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Background Mental illnesses comprise the single largest source of health-related economic burden globally, and low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected. The majority of people with schizophrenia who need treatment do not receive it and are often wholly reliant on family caregivers for daily care and support. Family interventions have an exceptionally robust evidence base for their efficacy in high-resource settings, but it is unknown whether they can produce equivalent effects in some low-resource settings where cultural beliefs, explanatory models of illness and contextual socio-economic issues differ. Methods This protocol describes the methods for a randomised controlled trial to determine the feasibility of testing culturally adapt and refine an evidence-based, family intervention for relatives and caregivers of people with schizophrenia in Indonesia. The feasibility and acceptability of implementing our adapted, co-produced intervention via task shifting in primary care settings will be evaluated using the Medical Research Council framework for complex interventions. We will recruit 60 carer-service-user dyads and randomise them in a 1:1 ratio either to receive our manualised intervention or continue to receive treatment as usual. Healthcare workers in primary care settings will be trained to deliver family interventions using our manualised intervention by a family intervention specialist. Participants will complete the ECI, IEQ, KAST and GHQ. Service-user symptom level and relapse status will be measured using the PANSS at baseline, post-intervention and 3 months later by trained researchers. Fidelity to the intervention model will be measured using the FIPAS. Qualitative evaluation will further assist with refining the intervention, evaluating trial processes and evaluating acceptability. Discussion National healthcare policy in Indonesia supports the delivery of mental health services in a complex network of primary care centres. This study will provide important information on the feasibility of delivering family interventions for people with schizophrenia via task shifting in primary care settings in Indonesia and allow further refinement of the intervention and trial processes.

Background In 2014, Nigeria issued the task-shifting/sharing policy for essential health services, which aimed to fill the human resource gap and improve the delivery of health services across the country. This study focuses on the characteristics, spread, and family planning (FP) stocking practices of medicine vendors in Lagos and Kaduna, assessing the influence of medical training on the provision and stocking of FP services and commodities by vendors. Methods We conducted a census of all Patent Medicines stores (PMS) followed up with a facility assessment among 10% of the mapped shops, utilizing an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Bivariate analysis was conducted using the Chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) for the test of significance in the study. Results A total of 8318 medicine shops were enumerated (76.2% urban). There were 39 shops per 100,000 population in both states on average. About half (50.9%) were manned by a medicine vendor without assistance, 25.7% claimed to provide FP services to > 2 clients per week, and 11.4% were not registered with the regulatory body or any professional association. Also, 28.2% of vendors reported formal medical training, with 56.3% of these medically trained vendors relatively new in the business, opening within the last 5 years. Vendors utilized open drug markets as the major source of supply for FP products. Medical training significantly increased the stocking of FP products and inhibited utilization of open drug markets. Conclusion Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendor (PPMVs) have continued to grow progressively in the last 5 years, becoming the most proximal health facility for potential clients for different health services (especially FP services) across both Northern and Southern Nigeria, now comprising a considerable mass of medically trained personnel, able to deliver high-quality health services and complement existing healthcare infrastructure, if trained. However, restrictions on services within the PPMV premise and lack of access to quality drugs and commodities have resulted in poor practices among PPMVs. There is therefore a need to identify, train, and provide innovative means of improving access to quality-assured products for this group of health workers.

Background The use of implants has steadily increased in Kinshasa since 2013 but clinic-based access to this family planning method is limited due to distance and costs barriers. The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of providing Implanon NXT at the community level using medical and nursing students (M/N) as distributors, as part of a strategy to improve contraceptive uptake in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods A cohort of 531 women who chose to receive Implanon NXT from a M/N student during community-based campaign days participated in three rounds of a quantitative survey administered at the time of insertion of the method, and at 6 and 12 months later. We conducted descriptive analysis to assess the feasibility and acceptability of providing the method through M/N students in terms of method choice, user profiles, contraceptive history, experience with insertion and side effects, continuation / discontinuation of the method, and overall satisfaction with FP services as well as students’ preparedness and capacity to safely offer the method, and their satisfaction with the experience.. Results The study demonstrated the feasibility of training students for community-based provision of Implanon NXT and 95% of them were satisfied with their experience. Acceptability of both the method and the service delivery strategy was high among participants, including among young and first-time contraceptive users. Out of the 441 women with a known outcome at 12 months, 92% still had Implanon NXT inserted, despite some of them reporting experiencing side effects. The vast majority (79%) would “strongly recommend” obtaining NXT from a M/N student if a friend wanted to avoid pregnancies. Conclusions The provision of Implanon NXT at the community-level is a promising solution to address some of the barriers to accessing this method for women living in Kinshasa. However, strengthening pre-insertion counseling, particularly on expected side-effects and the possibility of early removal, is necessary to increase informed choice for the women and potentially limit method discontinuation.

Background Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability-adjusted life years and may be the leading cause of death in rural regions in India. We aim to train the ASHAs (Accredited Social Health activist) for nonpharmacological management of risk factors for secondary stroke prevention in rural India. We tested the hypothesis that focused, multicomponent, short-term training on secondary prevention of stroke enhances the knowledge of ASHAs about risk factor management. Objectives To test the hypothesis that focused, multicomponent, short-term training on secondary prevention of stroke enhances the knowledge of ASHAs about risk factor management. Materials and Methods This study is part of the ASSIST trial (Training ASHA to Assist in Secondary Stroke Prevention in Rural Population). The study design is quasi-experimental (pretest and posttest). Culturally appropriate and pragmatic training material was developed by the study team. Three focused group training sessions were conducted in Sidhwan Bet and Pakhowal blocks of Ludhiana district, Punjab. Results A total of 274 ASHAs from 164 villages with mean ± SD age of 39.5 ± 7.6 years participated in the three training sessions. The perceived knowledge of stroke risk factors and blood pressure assessment was 67.5 ± 18.3% and 84.4 ± 16.7%, respectively. The objective baseline knowledge about stroke prevention and management among ASHAs was lower 58.7 ± 19.7% compared with perceived knowledge (p = 0.04). This increased to 82.5 ± 16.36% (p < 0.001) after the mop-up training after a mean of 191 days. More than 30% increment was seen in knowledge about the stroke symptoms (35.9%, p < 0.001), avoiding opium after stroke for treatment (39.5%, p < 0.001), causes of stroke (53.3%, p < 0.001), modifiable risk factors for stroke (45.4%, p < 0.001), and lifestyle modifications for stroke prevention (42.1%, p < 0.001). Conclusions Focused group training can help enhance the knowledge of ASHAs about stroke prevention and management. ASHAs are also able to retain this complex multicomponent knowledge over a 6-month period. ASHA may be able to partake in reducing the secondary stroke burden in rural India.

Introduction The majority of emergency paediatric death in African countries occur within the first 24 h of admission. A coloured triage system is widely implemented in high-income countries and the emergency triage and assessment treatment (ETAT) is recommended by the World Health Organization, but not put into practice in Mozambique. We implemented a three-colour triage system in a rural district hospital with lay-staff workers conducting the first triage. Methods A retrospective, before and after, mortality analysis was performed using routine patient files from the district hospital between 2014 and 2017. The triage system was implemented in August 2016. Inclusion criteria were children under 15 years of age that entered the emergency centre. Primary outcome was child mortality rate. Secondary outcomes included the percentage agreement between the clinical and non-clinical staff and the duration from triage to first treatment. We used a negative binomial model in STATA 15 to compare mortality rates, and Kappa statistics to estimate the agreement between clinical and non-clinical staff. Results 4176 admissions were included. The mortality rate ratio (MMR) was 45% lower after the start of the intervention (2016; MRR = 0.55; 0.38, 0.81; p = 0.002), compared to before. To estimate the agreement between non-clinical and clinical staff, 548 (of the 671) patient files were included. The agreement was estimated at 88.7% (Kappa = 0.644; p, African relevance • In this rural setting, with nurse-led clinical care, implementation of a three-coloured triage system was feasible. • Triage and ETAT training was associated with a decrease of 45% of paediatric deaths. • The impact on mortality, low cost, and ease of the implementation supports scaling this intervention in similar settings.

Background: To improve the control of hypertension in low- and middle-income countries, we trialed a community-based group program co-designed with local policy makers to fit within the framework of India's health system. Trained accredited social health activists (ASHAs), delivered the program, in three economically and developmentally diverse settings in rural India. We evaluated the program's implementation and scalability.Methods: Our mixed methods process evaluation was guided by the United Kingdom Medical Research Council guidelines for complex interventions. Meeting attendance reports, as well as blood pressure and weight measures of attendees and adherence to meeting content and use of meeting tools were used to evaluate the implementation process. Thematic analysis of separate focus group discussions with participants and ASHAs as well as meeting reports and participant evaluation were used to investigate the mechanisms of impact.Results: Fifteen ASHAs led 32 community-based groups in three rural settings in the states of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, Southern India. Overall, the fidelity of intervention delivery was high. Six meetings were delivered over a 3-month period to each of the intervention groups. The mean number of meetings attended by participants at each site varied significantly, with participants in Rishi Valley attending fewer meetings [mean (SD) = 2.83 (1.68)] than participants in West Godavari (Tukeys test, p = 0.009) and Trivandrum (Tukeys test, p < 0.001) and participants in West Godavari [mean (SD) = 3.48 (1.72)] attending significantly fewer meetings than participants in Trivandrum [mean (SD) = 4.29 (1.76), Tukeys test, p < 0.001]. Culturally appropriate intervention resources and the training of ASHAs, and supportive supervision of them during the program were critical enablers to program implementation. Although highly motivated during the implementation of the program ASHA reported historical issues with timely remuneration and lack of supportive supervision.Conclusions: Culturally appropriate community-based group programs run by trained and supported ASHAs are a successful and potentially scalable model for improving the control of hypertension in rural India. However, consideration of issues related to unreliable/insufficient remuneration for ASHAs, supportive supervision and their formal role in the wider health workforce in India will be important to address in future program scale up.Trial Registration: Clinical Trial Registry of India [CTRI/2016/02/006678, Registered prospectively].

Objective To investigate opportunities for task shifting to decongest an outpatient neurology clinic in Zambia by describing current patient flow through the clinic and potential nodes for intervention using process mapping. Background Zambia has a population of approximately 18 million people with 4 full-time adult neurologists, as of 2018, who all practice at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), the main tertiary care center in the country. As a result of this provider-to-patient ratio, the outpatient neurology clinic is overcrowded and overbooked. Task-shifting programs have shown to improve efficiency, access and quality of care through the use of less specialized healthcare workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Methods We evaluated patient flow in the UTH neurology outpatient clinic through the development and analysis of a process map. The characteristics of the clinic population between 2014 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed from the clinic register. Between July and August 2018, we prospectively collected appointment lag times and time each patient spent waiting at various points in the clinic process. We conducted interviews with clinic staff and neurologists to generate a detailed process map of current pathways to care within the clinic. We then devised task-shifting strategies to help reduce patient wait times based on the overview of clinic process mapping and patient demographics. Results From 2014 to 2018, there were 4701 outpatients seen in the neurology clinic. The most common neurological diagnoses were epilepsy (39.2%), headache (21.5%) and cerebrovascular disease (16.7%). During prospective data collection, patients waited an average of 57.8 (SD 73.4) days to be seen by a neurologist. The average wait time from arrival in the clinic to departure was 4.0 (SD 2.5) h. The process map and interviews with clinic staff revealed long waiting times due to a paucity of providers. Nurses and clerks represent an influential stakeholder group, but are not actively involved in any activity to reduce wait times. A large proportion of follow-up patients were stable and seen solely to obtain medication refills. Conclusions Epilepsy, headache, and stroke make up the largest percentage of outpatient neurological illness in Zambia. Targeting stable patients in these diagnostic categories for a task-shifting intervention may lead to substantially decreased patient wait times. Potential interventions include shifting clinical follow-ups and medication refills to less specialized healthcare workers.

Background Access to quality hypertension care is often poor in sub-Saharan Africa. Some community pharmacies offer hypertension monitoring services, with and without involvement of medical doctors. To directly connect pharmacy staff and cardiologists a care model including a mobile application (mHealth) for remote patient monitoring was implemented and pilot tested in Lagos, Nigeria. Pharmacists provided blood pressure measurements and counselling. Cardiologists enrolled patients in the pilot program and remotely monitored them, for which patients paid a monthly fee. We evaluated the feasibility of this care model at five private community pharmacies. Outcome measures were retention in care, blood pressure change, quality of care, and patients’ and healthcare providers’ satisfaction with the care model. Methods Patients participated in the care model’s pilot at one of the five pharmacies for approximately 6–8 months from February 2016. We conducted structured patient interviews and blood pressure measurements at pilot entry and exit, and used exports of the mHealth-application, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with patients, pharmacists and cardiologists. Results Of 336 enrolled patients, 236 (72%) were interviewed at pilot entry and exit. According to the mHealth data 71% returned to the pharmacy after enrollment, with 3.3 months (IQR: 2.2–5.4) median duration of activity in the mHealth-application. Patients self-reported more visits than recorded in the mHealth data. Pharmacists mentioned use of paper records, understaffing, the application not being user-friendly, and patients’ unwillingness to pay as reasons for underreporting. Mean systolic blood pressure decreased 9.9 mmHg (SD: 18). Blood pressure on target increased from 24 to 56% and an additional 10% had an improved blood pressure at endline, however this was not associated with duration of mHealth activity. Patients were satisfied because of accessibility, attention, adherence and information provision. Conclusion Patients, pharmacists and cardiologists adopted the care model, albeit with gaps in mHealth data. Most patients were satisfied, and their mean blood pressure significantly reduced. Usage of the mHealth application, pharmacy incentives, and a modified financing model are opportunities for improvement. In addition, costs of implementation and availability of involved healthcare providers need to be investigated before such a care model can be further implemented. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-018-3740-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Although research continues to support task-shifting as an effective model of delivering evidence-based practices (EBPs), little scholarship has focused how to scale up and sustain task-shifting in low- and middle-income countries, including how to sustainably supervise lay counselors. Ongoing supervision is critical to ensure EBPs are delivered with fidelity; however, the resources and expertise required to provide ongoing supervision may limit the potential to scale up and sustain task shifting. Opportunities may exist to leverage mobile technology to replace or supplement in-person supervision in low-resource contexts, but contextual variables, such as network connectivity and lay counselor preferences surrounding mobile technology, must be examined and considered when designing and implementing mobile technology supervision. Methods This study builds from an existing randomized trial in Kenya, wherein teachers and community health volunteers have been trained to provide trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy as lay counselors. The study will use an iterative and mixed methods approach, with qualitative interviews and a Human-Centered Design (HCD) workshop informing a non-randomized pilot trial. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with lay counselors and supervisors to understand how mobile technology is currently being used for supervision and determine the barriers and facilitators to mobile technology supervision. Data from these interviews will inform an HCD workshop, where lay counselors and supervisors “re-design” supervision to most effectively leverage mobile technology. Workshop participants will also participate in focus groups to gather perceptions on the use of HCD techniques. The final outcome of the workshop will be a set of refined workflows, which will be tested in a mixed method, nonrandomized pilot with newly trained lay counselors and existing supervisors. The pilot trial will evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and usability of mobile technology supervision through self-report questionnaires as well as perceptions of effectiveness through qualitative interviews with a subset of lay counselors and all supervisors. Discussion This study will provide a launching point for future research on supervision and methods to engage stakeholders to design and tailor interventions and implementation supports to fit low-resourced contexts. Trial registration The parent trial from which this study builds was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on August 9, 2017 (NCT03243396).

As ‘psychosocial interventions’ continue to gain traction in the field of global mental health, a growing critical literature problematises their vague definition and attendant susceptibility to appropriation. In this article, I recast this ill-defined quality as interpretive flexibility and explore its role in processes of translation occurring at the frontlines of care in rural Nepal. Drawing from 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork among community-based psychosocial counsellors, I consider how the broad and flexible notion of the ‘psychosocial problem’ operates as a ‘boundary object’ in transnational mental health initiatives—that is, how it facilitates the collaboration of service users, clinicians, donors, and policymakers in shared therapeutic projects without necessarily producing agreement among these parties regarding the nature of the suffering they address. I suggest that psychosocial interventions may be gaining popularity not despite but precisely because of the lack of a unitary vision of the problems psychosocial care sets out to alleviate. In closing, I reflect on what distinguishes ‘psychosocialisation’ from medicalisation and highlight the limitations of the latter as a critical paradigm for the anthropology of global mental health.

Background Task-shifting and technology in psychological interventions are two solutions to increasing access to mental health intervention and overcoming the treatment gap in low and middle-income countries. The CONEMO intervention combines a smartphone app with support from non-specialized professionals, aiming to treat depression in patients with diabetes and/or hypertension. The aim of this paper is to describe the process of recruitment, training and supervision of the non-specialized professionals who participated in the CONEMO task-shifting intervention in Brazil and Peru. Methods We described and analyzed data related to the recruitment, training and supervision of 62 nurse assistants from the health system in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and three hired nurses in Lima, Peru. The data were collected from information provided by nurses and nurse assistants, supervisor records from supervision meetings and the CONEMO platform database. Results We found that task-shifting was feasible using existing resources in Sao Paulo and additional human resources in Lima. Training and supervision were found to be crucial and well received by the staff; however, time was a limitation when using existing human resources. Ensuring technological competence prior to the start of the intervention was essential. Group supervision meetings allowed non-specialized professionals to learn from each other’s experiences. Conclusion Carefully considering recruitment, training and supervision of non-specialized professionals is important for effective task-shifting when delivering an mHealth intervention for depression. Opportunities and challenges of working in different health systems are described, which should be considered in future implementation, either for research or real settings. Trial registration NCT028406662 (Sao Paulo), NCT03026426 (Peru).

Sustainable human resource is one of the main issues in healthcare delivery and the way hospital dentists work has a significant impact on oral and dental healthcare services. This study is the first large-scale nationwide survey aiming to investigate the working hours including the working environment among hospital dentists in Japan. A total of 2914 hospital dentists responded to self-administered questionnaires from general hospitals (GHs) and medical educational institutions (MEIs) across the country. Among full-time dentists, the younger generation (i.e., those in their 20s and 30s) of both male and female dentists working in GHs engage in over 40 h of in-hospital clinical practice per week, apart from their self-learning hours. In contrast, the middle-aged dentists (i.e., those in their 40s and 50s) at MEIs work for more than 50 h on average due to the added teaching and research responsibilities. In a multiple logistic regression model using &ldquo, more than 60 h of work per week&rdquo, as the dependent variable, higher ORs (Odds Ratios) were found in males (OR = 1.83, 95%CI 1.50&ndash, 2.22), MEIs (OR = 1.92, 1.52&ndash, 2.42), and individuals specializing in dental and oral surgery (OR = 1.85, 1.47&ndash, 2.32). Task-shifting was requested by 22.6% of the respondents for preventive care and dental guidance. Only a few male dentists experienced taking a parental leave and the peak distribution of working hours was shorter for females working in GHs. The support for child-rearing in the work environment is still insufficient and a consensus on the involvement of male dentists in childcare is needed.

Background: syrian refugees face multiple hardships and adversities which put them at risk for the development of mental health problems. However, access to adequate mental health care in host countries is limited. The WHO has developed Problem Management Plus (PM+), a brief, scalable psychological intervention, delivered by non-specialist helpers, that addresses common mental disorders in people affected by adversity. This study is part of the STRENGTHS project, that aims to evaluate peer-refugee delivered psychological interventions for Syrian refugees in Europe and the Middle East. Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the peer-refugee delivered PM+ intervention among Syrian refugees with elevated levels of psychological distress in the Netherlands. Methods: PM+ will be tested in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) among Arabic-speaking Syrian refugees in the Netherlands aged 18 years and above with self-reported psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale; K10 >15) and impaired daily functioning (WHO Disability Assessment Schedule; WHODAS 2.0 >16). Participants (N = 380) will be randomized into care as usual with PM+ (CAU/PM+, n = 190) or CAU only (CAU, n = 190). Baseline, 1-week post-intervention, and 3-month and 12-month follow-up assessments will be conducted. Primary outcomes are symptoms of depression and anxiety. Secondary outcomes are functional impairment, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, self-identified problems, anger, health and productivity costs, and hair cortisol concentrations. A process evaluation will be carried out to evaluate treatment dose, protocol fidelity and stakeholder views on barriers and facilitators to implementing PM+. Results and Conclusions: PM+ has proved effectiveness in other populations and settings. After positive evaluation, the adapted manual and training materials for individual PM+ will be made available through the WHO to encourage further replication and scaling up. Trial registration: Trial registration Dutch Trial Registry, NL7552, registered prospectively on March 1, 2019. Medical Ethics Review Committee VU Medical Center Protocol ID 2017.320, 7 September 2017. / Antecedentes: los refugiados sirios atraviesan muchas dificultades y adversidades, las cuales los ponen en riesgo para el desarrollo de problemas de salud mental. Sin embargo, el acceso a servicios de salud mental en los países que albergan a refugiados es limitado. La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) ha desarrollado la intervención de Gestión de Problemas Plus (PM+, por sus siglas en inglés), una intervención psicológica breve, en etapas, realizada por facilitadores no especialistas, y que está dirigido al abordaje de los trastornos mentales más comunes en personas afectadas por la adversidad. Este estudio es parte de un proyecto más grande llamado STRENGTHS, cuyo objetivo es evaluar las intervenciones psicológicas brindadas por un refugiado a otro adaptadas para refugiados sirios en Europa y Medio Oriente. Objetivo: evaluar la efectividad y costo-efectividad de la adaptación de la intervención PM+ brindada por un refugiado a otro, en refugiados sirios con niveles elevados de malestar psicologico en los Países Bajos. Métodos: la adaptación de la intervención PM+ será evaluada en un ensayo clínico aleatorizado en refugiados sirios de habla árabe en los Países Bajos, en mayores de 18 años, con malestar psicológico auto-reportado (mediante la Escala de Kessler para Malestar Psicológico, K10>15) y deterioro en el funcionamiento diario (Registro de Evaluación de Discapacidad de la OMS; WHODAS 2.0 >16). Los participantes (N=380) serán distribuidos aleatoriamente en un grupo de tratamiento usual con PM+ (TU/PM+, n=190) y en uno de solo tratamiento usual (TU, n=190). Se tomarán evaluaciones de base, luego de la primera semana de la intervención, luego de los tres meses, y luego de los 12 meses. Estas evaluaciones serán asistidas por una aplicación de auto-entrevista con soporte de audio para tablet. Los resultados primarios son los síntomas de depresión y ansiedad. Los resultados primarios son los síntomas de depresión y ansiedad. Los resultados secundarios son el deterioro funcional, síntomas de estrés traumático, problemas auto-identificados, ira, costos en salud y productividad, y concentraciones de cortisol en el cabello. Se realizará un proceso de evaluación para valorar las opiniones de los interesados respecto a las barreras y facilitadores para implementar la intervención PM+, así como la dosis del tratamiento y la adherencia al protocolo.Discusión: la intervención PM+ ha mostrado efectividad en otras poblaciones y escenarios. Luego de obtener una evaluación positiva de la PM+ en refugiados sirios, se harán disponibles manuales y material de entrenamiento para PM+ individual a través de la OMS, de manera que se incentive la posterior replicación de la intervención y se aumente progresivamente su aplicación., European Union (European Union); H2020; Societal Challenge

We performed a country case study using thematic analysis of interviews and existing grey and published literature to identify facilitators and barriers to the implementation of midwife‐provided abortion care in Sweden. Identified facilitating factors were: (1) the historical role and high status of Swedish midwives; (2) Swedish research and development of medical abortion that enabled an enlarged clinical role for midwives; (3) collaborations between individual clinicians and researchers within the professional associations, and the autonomy of clinical units to implement changes in clinical practice; (4) a historic precedent of changes in abortion policy occurring without prior official or legal sanction; (5) a context of liberal abortion laws, secularity, gender equality, public support for abortion, trust in public institutions; and (6) an increasing global interest in task‐shifting to increase access and reduce costs. Identified barriers/risks were: (1) the lack of systems for monitoring and evaluation; and (2) a loss of physician competence in abortion care., The transition to task‐sharing abortion care in Sweden was facilitated by the role of midwives, clinical abortion research, individual autonomy, flexible legal and policy interpretation, and secular societal values.

Background The quality of obstetric care has been identified as a contributing factor in Indonesia’s persistently high level of maternal mortality, and the country’s restrictive abortion laws merit special attention to the quality of post-abortion care (PAC). Due to unique health policies and guidelines, in Indonesia, uterine evacuation for PAC is typically administered only by Ob/Gyns practicing in hospitals. Methods Using data from a survey of 657 hospitals and emergency obstetric-registered public health centers in Java, Indonesia’s most populous island, we applied a signal functions analysis to measure the health system’s capacity to offer PAC. We then used this framework to simulate the potential impact of the following hypothetical reforms on PAC capacity: allowing first-trimester uterine evacuation for PAC to take place at the primary care level, and allowing provision by clinicians other than Ob/Gyns. Finally, we calculated the proportion of PAC patients treated using four different uterine evacuation procedures. Results Forty-six percent of hospitals in Java have the full set of services needed to provide PAC, and PAC capacity is concentrated at the highest-level referral hospitals: 86% of referral hospitals have the full set of services, staffing, and equipment compared to 53% of maternity hospitals and 34% of local hospitals. No health centers are adequately staffed or authorized to offer basic PAC services under Indonesia’s current guidelines. PAC capacity at all levels of the health system increases substantially in hypothetical scenarios under which authorization to perform first-trimester uterine evacuation for PAC is expanded to midwives and general physicians practicing in health centers. In 2018, 88% percent of PAC patients were treated using dilation and curettage (D&C). Conclusions Offering first-trimester uterine evacuation for PAC in PONEDs and allowing clinicians other than Ob/Gyns to perform this procedure would greatly improve the capacity of Java’s health system to serve PAC patients. Increasing the use of vacuum aspiration and misoprostol for PAC-related uterine evacuation would lower the burden of treatment for patients and facilitate the task-shifting efforts needed to expand access to this life-saving service.

Background: A strategy implemented by the South African Department of Health to manage the high burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been to task-shift services to primary health care clinics. Outcomes of paediatric patients with HIV are poorer than those of adults, particularly in rural areas. Viral suppression in paediatric patients at the feeder clinics of a rural South African hospital was anecdotally far below the aim of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) of 90%. Methods: A quality improvement approach was used to conduct a baseline assessment of HIV viral suppression in paediatric patients and other process measures, implement a clinical mentorship intervention and evaluate its effectiveness. Results: An initial audit of 235 clinical folders of paediatric patients with HIV revealed a viral suppression of 55.3%. Other poor measures included prescription accuracy, viral loads performed within schedule and response to successive high viral loads. A clinical mentorship intervention using dedicated doctor outreach was implemented and the audit repeated after 12 months (263 folders). Viral suppression improved to 67.4%, as did most other process measures. Conclusion: The quality improvement approach regarding the aim to significantly improve viral suppression in paediatric patients through the implementation of clinical mentorship was successful.

Purpose: We assessed a novel, public, vertical integrated care model for glaucoma management in the community. Methods: This study was a retrospective, longitudinal study of 266 patients diagnosed or suspected of glaucoma. Patients were stratified to either ongoing ophthalmology-led (n = 81) or optometry-led shared care (n = 185). Demographics and clinical characteristics, including the re-referral rate and timeliness of follow up were analysed. Results: Just under half (565/1224, 46%) of all follow up consultations over the total study period of 45 months were seen in optometry-led care, with a re-referral rate to ophthalmology of 21%. Treated patients showed a median intraocular pressure reduction of 20% and a median time delay of just two days between the actual and recommended review period. Conclusions: Shared care provides an effective option for managing the ongoing care burden in chronic stable glaucoma cases at low risk of vision loss.

Background: Primary health care (PHC) re-engineering forms a crucial part of South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI), with pharmaceutical services and care being crucial to treatment outcomes. However, owing to a shortage of pharmacists within PHC clinics, task-shifting of the dispensing process to pharmacist’s assistants and nurses is common practice. The implications of this task-shifting process on the provision of pharmaceutical services and care remains largely unstudied. Aim: The study aimed to explore the pharmacist-based, pharmacist’s assistant-based and nurse-based dispensing models within the PHC setting. Setting: The Nelson Mandela Bay Health District, South Africa. Methods: A mixed methods approach was utilised comprising of Phase 1: a pharmaceutical services audit to analyse pharmaceutical service provision and Phase 2: semi-structured interviews to describe the pharmaceutical care provision within each dispensing model thematically. Results: Pharmaceutical services partially fulfilled minimum standards within all models, however, challenges exist that limit the quality of these services. Phase 2 showed that the provision of pharmaceutical care within all models was restricted by context-related constraints, thus patient-centred activities to underpin pharmaceutical services were limited. Conclusion: Although pharmaceutical services may have been available for all models, compromised quality of these services impacted overall quality of care. Limited pharmaceutical care provision was evident within each dispensing model. The results raised concerns about the current utilisation of pharmacy personnel, including the pharmacist, within the PHC setting. Further opportunities exist, if constraints allow, for the pharmacist to contribute to better patient-centred care.

Background Broadening our knowledge of the longitudinal course of mood symptoms is cardinal to providing effective long-term treatments. Research indicates that patients with mental illness are willing to engage in the use of telemonitoring and mobile technology to assess and monitor their mood states. However, without the provision of distant support, adverse outcomes and events may be difficult to prevent and manage through self-monitoring. Understanding patient perspectives is important to achieving the best balance of self-monitoring, patient empowerment, and distant supporter involvement. Methods This systematic review synthesises quantitative and qualitative evidence of the effectiveness and feasibility of daily/weekly/monthly remote mood monitoring that includes distant support in participants with mood disorders. Inclusion criteria comprised mood monitoring of mood disorder patients as main intervention, study design, method of monitoring, and presence of psychotherapy and psychoeducation. Effectiveness was defined by the change in depression and/or mania scores. Feasibility was determined on participant feedback and completion/attrition rates. Studies were assessed for quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool version 2018. Results Nine studies of acceptable quality met the inclusion criteria. Distant mood monitoring was effective in improving depression scores but not mania scores. Feasibility, as measured through compliance and completion rates and participant feedback, varied. Conclusion Distant mood monitoring with support may be a useful, acceptable, and feasible intervention for diverse groups of patients in terms of age and ethnicity. Further, it may be effective in improving symptoms of depression, increasing treatment adherence, and facilitating the prevention and management of adverse outcomes. As a task-shifting intervention, distant mood monitoring may help to alleviate the burden on mental health providers in developing countries.

Background As the impact of diabetes grows steeply in sub-Saharan Africa, improvement of the control and treatment of diabetes is a goal that health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa must achieve in the near future. Sub-Saharan Africa faces a number of challenges in addressing the increasing effects of diabetes. One important factor is the shortage of adequately trained health care workers. Diabetes management in sub-Saharan Africa would benefit from innovative approaches that are founded upon solid theoretical constructs, built upon existing human resources and infrastructure, and culturally tailored to the priorities and needs of the local population. Existing resources, such as mobile phones and task-shifting strategies, may be used to assist individuals with glycemic self-management and to facilitate management of additional day-to-day clinical responsibilities. Objective The objective of the Nurse-Led Education and Engagement Study for Diabetes Care (NEEDS) mixed-methods protocol is to develop a practical, collaborative, effective, and sustainable program for diabetes prevention and management specifically for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in sub-Saharan Africa. The protocol aims to improve access to care through task-shifting strategies and the use of mobile health technology. Methods This study was designed using a convergent parallel mixed-methods approach that consisted of surveys, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and focused ethnography. Novel approaches, such as task-shifting strategies and the use of mobile technology, were implemented for type 2 diabetes mellitus health care in sub-Saharan Africa—currently an under-researched area. Results Data collection began in February 2018, after ethics approval, at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. As of May 2020, participant surveys have been completed (N=100), key informant interviews (n=7) have been completed, and focus groups (5 focus groups; patients, n=18; caregivers, n=6; community leaders, n=2; and faith leaders, n=3) as well as focused ethnographic field observations have been completed. All audio recordings have been transcribed and transcripts of sessions recorded in Twi have been translated to English. Data analysis is currently underway and anticipated completion is in the spring of 2020. Following data analysis, investigators plan to publish study findings. Conclusions Insights from this study will inform the preliminary development of a feasible and effective nurse-led education and engagement mobile health intervention that has the potential to reduce diabetes-related morbidity, mortality, and burden in sub-Saharan Africa. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/15408

Background Diabetic retinopathy is the most common ocular complication of diabetes and a cause of vision loss in adults. Diabetic retinopathy screening leading to early identification of the disease followed by timely treatment, can prevent vision loss in people living with diabetes. A key barrier to the implementation of screening services in low- and middle-income countries is the low number of ophthalmologists per million population. Interventions that shift screening to non-ophthalmology cadres have been implemented in programmes in low- and middle-income countries and are routinely used in high-income countries. The aim of this rapid review is to summarise the published literature reporting the effectiveness of task-shifting interventions for the detection of diabetic retinopathy by non-ophthalmologists in low- and middle-income countries. Methods We will search MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health and Cochrane Register of Studies for studies reporting task-shifting interventions for diabetic retinopathy detection. The review will include studies published in the last 10 years in the English language. We will include any interventional or observational comparative study measuring outcomes in terms of participation or access to diabetic retinopathy detection services (uptake) and quality of diabetic retinopathy detection services (detection, severity, diagnostic accuracy). For included studies, cost-effectiveness of the task-shifting intervention will also be presented. Two reviewers will screen search results independently. The risk of bias assessment and data extraction will be carried out by one reviewer with verification of 10% of the papers by a second reviewer. The results will be synthesised narratively. Discussion Differences in health systems organization, structure and resources will determine the need and success of task-shifting interventions for DR screening. The review will examine how these interventions have been used and/or tested in LMICs. The results will be of interest to policy makers and programme managers tasked with designing and implementing services to prevent and manage diabetes and its complications in similar settings. Systematic review registration OSF: https://osf.io/dfhg6/.

Background: The human resources for health crisis in rural Eswatini led to a novel community-based multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment strategy based on task-shifting, that is delegation of directly observed treatment (DOT) and administration of MDR-TB injections, traditionally restricted to professional nurses, to lay community treatment supporters (CTSs). Aim: This study assessed the level of patient satisfaction with receiving community-based MDR-TB care from a CTS. Setting: The study was conducted at three MDR-TB-treating facilities in the mostly rural Shiselweni region. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of a purposive sample of 78 patients receiving DOT and intramuscular MDR-TB injections from CTSs was carried out in 2017. Descriptive statistics and regressions were calculated. Results: A high overall general patient satisfaction score for receiving community-based MDR-TB care from a CTS was observed. Adherence counselling, confidentiality, provider selection and treatment costs significantly ( p < 0.05) influenced satisfaction. A large majority ( n = 62; 79.5%) of patients indicated that they would likely recommend their significant others to receive MDR-TB care from a CTS. Respondents identified the need to provide CTSs with adequate training, regular supervision and sufficient incentives and also to broaden the scope of their services. Conclusion: This study observed that task-shifting of DOT and MDR-TB injection administration to CTSs was supported from a patient perspective. However, adherence counselling, confidentiality, provider selection and treatment costs should be taken into account in community-based MDR-TB care programming. Further to the patients, community-based tuberculosis care could be enhanced by improving CTSs’ training, supervision and incentives, and broadening the scope of their services.

Background: Task sharing of TTE may improve capacity for heart failure diagnosis and management in patients in remote, low-resource settings but the impact on diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes has not been studied. Objectives: Determine feasibility and impact of non-expert training in transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to improve the diagnosis and outcomes of patients with suspected heart failure in Uganda. Methods: This two-part study examined an innovative training program to develop TTE competency among non-experts and used a pre-post design to determine the impact of decentralized TTE. Four of 8 non-experts (50%) passed a three-part training course. The training comprised of distance learning through a web-based curriculum, a 2-day hands-on workshop with cardiologists, and independent practice with remote mentorship. Continuous measures were compared (pre- vs. post-TTE) using t-tests or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests as distributionally appropriate and categorical variables assessed through chi-square testing. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated according to standard methodology comparing diagnosis pre- and post-TTE during phase 2. Results: Performance in the post-training phase showed good agreement with expert categorization (κ = 0.80) with diagnostic concordance in 421 of 454 studies (92.7%). TTE changed the preliminary diagnosis in 81% of patients, showing low specificity of clinical decision-making alone (14.2%; 95% CI 10.1–19.2%). Dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertensive heart disease with preserved systolic function, and right heart failure were the most underdiagnosed conditions prior to TTE while hypertensive heart disease with decreased systolic function was the most over-diagnosed condition. Conclusions: In conclusion, non-expert providers can achieve a high level of proficiency for the categorization of heart failure using handheld TTE in low-resource settings and use of telemedicine and remote mentorship may improve performance and feasibility. The addition of TTE resulted in substantial improvement in etiological specificity. Further study is needed to understand implications of this strategy on healthcare utilization, long-term patient outcomes, and cost.

Introduction: Glaucoma, a chronic eye disease requires regular monitoring and treatment to prevent vision-loss. In Australia, most public ophthalmology departments are overburdened. Community Eye Care is a ‘collaborative’ care model, involving community-based optometrist assessment and ‘virtual review’ by ophthalmologists to manage low-risk patients. C-EYE-C was implemented at one Australian hospital. This study aims to determine whether C-EYE-C improves access to care and better utilises resources, compared to hospital-based care. Methods: A clinical and financial audit was conducted to compare access to care and health system costs for hospital care and C-EYE-C. Attendance, wait-time, patient outcomes, and the average cost per encounter were calculated. A weighted kappa assessed agreement between the optometrist and ophthalmologist decisions. Results: There were 503 low-risk referrals, hospital (n = 182) and C-EYE-C (n = 321). C-EYE-C had higher attendance (81.6% vs 68.7%, p = 0.001); and shorter appointment wait-time (89 vs 386 days, p < 0.001). Following C-EYE-C, 57% of patients avoided hospital; with 39% requiring glaucoma management. C-EYE-C costs were 22% less than hospital care. There was substantial agreement between optometrists and ophthalmologist for diagnosis (k = 0.69, CI 0.61–0.76) and management (k = 0.66, CI 0.57–0.74). Discussion: C-EYE-C showed higher attendance, and reduced wait-times and health system costs. Conclusions: Upscale of the C-EYE-C model should be considered to further improve capacity of public eye services in Australia.

Background In 2013, Mozambique implemented task-shifting (TS) from clinical officers to maternal and child nurses to improve care for HIV positive children

Objectives Medication non-adherence is a significant problem in treatment of severe mental disorders and is associated with poor clinical outcomes and increased demand on services. Task-shifting interventions incorporating mobile health may improve adherence in mental health service users in low- and middle-income countries. Seventy-seven participants were recruited from a psychiatric hospital in Cape Town, with 42 randomized to receive the intervention and 35 to treatment as usual. Intervention pairs underwent treatment-partner contracting and psychoeducation, and received monthly text message reminders of clinic appointments. Primary outcomes were intervention acceptability and feasibility. Secondary outcome for efficacy were adherence to clinic visit; relapse; quality of life; symptomatic relief and medication adherence. Results Treatment partner and psychoeducation components were acceptable and feasible. The text message component was acceptable but not feasible in its current form. Efficacy outcomes favoured the intervention but did not reach statistical significance. A treatment-partner intervention is acceptable and feasible in a low- and middle-income setting. Work is needed to ensure that additional components of such interventions are tailored to the local context. Appropriately powered efficacy studies are needed. Trial Registration PACTR PACTR201610001830190, Registered 21 October 2016 (Retrospectively registered)

Background HIV treatment models in Africa are labour intensive and require a high number of skilled staff. In this context, task-shifting is considered a feasible alternative for ART service delivery. In 2006, a lay health cadre of expert patients (EPs) at a tertiary referral HIV clinic in Zomba, Malawi was capacitated. There are few evaluations of EP program efficacy in this setting. Triage is the process of prioritizing patients in terms of the severity of their condition and ensures that no harmful delays occur to treatment and care. This study evaluates the safety of task-shifting triage, in an ambulatory low resource setting, to EPs. Methods As a quality improvement exercise in April 2010, formal triage training was conducted by adapting the World Health Organization Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment Triage Module Guidelines. A cross sectional observation study was conducted 2 years after the intervention. Triage assessments performed by EPs were repeated by a clinical officer (gold standard) to assess sensitivities, specificities, positive and negative predictive values for EP triage scores. Proportions were calculated for categories of disposition by stratifying by EP and clinician triage scores. Results A total of 467 patients were triaged by 7 EPs and re-triaged by clinical officers. With combined triage scores for emergency and priority patients we report a sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 74% for the EP scoring, with a low positive predictive value (41%) and a high negative predictive value (96%). We calculate a serious miss rate of EP scoring (i.e. missed priority or emergency patients) as 2.2%. Admission rates to hospital were highest among those patients triaged as emergency cases either by the EP’s (21%) or the clinicians (83%). Fewer patients triaged as priority by either EPs (5%) or clinicians (15%) were admitted to hospital, however these patients had the highest prevalence of same day lab testing and/or specialty referral. Conclusions Our study provides reassurance that in the context of adequate training and ongoing supervision, task-shifting triage to lay health care workers does not necessarily lead to less accurate triaging. EPs have a tendency to be more conservative in over-triaging patients. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-017-2291-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In the United States, the fight to eradicate hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been ongoing for many years, but the results have been less than ideal. Historically, patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) were treated with interferon-based regimens, which were associated with frequent adverse effects, suboptimal response rates, and long durations of treatment – of up to 48 weeks. Expertise from specialist-physicians, such as hepatologists and gastroenterologists, was needed to closely follow patients on these medications so as to monitor laboratory values and manage adverse effects. However, the emergence of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents against HCV infection have heralded outstanding progress in terms of safety, tolerability, lack of adverse effects, efficacy, and truncated duration of therapy – 12 weeks or less – thereby making the need for close monitoring by specialist-physicians obsolete. With the recent approval of DAA agents by the Food and Drug Administration, the treatment model for CHC no longer relies on the limited number of specialist-physicians, which represented a major barrier to treatment access in the past, especially in underserved areas of the United States. We propose and share our experiences in adapting a task-shifting treatment model, one that utilizes a relatively larger pool of non-specialist healthcare providers, such as nursing staff (medical assistants, vocational licensed nurses, registered nurses, etc.) and advanced practice providers (nurse practitioners and physician assistants), to perform a variety of important clinical functions in an effort to make DAA-based antiviral therapy widely available against HCV infection. Most recently, task-shifting was implemented by the United States and World Health Organization in the fight against the human immunodeficiency virus and showed encouraging results. Based on our experiences in implementing this model at our outreach clinics, the majority of HCV-infected patients treated with DAA agents can be easily monitored by non-specialist healthcare providers and physician extenders. Task-shifting can effectively address one of the major rate-limiting factors in expanding treatment access for HCV infection.

BackgroundMaternal depression affects one in five women in low-and middle income countries (LMIC) and has significant economic and social impacts. Evidence-based psychosocial interventions delivered by non-specialist health workers are recommended as first-line management of the condition, and recent studies on such interventions from LMIC show promising results. However, lack of human resource to deliver the interventions is a major bottle-neck to scale-up, and much research attention has been devoted to ‘task-sharing’ initiatives. Apeer-deliveredversion of the World Health Organization’s Thinking Healthy Programme for perinatal depression in Pakistan and India showed clinical, functional and social benefits to women at 3 months postpartum. The programme has been iteratively adapted and continually delivered for 5 years in Pakistan. In this report, we describe the extended intervention and factors contributing to the peers’ continued motivation and retention, and suggest future directions to address scale-up challenges.MethodsThe study was conducted in rural Rawalpindi. We used mixed methods to evaluate the programme 5 years since its initiation. The competency of the peers in delivering the intervention was evaluated using a specially developed Quality and Competency Checklist, an observational tool used by trainers to rate a group session on key areas of competencies. In-depth interviews explored factors contributing to the peer volunteers’ continued motivation and retention, as well as the key challenges faced.ResultsOur key findings are that about 70% of the peer volunteers inducted 5 years ago continued to be part of the programme, retaining their competency in delivering the intervention, with only token financial incentives. Factors contributing to sustained motivation included altruistic aspirations, enhanced social standing in the community, personal benefits to their own mental health, and the possibility for other avenues of employment. Long-term challenges included demotivation due to lack of certainty about the programme’s future, increased requirement for financial incentivisation, the logistics of organising groups in the community, and resistance from some families to the need for ongoing care.ConclusionsThe programme, given the sustained motivation and competence of peer volunteers in delivering the intervention, has the potential for long-term sustainability in under-resourced settings and a candidate for scale-up.

Depression, prevalent among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Malawi, is associated with negative HIV patient outcomes and likely affects HIV medical management. Despite the high prevalence of depression, its management has not been integrated into HIV care in Malawi or most low-income countries. This study employs a pre-post design in two HIV clinics in Lilongwe, Malawi, to evaluate the effect of integrating depression management into routine HIV care on both mental health and HIV outcomes. Using a multiple baseline design, this study is examining mental health and HIV outcome data of adult (≥18 years) patients newly initiating ART who also have depression, comparing those entering care before and after the integration of depression screening and treatment into HIV care. The study is also collecting cost information to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the program in improving rates of depression remission and HIV treatment engagement and success. We anticipate that the study will generate evidence on the effect of depression management on HIV outcomes and the feasibility of integrating depression management into existing HIV care clinics. The results of the study will inform practice and policy decisions on integration of depression management in HIV care clinics in Malawi and related settings, and will help design a next-step strategy to scale-up integration to a larger scale. ClinicalTrials.gov ID [ NCT03555669 ]. Retrospectively registered on 13 June 2018.

Background Epilepsy remains the most frequent diagnosis in Psychiatric and Mental Health Services in Mozambique. Because it is a major concern, in 2013 a Program for “Reducing the Epilepsy Treatment gap” was launched in 16 districts of five provinces covering a population of over 1.9 million. Using the WHO Mental Health Gap Program (mhGAP), a pilot Program was developed to provide effective quality care and treatment for people with epilepsy at primary health care level. Implementation was against a background of a shortage of human resources trained to address epilepsy and difficulties in the availability of antiepileptic medicines. Methods The first step for implementation was advocacy from the Government level to relevant stakeholders in the community. mhGAP training materials were translated and adapted to the local context. Non-specialists health providers and community health workers were trained and supervised regularly. Population awareness raising and community involvement were key for acceptance of the Program. Results After 4 years of implementation, 177 health professionals and 1161 community health workers were trained and ensured services delivery for people living with epilepsy (PwE). The implementation led to 89,869 consultations, representing an increase of 67% since the Program’s inception. From 2015 to 2017 a total of 13,563 new cases were attended and the treatment gap was reduced from 99 to 96%. More than 60% of the new cases are children and adolescents. Awareness actions reached more than 14,000 people per year using all available broadcast means. Preliminary positive results were used as evidence for the Ministry of Health (MoH) to increase the purchase of antiepileptic drugs and improve delivery at district level. Discussion mhGAP is an important tool for reducing the treatment gap in low-income countries. Adapting guidelines to the country context and involving community stakeholders are key for Program sustainability. As in other settings, the strategy was cost-effective resulting in an increase in new cases and follow-up consultations. Conclusions Implementation of an adapted mhGAP strategy and the involvement of community stakeholders and commitment of the MoH resulted in significant increase in the number of PwE attending outpatient services in primary health care facilities.

Background Health systems, globally, are attempting to strengthen primary care to promote a population-health management approach to care provision, incentivising prevention and self-management. This paper evaluates the "Enhanced Primary Care" model implemented in a geographical region in England. Enhanced Primary Care introduces a new non-medical role, health coaches, to the traditional primary care team to provide additional support for patients with chronic conditions. We evaluate effects of health coaching on patient outcomes using a quasi-experiment. Methods We estimate the programme’s effects on health status (EQ-5D-5L, physical functioning, psychological wellbeing, and resilience), health behaviour (smoking habit), experience of care (person-centeredness and continuity of care), and health care (primary care) utilisation using data from 3.5 million respondents to the national GP Patient Surveys between 2013 and 2017. We use a weighted difference-in-differences design to compare changes in outcomes over time between intervention practices and comparable control practices in the rest of England. We conduct our main analysis on multimorbid patients and additional analysis on all patients to assess population-level effects. Results For multimorbid patients, we find reductions in psychological wellbeing (short and medium term) of −0.0174 (95% confidence interval −0.0283 to −0.0065), relative difference −2% from the pre-intervention mean; and person-centeredness (short term) of −0.0356 (−0.0530 to −0.0183), −4%. We find no significant effects on other outcome measures. For population-level effects, in the short term we find reductions in primary care utilisation of −0.0331 (−0.0448 to −0.0214), −5%. All other outcomes are not consistently statistically significant. Conclusions Our results show that there is very little effect of health coaching on patient experience and outcomes in the short-to-medium term (up to 14 months). Introduction of Enhanced Primary Care was associated with slightly lower psychological wellbeing and person-centeredness amongst multimorbid patients (it might be initially difficult for patients to adjust to the model). However, it was also associated with a decline in primary care visits at the population-level (potentially freeing up practitioner time for more complex patients). The results raise important questions regarding primary care workforce changes advocated in the NHS Long Term Plan, and the time horizon of any benefits of prevention strategies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-019-4367-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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.

Background Women affected by adversity, including gender-based violence, are at increased risk for developing common mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed Problem Management Plus (PM+), a 5-session, individual psychological intervention program, that can be delivered by non-specialist counsellors that addresses common mental disorders in people affected by adversity. The objectives of this study are to evaluate effectiveness of PM+ among women who have been affected by adversity, including gender-based violence, and to perform a process evaluation. Methods Informed by community consultations, the PM+ manual has been translated and adapted to the local context. A randomized controlled trial will be carried out in the catchment areas of three local health care facilities in Dagoretti Sub County, Nairobi. After informed consent, females with high psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-12 (score >2) and functional impairment (WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 score >16) will be randomised to PM+ (n = 247) or enhanced treatment as usual (n = 247). Post-treatment and 3-months post-treatment follow-up assessments include psychological distress, functional disability, PTSD symptoms, perceived problems for which the person seeks help, health care use and health costs. For evaluating the process of implementing PM+ within local communities in Nairobi 20 key informant interviews will be carried out in participants, PM+ providers, decision makers, clinical staff. Discussion If PM+ is proven effective, it will be rolled out to other low and middle income areas and other populations for further adaptation and testing. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12616000032459. Registered prospectively on January 18, 2016

Recent proposals for re-defining the roles Africa's health workforce are a continuation of the discussions that have been held since colonial times. The proposals have centred on basing the continent's healthcare delivery on non-physician clinicians (NPCs) who can be quickly trained and widely distributed to treat majority of the common diseases. Whilst seemingly logical, the success of these proposals will depend on the development of clearly defined professional duties for each cadre of healthcare workers (HCW) taking the peculiarities of each country into consideration. As such the continent-wide efforts aimed at health-professional curriculum reforms, more effective utilisation of task-shifting as well as the intra - and inter-disciplinary collaborations must be encouraged. Since physicians play a major role in the training mentoring and supervision of physician and non-physician health-workers alike, the maintenance of the standards of university medical education is central to the success of all health system models. It must also be recognized that, efforts at improving Africa's health systems can only succeed if the necessary socio-economic, educational, and technological infrastructure are in place.

As Eyal et al put forth in their piece, Non-physician Clinicians in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Evolving Role of Physicians, task-shifting across sub-Saharan Africa through non-physician clinicians (NPCs) has led to an improvement in access to health services in the context of physician-shortages. Here, we offer a commentary to the piece by Eyal et al, concurring that physician’s roles should evolve into specialized medicine and that skills in mentorship, research, management, and leadership may create more holistic physicians clinical services. We believe that learning such non-clinical skills will allow physicians to improve the outcome of their clinical services. However, at the risk of a local, clinical brain drain as physicians shift to explore beyond the clinical sphere, we advocate strongly for increased caution to be exercised by leadership over the encouragement of this evolution. In the context of still-present physician shortages across many developing countries, we advocate to analyze this changing role and to purposefully select each new skill according to the context, giving careful consideration to the timing and degree of its evolution.

Objective: The safety and effectiveness of task-sharing (TS) in neurosurgery, delegating clinical roles to non-neurosurgeons, is not well understood. This study evaluated an ongoing TS model in the Philippines, where neurosurgical workforce deficits are compounded with a large neurotrauma burden. Methods: Medical records from emergency neurosurgical admissions to 2 hospitals were reviewed (January 2015–June 2018): Bicol Medical Center (BMC), a government hospital in which emergency neurosurgery is chiefly performed by general surgery residents (TS providers), and Mother Seton Hospital, an adjacent private hospital where neurosurgery consultants are the primary surgeons. Univariable and multivariable linear and logistic regression compared provider-associated outcomes. Results: Of 214 emergency neurosurgery operations, TS providers performed 95 and neurosurgeons, 119. TS patients were more often male (88.4% vs. 73.1%; P = 0.007), younger (mean age, 27.6 vs. 50.5 years; P < 0.001), and had experienced road traffic accidents (69.1% vs. 31.4%; P < 0.001). There were no significant differences between Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores on admission. Provider type was not associated with mortality (neurosurgeons, 20.2%; TS, 17.9%; P = 0.68), reoperation, or pneumonia. No significant differences were observed for GCS improvement between admission and discharge or in-hospital GCS improvement, including or excluding inpatient deaths. TS patients had shorter lengths of stay (17.3 days vs. 24.4 days; coefficient, −6.67; 95% confidence interval, −13.01 to −0.34; P

Background: Because nearly 23,000 more neurosurgeons are needed globally to address 5 million essential neurosurgical cases that go untreated each year, there is an increasing interest in task-shifting and task-sharing (TS/S), delegating neurosurgical tasks to nonspecialists, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This global survey aimed to provide a cross-sectional understanding of the prevalence and structure of current neurosurgical TS/S practices in LMICs. Methods: The survey was distributed to a convenience sample of individuals providing neurosurgical care in LMICs with a Web-based survey link via electronic mailing lists of continental societies and various neurosurgical groups, conference announcements, e-mailing lists, and social media platforms. Country-level data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results: The survey yielded 127 responses from 47 LMICs; 20 countries (42.6%) reported ongoing TS/S. Most TS/S procedures involved emergency interventions, the top 3 being burr holes, craniotomy for hematoma evacuation, and external ventricular drain. Most (65.0%) believed that their Ministry of Health does not endorse TS/S (24.0% unsure), and only 11% believed that TS/S training was structured. There were few opportunities for TS/S providers to continue medical education (11.6%) or maintenance of certification (9.4%, or receive remuneration (4.2%). Conclusions: TS/S is ongoing in many LMICs without substantial structure or oversight, which is concerning for patient safety. These data invite future clinical outcomes studies to assess effectiveness and discussions on policy recommendations such as standardized curricula, certification protocols, specialist oversight, and referral networks to increase the level of TS/S care and to continue to increase the specialist workforce. Key words: Capacity, Global health, Global neurosurgery, LMIC, Task-sharing, Task-shifting, Workforce

A workforce crisis exists in global surgery. One solution is task-shifting, the delegation of surgical tasks to non-physician clinicians or associate clinicians (ACs). Although several studies have shown that ACs have similar postoperative outcomes compared with physicians, little is known about their surgical training. This study aimed to characterize the surgical training and experience of ACs compared with medical officers (MOs) in Tanzania.All surgical care providers in Pwani Region, Tanzania, were surveyed. Participants reported demographic data, years of training, and procedures assisted and performed during training. They answered open-ended questions about training and post-training surgical experience. The median number of training cases for commonly performed procedures was compared by cadre using Wilcoxon rank sum and Student'sA total of 21 ACs and 12 MOs participated. ACs reported higher exposure than MOs to similar procedures before their first independent operation (median 40ACs report similar training and operative experience compared with their physician colleagues in Tanzania.La falta de cirujanos en determinadas áreas geográficas es flagrante. Una posible solución es el intercambio de tareas, es decir, la delegación de tareas quirúrgicas en personal sanitario no médico o en clínicos asociados (En este estudio, se encuestaron todos los proveedores de atención quirúrgica de la Región de Pwani, Tanzania. Los participantes proporcionaron datos demográficos, años de entrenamiento y número y tipo de procedimientos realizados y a los que se había asistido durante el periodo de capacitación. Además, respondieron a preguntas abiertas sobre el entrenamiento y su experiencia quirúrgica posterior al entrenamiento. Se comparó la mediana del número de procedimientos más realizados por cada grupo mediante la suma de rangos de Wilcoxon y la prueba de la t de Student. Los investigadores realizaron un análisis del contenido de las respuestas a las preguntas abiertas sobre las necesidades y la experiencia durante la etapa de entrenamiento.En el estudio participaron 21 ACs y 12 MOs. Los CA estuvieron expuestos a un mayor número procedimientos del mismo tipo antes de efectuar su primera operación de forma independiente en comparación con los OM (40En Tanzania, los asociados clínicos tienen entrenamientos y experiencias quirúrgicas similares a las de sus colegas médicos.

Background There is a dearth of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in developing countries. The primary aim of the study is to examine the effects of prolonged exposure therapy compared with supportive counseling for adolescents with PTSD delivered by nurses trained as counselors. Methods/design A single-blind randomized clinical trial comprising 90 adolescents with PTSD using a permuted block design will be utilized. Nurses previously naïve to prolonged exposure and supportive counselling will be trained to provide these treatments at the adolescents’ high schools. Data collection will last from March 2014 to December 2017 and annually thereafter, dependent on the availability of funding. Participants will receive seven to fourteen 60 min sessions of prolonged exposure treatment (n = 45) or supportive counselling (n = 45). All assessments will be conducted before treatment, at mid-treatment, immediately after treatment completion, at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up, and annually thereafter. It is hypothesized that PE-A will be superior to SC in reducing PTSD symptoms at post-treatment as measured by the CPSS-I administered by an independent evaluator. It is further hypothesized that PE-A treatment gains will be maintained at 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-ups and annually thereafter. Discussion While early indications are that PE-A is an effective treatment for PTSD in adolescents, this study will help determine the effectiveness of PE-A in a South African, community setting (school-based) when task-shifted to nurses, as compared to SC. Trial registration Pan African Clinical Trials Registry: PACTR201511001345372, retrospectively registered 11 November 2015. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12888-018-1873-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background There is a considerable shortfall in specialized health care professionals worldwide to deliver health services, and this shortfall is especially pronounced in low-middle-income countries. This has led to the implementation of task-shifted interventions, in which specific tasks are moved away from highly qualified health workers to health workers with less training. The World Health Organization (WHO) has published recommendations for such interventions, but guidelines for software and systems supporting such interventions are not included. Objective The objective of this study was to formulate a number of software requirements for computer systems supporting task-shifted interventions. As the treatment of mental health problems is generally considered to be a task for highly trained health care professionals, it poses interesting case studies for task-shifted interventions. Therefore, we illustrated the use of the identified software requirements in a mobile system created for a task-shifted depression intervention to be provided to older adults in deprived areas of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods Using a set of recommendations based on the WHO’s guidance documentation for task-shifted interventions, we identified 9 software requirements that aim to support health workers in management and supervision, training, good relationship with other health workers, and community embeddedness of the intervention. These 9 software requirements were used to implement a system for the provision of a psychosocial depression intervention with mobile Android interfaces to structure interventions and collect data, and Web interfaces for supervision and support of the health care workers delivering the intervention. The system was tested in a 2-arm pilot study with 33 patients and 11 health workers. In all, 8 of these 11 health workers participated in a usability study subsequent to the pilot. Results The qualitative and quantitative feedback obtained with the System Usability Scale suggest that the system was deemed to have a usability of between OK and Good. Nevertheless, some participants’ responses indicated that they felt they needed technical assistance to use the system. This was reinforced by answers obtained with perceived usefulness and ease of use questionnaires, which indicated some users felt that they had issues around correct use of the system and perceived ability to become skillful at using the system. Conclusions Overall, these high-level requirements adequately captured the functionality required to enable the health workers to provide the intervention successfully. Nevertheless, the analysis of results indicated that some improvements were required for the system to be useable in a task-shifted intervention. The most important of these were better access to a training environment, access for supervisors to metadata such as duration of sessions or exercises to identify issues, and a more robust and human-error–proof approach to the availability of patient data on the mobile devices used during the intervention.

Background: In rural Tanzania access to emergency obstetric and newborn care is threatened by poor roads and understaffed facilities among other challenges. Districts in Kigoma, Pwani and Morogoro regions were targeted by a local non-governmental organization to assist local government to build capacity and improve access to clinical management of severe obstetric and newborn complications. The program upgraded ten primary health care centres to provide comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care. This paper describes the process of reintroducing vacuum extraction into ten health centres and five hospitals, highlighting patterns in uptake, mode of delivery and lessons learned. Methods: This observational study uses facility-based trend data collected between 2011 and 2016.Descriptive outcomes include institutional caesarean delivery rates, vacuum extraction rates, and the ratio of caesareans to vacuum-assisted deliveries. Results: Institutional caesarean delivery rates remained stable at about 10-11% and the vacuum extraction rate rose from virtually no procedures in 2011 to about 2% in 2016. The increase was more visible in upgraded health centres than in hospitals. In 2016 vacuum extraction rates in newly upgraded health centres ranged from 0.5 to 7.8%. Between 2011 and 2016, the ratio of caesareans to vacuum extractions in hospitals changed from 304 caesareans to 1 vacuum extraction to 10:1, while in health centres the ratio changed from 22: 1 to 3: 1. Conclusions: Reintroduction of vacuum extraction into clinical practice in primary health care facilities with task-shifting is feasible. Reintroduction of this procedure was more successful when part of an integrated upgrading of health centres to provide comprehensive emergency obstetric care than when reintroduced into busy hospital environments. Turnover of trained staff in hospitals contributed to the uneven uptake of vacuum extraction. Lessons learned are applicable to further national scale up and to other countries.

Background Non-specialist healthcare providers, including primary and community healthcare workers, in low- and middle-income countries can effectively treat mental illness. However, scaling-up mental health services within existing health systems has been limited by barriers such as stigma against people with mental illness. Therefore, interventions are needed to address attitudes and behaviors among non-specialists. Aimed at addressing this gap, REducing Stigma among HealthcAre Providers to ImprovE mental health services (RESHAPE) is an intervention in which social contact with mental health service users is added to training for non-specialist healthcare workers integrating mental health services into primary healthcare. Methods This protocol describes a mixed methods pilot and feasibility study in primary care centers in Chitwan, Nepal. The qualitative component will include key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The quantitative component consists of a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial (c-RCT), which will establish parameters for a future effectiveness study of RESHAPE compared to training as usual (TAU). Primary healthcare facilities (the cluster unit, k = 34) will be randomized to TAU or RESHAPE. The direct beneficiaries of the intervention are the primary healthcare workers in the facilities (n = 150); indirect beneficiaries are their patients (n = 100). The TAU condition is existing mental health training and supervision for primary healthcare workers delivered through the Programme for Improving Mental healthcarE (PRIME) implementing the mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP). The primary objective is to evaluate acceptability and feasibility through qualitative interviews with primary healthcare workers, trainers, and mental health service users. The secondary objective is to collect quantitative information on health worker outcomes including mental health stigma (Social Distance Scale), clinical knowledge (mhGAP), clinical competency (ENhancing Assessment of Common Therapeutic factors, ENACT), and implicit attitudes (Implicit Association Test, IAT), and patient outcomes including stigma-related barriers to care, daily functioning, and symptoms. Discussion The pilot and feasibility study will contribute to refining recommendations for implementation of mhGAP and other mental health services in primary healthcare settings in low-resource health systems. The pilot c-RCT findings will inform an effectiveness trial of RESHAPE to advance the evidence-base for optimal approaches to training and supervision for non-specialist providers. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02793271

Background Community health workers are essential personnel in resource-limited settings. In Uganda, they are organized into Village Health Teams (VHTs) and are focused on infectious diseases and maternal-child health; however, their skills could potentially be utilized in national efforts to reduce the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). We sought to assess the knowledge of, and attitudes toward NCDs and NCD care among VHTs in Uganda as a step toward identifying their potential role in community NCD prevention and management. Methods We administered a knowledge, attitudes and practices questionnaire to 68 VHT members from Iganga and Mayuge districts in Eastern Uganda. In addition, we conducted four focus group discussions with 33 VHT members. Discussions focused on NCD knowledge and facilitators of and barriers to incorporating NCD prevention and care into their role. A thematic qualitative analysis was conducted to identify salient themes in the data. Results VHT members possessed some knowledge and awareness of NCDs but identified a lack of knowledge about NCDs in the communities they served. They were enthusiastic about incorporating NCD care into their role and thought that they could serve as effective conduits of knowledge about NCDs to their communities if empowered through NCD education, the availability of proper reporting and referral tools, and visible collaborations with medical personnel. The lack of financial remuneration for their role did not emerge as a major barrier to providing NCD services. Conclusions Ugandan VHTs saw themselves as having the potential to play an important role in improving community awareness of NCDs as well as monitoring and referral of community members for NCD-related health issues. In order to accomplish this, they anticipated requiring context-specific and culturally adapted training as well as strong partnerships with facility-based medical personnel. A lack of financial incentivization was not identified to be a major barrier to such role expansion. Developing a role for VHTs in NCD prevention and management should be a key consideration as local and national NCD initiatives are developed.

Background The organisation of health assessments by preventive health services focusing on children’s health and educational performance needs to be improved due to evolving health priorities such as mental health problems, reduced budgets and shortages of physicians and nurses. We studied the impact on the school professionals’ perception of access to school health services (SHS) when a triage approach was used for population-based health assessments in primary schools. The triage approach involves pre-assessments by SHS assistants, with only those children in need of follow-up being assessed by a physician or nurse. The triage approach was compared with the usual approach in which all children are assessed by physicians and nurses. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study, comparing school professionals’ perceptions of the triage and the usual approach to SHS. The randomly selected school professionals completed digital questionnaires about contact frequency, the approachability of SHS and the appropriateness of support from SHS. School care coordinators and teachers were invited to participate in the study, resulting in a response of 444 (35.7%) professionals from schools working with the triage approach and 320 (44.6%) professionals working with the usual approach. Results Respondents from schools using the triage approach had more contacts with SHS and were more satisfied with the appropriateness of support from SHS than respondents in the approach-as-usual group. No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of the perceived approachability of SHS. Conclusions School professionals were more positive about access to SHS when a triage approach to routine assessments was in place than when the usual approach was used. Countries with similar population-based SHS systems could benefit from a triage approach which gives physicians and nurses more opportunities to attend schools for consultations and assessments of children on demand. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-017-2711-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction To meet the greater demand for skilled personnel in Emergency Medicine (EM) in Ghana, the authors developed an in-service course in basic acute care for Physician Assistants (PAs) working in district hospitals. Methods An initial training of trainers course was held for twenty-two PAs. From this initial group, ten were selected as Senior Trainers. Following a refresher course, Senior Trainers facilitated an in-service training and refresher course for other PAs from their regions. The course was organised into modules consisting of didactic lectures and interactive small group sessions. Assessment included testing, observation, case review, and simulations. Results All groups showed improvement in knowledge. The majority learned information sequentially, inconsistently used physical examinations for diagnosis, and rarely reassessed following interventions. Practical skills were more easily acquired than clinical decision-making skills. The case discussions and simulations were the most helpful learning tools. Symptom-based algorithms were useful for daily practice. Conclusion The greatest successes of this programme were providing the participants with greater confidence in basic life-saving skills and increasing their knowledge of and advocacy for EM. For continued success of this programme, a formal course with greater emphasis on filling Senior Trainer knowledge gaps, increased coordination with administrative authorities, and specific measurable clinical outcomes are needed. Introduction Pour répondre à la demande accrue de personnel qualifié en médecine d’urgence (MU) au Ghana, les auteurs ont élaboré une formation interne sur les soins intensifs de base destinée aux médecins assistants (MA) travaillant dans les hôpitaux de district. Méthodes Une formation initiale des formateurs a été dispensée à vingt-deux MA. Dans ce groupe initial, dix ont été choisis comme formateurs principaux. Après un cours de remise à niveau, les formateurs principaux ont animé une formation en interne et un cours de remise à niveau pour les autres MA de leurs régions. Le cours était organisé en modules comprenant des conférences didactiques et des sessions interactives en petits groupes. L’évaluation comprenait des examens, une observation, une étude de cas et des simulations. Résultats Tous les groupes ont démontré une amélioration des connaissances. La majorité a appris les informations de façon séquentielle, a utilisé de façon irrégulière les examens physiques pour les diagnostics, et a rarement réalisé une réévaluation des interventions subséquentes. Les compétences pratiques ont été acquises plus facilement que les compétences de prise de décisions cliniques. Les outils d’apprentissage les plus utiles étaient les discussions et simulations de cas. Les algorithmes basés sur les symptômes étaient utiles pour la pratique quotidienne. Conclusion Les plus grands succès de ce programme ont été de fournir aux participants une meilleure maîtrise des compétences de base vitales et de développer leurs connaissances et leur plaidoyer en faveur de la MU. Pour la poursuite du succès de ce programme, un cours formel avec un accent plus prononcé sur le traitement des lacunes en termes de connaissances des formateurs principaux, une coordination accrue avec les autorités administratives, et des résultats cliniques mesurables spécifiques sont nécessaires.

International audience; OBJECTIVES:The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends task-shifting HIV care to nurses in low-resource settings with limited numbers of physicians. However, the effect of such task-shifting on the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of people living with HIV (PLHIV) has seldom been evaluated. We aimed to investigate the effect of task-shifting HIV care to nurses on HRQL outcomes in PLHIV initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in rural district hospitals in Cameroon.METHODS:Outcomes in PLHIV were longitudinally collected in the 2006-2010 Stratall trial. PLHIV were followed up for 24 months by nurses and/or physicians. Six HRQL dimensions were assessed during face-to-face interviews using the WHO Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-HIV BREF scale: physical health; psychological health; independence level; social relationships; environment; and spirituality/religion/personal beliefs. The degree of task-shifting was estimated using a consultant ratio (i.e. the ratio of nurse-led to physician-led visits). The effect of task-shifting and other potential correlates on HRQL dimensions was explored using a Heckman two-stage approach based on linear mixed models to adjust for the potential bias caused by missing data in the outcomes.RESULTS:Of 1424 visits in 440 PLHIV (70.5% female; median age 36 years; median CD4 count 188 cells/μL at enrolment), 423 (29.7%) were task-shifted to nurses. After multiple adjustment, task-shifting was associated with higher HRQL level for four dimensions: physical health [coefficient 0.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1-1.2; P = 0.01], psychological health (coefficient 0.5; 95% CI 0.0-1.0; P = 0.05), independence level (coefficient 0.6; 95% CI 0.1-1.1; P = 0.01) and environment (coefficient 0.6; 95% CI 0.1-1.0; P = 0.02).CONCLUSIONS:Task-shifting HIV care to nurses benefits the HRQL of PLHIV. Together with the previously demonstrated comparable clinical effectiveness of physician-based and nurse-based models of HIV care, our results support the WHO recommendation for task-shifting.

The changing demands on the health sectors in low- and middle-income countries especially sub-Saharan African countries continue to challenge efforts to address critical shortages of the health workforce. Addressing these challenges have led to the evolution of "non-physician clinicians" (NPCs), that assume some physician roles and thus mitigate the continuing shortage of doctors in these countries. While it is agreed that changes are needed in physicians’ roles and their training as part of the new continuum of care that includes NPCs, we disagree that such training should be geared solely at ensuring physicians dominated health systems. Discussions on the workforce models to suit low-income countries must avoid an endorsement of a culture of physician focused health systems as the only model for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It is also essential that training for NPCs be harmonized with that of physicians to clarify the technical roles of both.

The changing demands on the health sectors in low- and middle-income countries especially sub-Saharan African countries continue to challenge efforts to address critical shortages of the health workforce. Addressing these challenges have led to the evolution of “non-physician clinicians” (NPCs), that assume some physician roles and thus mitigate the continuing shortage of doctors in these countries. While it is agreed that changes are needed in physicians’ roles and their training as part of the new continuum of care that includes NPCs, we disagree that such training should be geared solely at ensuring physicians dominated health systems. Discussions on the workforce models to suit low-income countries must avoid an endorsement of a culture of physician focused health systems as the only model for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It is also essential that training for NPCs be harmonized with that of physicians to clarify the technical roles of both.

Background This qualitative study was nested within a randomized controlled trial (RCT) where two psychotherapeutic interventions (supportive counselling and prolonged exposure for adolescents) were provided by supervised nurses (who served as ‘nurse counsellors’) to adolescents with PTSD in school settings. This paper describes the perspectives of nurse counsellors (NCs) and school liaisons (SLs). SLs were teachers or administrative personnel at the schools who coordinated the study visits of participants with the NCs. We focus on the impediments and catalysts to and recommendations for treatment implementation. Methods NCs (n = 3) and SLs (n = 3) who participated in the RCT during 2014 were purposively recruited by telephone and participated in face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interviews that were recorded and doubly transcribed. Thematic content analysis was applied using Atlas.ti software to identify emerging themes. This paper describes the impediments and catalysts to provide psychotherapy by task-shifting in a community setting across three sub-themes: personal, community, and collaborative care. Results Although nurses were initially resistant to supervision it was central to personally coping with complex interventions, managing traumatic content, and working apart from a multi-disciplinary team. Delivering the interventions in the community presented multiple logistical impediments (e.g. transport, communication, venue suitability) which required creative solutions. In light of resource shortages, networking is central to effective delivery and uptake of the interventions. Collaboration between government departments of health and education may have a major impact on providing school-based psychotherapy through task-shifting. Conclusions Impediments to implementation are not insurmountable. This article provides recommendations to maximize the success of task-shifting interventions should they be rolled out.