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Aim: To explore the impact of cultural beliefs of dementia as witchcraft in sub‐Saharan Africa. Background: The population of sub‐Saharan Africa is ageing, which increases the number of those at risk of dementia. Mental health and physical diseases that affect behaviour have often been associated with witchcraft. Accusations of witchcraft leave individuals vulnerable and at risk. Method: A systematic review, which followed the Preferred Reporting for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and completed a PRISMA checklist. CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge, PubMed and Science Direct databases were searched for relevant studies published from their inception to 31 May 2019 by applying appropriate Medical Subject Headings. Data analysis adhered to Thomas and Harding's thematic synthesis. Results: The review identified limited literature on this topic, with only five papers meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies explored health provision, and knowledge and beliefs of dementia in Tanzania and South Africa. Three themes emerged as follows: (a) poor knowledge of dementia, including the belief of dementia as witchcraft; (b) challenges of supporting a family member with dementia in the community; and (c) health‐seeking behaviours of and for people with dementia. Conclusion: There remains a need for dementia awareness and education across sub‐Saharan Africa communities, including faith and traditional healers, and healthcare professionals to support pluralistic healthcare provision. Nurses are the best‐placed healthcare professionals to support these initiatives and the development and implementation of low‐resource nonpharmacological interventions to support people with dementia and their families living in the community. Relevance to clinical practice: Nurses working in sub‐Saharan Africa and those caring for patients from sub‐Saharan Africa can only provide person‐centred care and support for a person with dementia and their family if they understand their cultural beliefs, one of which may include witchcraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and Objectives To review systematically, qualitative literature covering the implementation of task shifting in sub-Saharan Africa to address the growing interest in interventions of this kind. This review aims to distil the key practical findings to both guide a specific project aiming to improve the quality of neonatal care in Kenya and to contribute to the broader literature. Background Task-shifting programmes aim to improve access to healthcare by delegating specific tasks from higher to lower skilled health workers. Evidence suggests that task-shifting programmes in sub-Saharan Africa may improve patient outcomes, but they have also been criticised for providing fragmented, unsustainable services. This systematic review of qualitative literature summarises factors affecting implementation of task shifting and how such interventions in sub-Saharan Africa may have affected health workers' feelings about their own positions and their ability to provide care. Design Following literature search, a modified Critical Appraisal Skills Program ( CASP) framework was used to assess quality. Thereafter, analysis adopted a thematic synthesis approach. Methods A systematic literature search identified qualitative studies examining task -shifting interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Thematic synthesis was used to identify overarching themes arising from across the studies and infer how task-shifting interventions may impact on the health workers from whom tasks are being shifted. Results From the 230 studies screened, 13 met the inclusion criteria. Overarching themes identified showed that task shifting has been associated with jurisdictional debates linked to new cadres working beyond their scope of practice, and tension around compensation and career development for those taking on tasks that were being delegated. Conclusions Based on the qualitative data available, it appears that task shifting may negatively impact the sense of agency and the ability to perform of health workers' from whom tasks are shifted. The potential implications of task shifting on all health workers should be considered prior to implementing task-shifting solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]