented for discussion., Competing Interests: Die Autorinnen/Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Introduction In accordance with its mandate to provide guidance to Member States on health policy matters, WHO issues a series of regularly updated position papers on vaccines and combinations of [...]

Introduction In accordance with its mandate to provide normative guidance to Member States on health policy matters, WHO issues a series of regularly updated position papers on vaccines and combinations [...]

Abstract Background Undocumented immigrants face many obstacles in accessing emergency healthcare. Legal uncertainties, economic constraints, language differences, and cultural disparities lead to delayed medical care and thereby exacerbate health inequities. Addressing the healthcare needs of this vulnerable group is crucial for both humanitarian and public health reasons. Comprehensive strategies are needed to ensure equitable health outcomes. Objective This study aimed to identify and analyze the barriers undocumented immigrants face in accessing emergency healthcare services and the consequences on health outcomes. Methods We used a scoping review methodology that adhered to established frameworks. Utilizing MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsychoInfo, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), we identified 153 studies of which 12 focused on the specific challenges that undocumented immigrants encounter when accessing emergency healthcare services based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results The results show that undocumented immigrants encounter significant barriers to emergency healthcare, including legal, financial, linguistic, and cultural challenges. Key findings were the extensive use of emergency departments as primary care due to lack of insurance and knowledge of alternatives, challenges faced by health professionals in providing care to undocumented migrants, increased hospitalizations due to severe symptoms and lack of healthcare access among undocumented patients, and differences in emergency department utilization between irregular migrants and citizens. The findings also serve as a call for enhanced healthcare accessibility and the dismantling of existing barriers to mitigate the adverse effects on undocumented immigrants' health outcomes. Conclusions Undocumented immigrants' barriers to emergency healthcare services are complex and multifaceted and therefore require multifaceted solutions. Policy reforms, increased healthcare provider awareness, and community-based interventions are crucial for improving access and outcomes for this vulnerable population. Further research should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions and exploring the broader implications of healthcare access disparities.

Background: One year after the declaration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) and despite the implementation of mandatory physical barriers and social distancing, humanity remains challenged by a long-lasting and devastating public health crisis., Management: Non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) are efficient mitigation strategies. The success of these NPIs is dependent on the approval and commitment of the population. The launch of a mass vaccination program in many countries in late December 2020 with mRNA vaccines, adenovirus-based vaccines, and inactivated virus vaccines has generated hope for the end of the pandemic., Current Issues: The continuous appearance of new pathogenic viral strains and the ability of vaccines to prevent infection and transmission raise important concerns as we try to achieve community immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants. The need of a second and even third generation of vaccines has already been acknowledged by the WHO and governments., Perspectives: There is a critical and urgent need for a balanced and integrated strategy for the management of the COVID-19 outbreaks organized on three axes: (1) P revention of the SARS-CoV-2 infection, (2) Detection and early diagnosis of patients at risk of disease worsening, and (3) Anticipation of medical care (PDA)., Conclusion: The "PDA strategy" integrated into state policy for the support and expansion of health systems and introduction of digital organizations (i.e., telemedicine, e-Health, artificial intelligence, and machine-learning technology) is of major importance for the preservation of citizens' health and life world-wide., Competing Interests: None declared., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).)

Women's health care has evolved significantly since it was first acknowledged as an integral part of internal medicine training more than two decades ago. To update and clarify core competencies in sex- and gender-based women's health for general internists, the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) Women and Medicine Commission prepared the following Position Paper, approved by the SGIM council in 2023. Competencies were developed using several sources, including the 2021 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Program Requirements for Internal Medicine and the 2023 American Board of Internal Medicine Certification Examination Blueprint. These competencies are relevant to the care of patients who identify as women, as well as gender-diverse individuals to whom these principles apply. They align with pivotal advances in women's health and acknowledge the changing context of patients' lives, reaffirming the role of general internal medicine physicians in providing comprehensive care to women.

Objective: This quali-quantitative study analysed the 100 most-cited papers in core dental public health (DPH) journals focusing on understanding international knowledge production., Methods: The DPH journals were selected from titles and scopes at Web of Science Core Collection database up to March 2020. Further comparisons were performed at Scopus and Google Scholar databases. Some bibliometric parameters were extracted as follows: title, number of citations, citation density (number of citations per year), first author's country, year of publication, study design and subject. VOSviewer software was used to create graphical bibliometric maps., Results: Papers were ranked by the total number of citations, which ranged from 104 to 1,019, and six papers were cited more than 400 times. Papers were published from 1974 to 2013, mainly in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. Most frequent study designs were cross-sectional (30%) and nonsystematic review (25%). Most papers were from Europe (54%) and North America (31%). First authors were predominantly from the United Kingdom (17%), United States of America (17%) and Canada (14%). VOSviewer map of co-authorship demonstrated the existence of clusters in the research collaboration. Although epidemiology was the most frequent subject (84%), health services research presented eight times higher citation density., Conclusions: Top 100 most-cited papers in core DPH journals were predominantly observational studies from Anglo-Saxon countries. Top 100 most-cited papers in core DPH journals tend to be cross-sectional studies carried out in the United States with highest citation in health services research. Locker D, Petersen PE and Sheiham A are a landmark for DPH field., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: A population-level survey (PLS) is an essential and standard method used in public health research that supports the quantification of sociodemographic events, public health policy development, and intervention designs. Data collection mechanisms in PLS seem to be a significant determinant in avoiding mistakes. Using electronic devices such as smartphones and tablet computers improves the quality and cost-effectiveness of public health surveys. However, there is a lack of systematic evidence to show the potential impact of electronic data collection tools on data quality and cost reduction in interviewer-administered surveys compared with the standard paper-based data collection system., Objective: This systematic review aims to evaluate the impact of the interviewer-administered electronic data collection methods on data quality and cost reduction in PLS compared with traditional methods., Methods: We conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, the Web of Science, EconLit, Cochrane CENTRAL, and CDSR to identify relevant studies from 2008 to 2018. We included randomized and nonrandomized studies that examined data quality and cost reduction outcomes, as well as usability, user experience, and usage parameters. In total, 2 independent authors screened the title and abstract, and extracted data from selected papers. A third author mediated any disagreements. The review authors used EndNote for deduplication and Rayyan for screening., Results: Our search produced 3817 papers. After deduplication, we screened 2533 papers, and 14 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. None of the studies were randomized controlled trials; most had a quasi-experimental design, for example, comparative experimental evaluation studies nested on other ongoing cross-sectional surveys. A total of 4 comparative evaluations, 2 pre-post intervention comparative evaluations, 2 retrospective comparative evaluations, and 4 one-arm noncomparative studies were included. Meta-analysis was not possible because of the heterogeneity in study designs, types, study settings, and level of outcome measurements. Individual paper synthesis showed that electronic data collection systems provided good quality data and delivered faster compared with paper-based data collection systems. Only 2 studies linked cost and data quality outcomes to describe the cost-effectiveness of electronic data collection systems. Field data collectors reported that an electronic data collection system was a feasible, acceptable, and preferable tool for their work. Onsite data error prevention, fast data submission, and easy-to-handle devices were the comparative advantages offered by electronic data collection systems. Challenges during implementation included technical difficulties, accidental data loss, device theft, security concerns, power surges, and internet connection problems., Conclusions: Although evidence exists of the comparative advantages of electronic data collection compared with paper-based methods, the included studies were not methodologically rigorous enough to combine. More rigorous studies are needed to compare paper and electronic data collection systems in public health surveys considering data quality, work efficiency, and cost reduction., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): RR2-10.2196/10678., (©Atinkut Alamirrew Zeleke, Tolga Naziyok, Fleur Fritz, Lara Christianson, Rainer Röhrig. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 22.01.2021.)

Introduction In accordance with its mandate to provide normative guidance to Member States on health policy matters, WHO issues a series of regularly updated position papers on vaccines and combinations [...]

BackgroundPrimary care practices are responding to calls to incorporate patients' social risk factors, such as housing, food, and economic insecurity, into clinical care. Healthcare likely relies on the expertise and resources of community-based organizations to improve patients' social conditions, yet little is known about the referral process.ObjectiveTo characterize referrals to community-based organizations by primary care practices.DesignQualitative study using semi-structured interviews with healthcare administrators responsible for social care efforts in their organization.ParticipantsAdministrators at 50 diverse US healthcare organizations with efforts to address patients' social risks.Main measuresApproaches used in primary care to implement social needs referral to community-based organizations.ResultsInterviewed administrators reported that social needs referrals were an essential element in their social care activities. Administrators described the ideal referral programs as placing limited burden on care teams, providing patients with customized referrals, and facilitating closed-loop referrals. We identified three key challenges organizations experience when trying to implement the ideal referrals program: (1) developing and maintaining resources lists; (2) aligning referrals with patient needs; and (3) measuring the efficacy of referrals. Collectively, these challenges led to organizations relying on staff to manually develop and update resource lists and, in most cases, provide patients with generic referrals. Administrators not only hoped that referral platforms may help overcome some of these barriers, but also reported implementation challenges with platforms including inconsistent buy-in and use across staff; integration with electronic health records; management and prioritization of resources; and alignment with other organizations in their market.Conclusion and relevanceReferrals to community-based organizations were used in primary care to improve patients' social conditions, but despite strong motivations, interviewees reported challenges providing tailored and up-to-date information to patients.

Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology is used to assess and report certainty of evidence and strength of recommendations. This GRADE concept article is not GRADE guidance but introduces certainty of net benefit, defined as the certainty that the balance between desirable and undesirable health effects is favourable. Determining certainty of net benefit requires considering certainty of effect estimates, the expected importance of outcomes and variability in importance, and the interaction of these concepts. Certainty of net harm is the certainty that the net effect is unfavourable. Guideline panels using or testing this approach might limit strong recommendations to actions with a high certainty of net benefit or against actions with a moderate or high certainty of net harm. Recommendations may differ in direction or strength from that suggested by the certainty of net benefit or harm when influenced by cost, equity, acceptability or feasibility., Competing Interests: Competing interests: All authors are members of the GRADE Working Group and conduct scholarly activity or professional services related to the concepts in this article. BSA and PO are employed by EBSCO Information Services and IK is employed by Duodecim Medical Publications Ltd., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

In past decades, we have seen several epidemics of respiratory infections from newly emerging viruses, most of which originated in animals. These emerging infections, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and the pandemic influenza A(H1N1) and avian influenza (AI) viruses, have seriously threatened global health and the economy. In particular, MERS-CoV and AI A(H7N9) are still causing infections in several areas, and some clustering of cases of A(H5N1) and A(H7N9) may imply future possible pandemics. Additionally, given the inappropriate use of antibiotics and international travel, the spread of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria is also a significant concern. These infections with epidemic or pandemic potential present a persistent threat to public health and a huge burden on healthcare services in the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, to enable efficient infection prevention and control, more effective international surveillance and collaboration systems, in the context of the 'One Health' approach, are necessary., (© 2019 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.)

The U.S. states along the northern shores of the Gulf of Mexico have often been described as America's Energy Colony. This region is festooned with polluting industries, storage and waste disposal sites for toxic products, and a history of generally lax approaches to environmental public health and enforcement of regulations. This issue of New Solutions includes three interviews of groups and individuals who work for Environmental Justice in the Gulf Coast region. The interviewees provide key insights into the diverse cultural texture and social fabric of the Gulf. Their range of gulf locales and population groups embody different styles of engagement and different relationships to organizing, disseminating health and environmental risk information, and advocating for social and environmental justice. Similarities among their communities in terms of health and economic disparities, climate risks, and vulnerabilities lend credence to the idea of the Gulf as a regional Environmental Justice community.

The U.S. states along the northern shores of the Gulf of Mexico have often been described as America's Energy Colony. This region is festooned with polluting industries, storage and waste disposal sites for toxic products, and a history of generally lax approaches to environmental public health and enforcement of regulations. This issue of New Solutions includes three interviews of groups and individuals who work for environmental justice in the Gulf Coast region. The interviewees provide key insights into the diverse cultural texture and social fabric of the Gulf. Their range of gulf locales and population groups embody different styles of engagement and different relationships to organizing, disseminating health and environmental risk information, and advocating for social and environmental justice. Three additional interviews will appear in the next issue of New Solutions.

This article explains the broader stakes of contemporary British gambling reform debates, via an analysis of the White Paper High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age (2023). I lay out the context to the White Paper, and I summarise its main proposals, focusing especially on efforts to reduce the harms caused by gambling. I also offer a critical analysis of one particularly significant and contentious proposed reform: mandated affordability checks for online gambling, when losses reach certain thresholds. I suggest that these checks reflect and deepen a shared regulatory, industry, and academic faith in online gambling technologies to resolve social responsibility problems, with wider implications for consumer surveillance and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted rural and under-resourced urban communities in Kansas. The state’s response to COVID-19 has relied on a highly decentralized and underfunded public health system, with 100 local health departments in the state, few of which had prior experience engaging local community coalitions in a coordinated response to a public health crisis.MethodsTo improve the capacity for local community-driven responses to COVID-19 and other public health needs, the University of Kansas Medical Center, in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, will launch Communities Organizing to Promote Equity (COPE) in 20 counties across Kansas. COPE will establish Local Health Equity Action Teams (LHEATs), coalitions comprised of community members and service providers, who work with COPE-hired community health workers (CHWs) recruited to represent the diversity of the communities they serve. CHWs in each county are tasked with addressing unmet social needs of residents and supporting their county’s LHEAT. LHEATs are charged with implementing strategies to improve social determinants of health in their county. Monthly, LHEATs and CHWs from all 20 counties will come together as part of a learning collaborative to share strategies, foster innovation, and engage in peer problem-solving. These efforts will be supported by a multilevel communications strategy that will increase awareness of COPE activities and resources at the local level and successes across the state. Our mixed methods evaluation design will assess the processes and impact of COPE activities as well as barriers and facilitators to implementation using aspects of both the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) models.DiscussionThis protocol is designed to expand community capacity to strategically partner with local public health and social service partners to prioritize and implement health equity efforts. COPE intentionally engages historically resilient communities and those living in underserved rural areas to inform pragmatic strategies to improve health equity.

Objectives: To characterize, by means of bibliometric indicators, the scientific publications of the Peruvian Experimental Medicine and Public Health Journal, 2010-2017., Materials and Methods: A bibliometric study in which the publications were retrieved from the data base of Scopus. The bibliometric production indicators were: number of publications per year and type of publication. Brief original and original articles were considered as units of analysis based on number of authors, institutional affiliation, and country of corresponding author, type of research and study design. The impact indicators were: number of citations by publication according to Scopus, metric of impact, such as CiteScore, Scimago Journal & Country Rank (SJR), and SciELO Public Health., Results: A total of 1,045 publications were made by the RPMESP: 40.1% of publications corresponded to original articles and original briefs; 1,837 authors contributed with these publications; 134 institutional affiliations were declared by the corresponding authors; 48,0% were research works on determinants of a health problem; on the other hand, 90.5% corresponded to observational studies. The publications analyzed received 945 citations, of which 78.5% were for publications for the 2010-2013 period., Conclusions: Four of ten publications of the RPMESP correspond to brief original or original articles. According to diverse formulas of calculation, the impact metric of the RPMESP shows an ascending trend; however, their magnitude is lower versus other regional journals.

The World Federation of Chiropractic supports the involvement of chiropractors in public health initiatives, particularly as it relates to musculoskeletal health. Three topics within public health have been identified that call for a renewed professional focus. These include healthy ageing; opioid misuse; and women's, children's, and adolescents' health. The World Federation of Chiropractic aims to enable chiropractors to proactively participate in health promotion and prevention activities in these areas, through information dissemination and coordinated partnerships. Importantly, this work will align the chiropractic profession with the priorities of the World Health Organization. Successful engagement will support the role of chiropractors as valued partners within the broader healthcare system and contribute to the health and wellbeing of the communities they serve., Competing Interests: All authors are volunteer members of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) Public Health Committee at the time of press. CC serves as committee chair; MM is liaison to the WFC Council; RB is Secretary-General to the WFC.Not applicable.RB is a paid consultant to the World Federation of Chiropractic, serving as Secretary General. All other authors declare no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This article presented the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendations on the use of on Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine excerpted from the BCG vaccines: WHO position paper - February 2018 published in the Weekly Epidemiological Record [1]. This position paper replaces the 2004 WHO position paper on Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine [2] and the 2007 WHO revised BCG vaccination guidelines for infants at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection [3]. It incorporates recent developments in the tuberculosis (TB) field, provides revised guidance on the immunization of children infected with HIV, and re-emphasizes the importance of the birth dose. This position paper also includes recommendations for the prevention of leprosy. Footnotes to this paper provide a number of core references including references to grading tables that assess the quality of the scientific evidence, and to the evidence-to-recommendation tables. In accordance with its mandate to provide guidance to Member States on health policy matters, WHO issues a series of regularly updated position papers on vaccines and combinations of vaccines against diseases that have an international public health impact. These papers are concerned primarily with the use of vaccines in large-scale immunization programmes; they summarize essential background information on diseases and vaccines, and conclude with WHO's current position on the use of vaccines in the global context. Recommendations on the use of cholera vaccines were discussed by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) in October 2017; evidence presented at these meetings can be accessed at: http://www.who.int/immunization/sage/meetings/2017/october/presentations_background_docs/en/., (Copyright © 2018 World Health Organization. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

As part of an investment by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the Government of Bihar to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition (RMNCHN) statewide, BBC Media Action implemented multiple communication tools to support front-line worker (FLW) outreach. We analyse the impacts of a package of mHealth audio messaging and paper-based job aids used by FLWs during government-sponsored village health, sanitation and nutrition days (VHSNDs) on knowledge and practices of childbearing women across the RMNCHN continuum of care. Data from two surveys collected between July and September 2016 were analysed using logistic regression to compare health-related knowledge and behaviours between women who had been exposed at VHSNDs to the mHealth GupShup Potli (GSP) audio recordings or interpersonal communication (IPC) tools versus those who were unexposed. Exposure to GSP recordings (n=2608) was associated with improved knowledge across all continuum-of-care domains, as well as improved health-related behaviours in some domains. The odds of having taken iron-folic acid (IFA) tablets were significantly higher in exposed women (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.2), as was contraceptive use (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2 to 3.2). There were no differences in birth preparedness or complementary feeding practices between groups. Exposure to IPC paper-based tools (n=2002) was associated with a twofold increased odds of IFA consumption (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.7 to 3.2) and contraceptive use (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.8). Women exposed to both tools were generally at least twice as likely to subsequently discuss the messages with others. BBC Media Action's mHealth audio messaging job aids and paper-based IPC tools were associated with improved knowledge and practices of women who were exposed to them across multiple domains, suggesting their important potential for improving health outcomes for beneficiaries at scale in low-resource settings. NCT02726230.

Background: Undocumented immigrants face many obstacles in accessing emergency healthcare. Legal uncertainties, economic constraints, language differences, and cultural disparities lead to delayed medical care and thereby exacerbate health inequities. Addressing the healthcare needs of this vulnerable group is crucial for both humanitarian and public health reasons. Comprehensive strategies are needed to ensure equitable health outcomes. Objective: This study aimed to identify and analyze the barriers undocumented immigrants face in accessing emergency healthcare services and the consequences on health outcomes. Methods: We used a scoping review methodology that adhered to established frameworks. Utilizing MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsychoInfo, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), we identified 153 studies of which 12 focused on the specific challenges that undocumented immigrants encounter when accessing emergency healthcare services based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: The results show that undocumented immigrants encounter significant barriers to emergency healthcare, including legal, financial, linguistic, and cultural challenges. Key findings were the extensive use of emergency departments as primary care due to lack of insurance and knowledge of alternatives, challenges faced by health professionals in providing care to undocumented migrants, increased hospitalizations due to severe symptoms and lack of healthcare access among undocumented patients, and differences in emergency department utilization between irregular migrants and citizens. The findings also serve as a call for enhanced healthcare accessibility and the dismantling of existing barriers to mitigate the adverse effects on undocumented immigrants' health outcomes. Conclusions: Undocumented immigrants' barriers to emergency healthcare services are complex and multifaceted and therefore require multifaceted solutions. Policy reforms, increased healthcare provider awareness, and community-based interventions are crucial for improving access and outcomes for this vulnerable population. Further research should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions and exploring the broader implications of healthcare access disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The World Health Organization recommends TT surveys to be conducted in adults aged 15+ years (TT 15 survey) and certifies elimination of TT as a public health problem when there is less than 1 unknown case per 1,000 people of all ages. There is no standard survey method to accurately confirm this elimination prevalence threshold of 0.1% because rare conditions require large and expensive prevalence survey samples. The aim of this study was to develop an accurate operational research method to measure the total backlog of TT in people of all ages and detect when the elimination threshold is achieved., Methods: Between July to October 2016, an innovative Community-based, Mapping, Mop-up and Follow-up (CMMF) approach to elimination of TT as a public health problem was developed and tested in Esoit, Siana, Megwara and Naikara sub-locations in Narok County in Kenya. The County had ongoing community-based TT surgical camps and case finders. TT case finders were recruited from existing pool of Community health volunteers (CHV) in the Community Health Strategy Initiative Programme of the Ministry of Health. They were trained, validated and supervised by experienced TT surgeons. A case finder was allocated a population unit with 2 to 3 villages to conduct a de jure pre-survey census, examine all people in the unit and register those with TT (TT all survey). Identified cases were confirmed by TT surgeons prior to surgery. Operated patients were reviewed at 1 day, 2 weeks and 3-6 months. The case finders will also be used to identify and refer new and recurrent cases. People with other eye and medical conditions were treated and referred accordingly. Standardised data collection and computer based data capture tools were used. Case finders kept registers with details of all persons with TT, those operated and those who refused to be operated (refusals). These details informed decision and actions on follow-up and counselling. Progress towards achievement of elimination threshold was assessed by dividing the number of TT cases diagnosed by total population in the population unit multiplied by 1,000., Results: Narok County Government adopted both the CMMF approach and TT all survey method. All persons in 4,784 households in the four sub-locations were enumerated and examined. The total population projection was 29,548 and pre-survey census 22,912 people. Fifty-three cases of TT were diagnosed. The prevalence was 0.23% and this is equivalent to 2.3 cases per thousand population of all ages. Prior to this study, the project required to operate on at least 30 cases (excess cases) to achieve the elimination threshold of 1 case per 1000 population., Conclusion: The total backlog of TT was confirmed and the project is now justified to lay claim of having eliminated TT as a public health problem in the study area. TT all method may not be appropriate in settings with high burden of TT. Nomadic migrations affect estimation of population size. Non-trachomatous TT could not be ruled-out.