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BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, with around 1.5 million deaths reported in 2018, and is a major contributor to suffering worldwide, with an estimated 10 million new cases every year. In the context of the World Health Organization’s End TB strategy and the quest for digital innovations, there is a need to understand what is happening around the world regarding research into the use of digital technology for better TB care and control. ObjectiveThe purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the state of research on the use of digital technology to enhance TB care and control. This study provides an overview of publications covering this subject and answers 3 main questions: (1) to what extent has the issue been addressed in the scientific literature between January 2016 and March 2019, (2) which countries have been investing in research in this field, and (3) what digital technologies were used? MethodsA Web-based search was conducted on PubMed and Web of Science. Studies that describe the use of digital technology with specific reference to keywords such as TB, digital health, eHealth, and mHealth were included. Data from selected studies were synthesized into 4 functions using narrative and graphical methods. Such digital health interventions were categorized based on 2 classifications, one by function and the other by targeted user. ResultsA total of 145 relevant studies were identified out of the 1005 published between January 2016 and March 2019. Overall, 72.4% (105/145) of the research focused on patient care and 20.7% (30/145) on surveillance and monitoring. Other programmatic functions 4.8% (7/145) and electronic learning 2.1% (3/145) were less frequently studied. Most digital health technologies used for patient care included primarily diagnostic 59.4% (63/106) and treatment adherence tools 40.6% (43/106). On the basis of the second type of classification, 107 studies targeted health care providers (107/145, 73.8%), 20 studies targeted clients (20/145, 13.8%), 17 dealt with data services (17/145, 11.7%), and 1 study was on the health system or resource management. The first authors’ affiliations were mainly from 3 countries: the United States (30/145 studies, 20.7%), China (20/145 studies, 13.8%), and India (17/145 studies, 11.7%). The researchers from the United States conducted their research both domestically and abroad, whereas researchers from China and India conducted all studies domestically. ConclusionsThe majority of research conducted between January 2016 and March 2019 on digital interventions for TB focused on diagnostic tools and treatment adherence technologies, such as video-observed therapy and SMS. Only a few studies addressed interventions for data services and health system or resource management.

Medical and health sciences are disciplines of paramount importance in academia. Universities face a crucial challenge in training qualified health experts for teaching and research in these disciplines. With the globalization of the higher education system, international university ranking systems are an increasingly used tool to assess the excellence of universities and help students and researchers to choose an institution. We conduct a scoping review using "Web of Science" and "Google Scholar" to search for scientific literature written in English, published between January 2019 and March 2022. We aim to understand to what extent international university ranking systems are adapted to the disciplines of medical and health sciences. We select any scientific article addressing international university ranking systems and their indicators or proposing a new international university ranking system or new indicators. We include a total of 55 articles. Among them, 10 articles propose a new university ranking system, nine propose a new method to analyze or improve existing international university ranking systems, three propose new indicator(s), and two propose a new database. Almost all articles include an analysis of existing rankings. We find no article that specifically addresses the ranking of schools of medical or health sciences. This scoping review highlights the absence of a specific international university ranking system designed for the disciplines of medical and health sciences. Future researchers could investigate how to develop discipline-specific indicators and promote a university ranking system dedicated to these disciplines.

Standardised forms for capturing clinical data promote consistency in data collection and analysis across research sites, enabling faster, higher-quality evidence generation. ISARIC and the World Health Organization have developed case report forms (CRFs) for the clinical characterisation of several infectious disease outbreaks. To improve the design and quality of future forms, we analysed the inclusion and completion rates of the 243 fields on the ISARIC-WHO COVID-19 CRF. Data from 42 diverse collaborations, covering 1886 hospitals and 950,064 patients, were analysed. A mean of 129.6 fields (53%) were included in the adapted CRFs implemented across the sites. Consistent patterns of field inclusion and completion aligned with globally recognised research priorities in outbreaks of novel infectious diseases. Outcome status was the most highly included (95.2%) and completed (89.8%) field, followed by admission demographics (79.1% and 91.6%), comorbidities (77.9% and 79.0%), signs and symptoms (68.9% and 78.4%), and vitals (70.3% and 69.1%). Mean field completion was higher in severe patients (70.2%) than in all patients (61.6%). The results reveal how clinical characterisation CRFs can be streamlined to reduce data collection time, including the modularisation of CRFs, to offer a choice of data volume collection and the separation of critical care interventions. This data-driven approach to designing CRFs enhances the efficiency of data collection to inform patient care and public health response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization (WHO) African Region, encompassing 47 member states (1), carries one of the heaviest burdens of public health crises globally, including health emergencies due to disease outbreaks [...]

Background The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), adopted unanimously as an aftermath of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) by the World Health Assembly in May 2005, entered into force on [...]

Although global health is a recommended content area for the future of education in public health, no standardized global health competency model existed for master-level public health students. Without such a competency model, academic institutions are challenged to ensure that students are able to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) needed for successful performance in today's global health workforce. The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) sought to address this need by facilitating the development of a global health competency model through a multistage modified-Delphi process. Practitioners and academic global health experts provided leadership and guidance throughout the competency development process. The resulting product, the Global Health Competency Model 1.1, includes seven domains and 36 competencies. The Global Health Competency Model 1.1 provides a platform for engaging educators, students, and global health employers in discussion of the KSAs needed to improve human health on a global scale.

Background The revised International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) require Member States to develop and maintain core public health capacity for surveillance and response to all hazards. (1) The epidemic of [...]

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major public health concern for the past 3 years. Scientific evidence on the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and indoor air quality still needs to be demonstrated. This scoping review aims to study the association between air quality indoors and COVID-19. Methods: A scoping review analyzing the association between indoor air quality and epidemiological outcomes was conducted. Papers published between 1 January 2020 and 31 October 2022 were included. Hospital settings were excluded from the study. Results: Eight relevant articles met the inclusion criteria. Indoor settings included workplaces, schools, restaurants, and public transport. Types of ventilation used to improve indoor air quality were dilution methods (opening windows) and mechanical systems with or without filtration or purifier. CO2 sensors were employed in one study. All the studies showed a positive association between indoor air quality and its improvement and epidemiological indicators. Conclusion: The findings of this scoping review indicate that indoor air quality, which can be improved with ventilation methods, may reduce the risk of developing COVID-19. Ventilation could thus be viewed as a possible effective mitigating method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]