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The MNH eCohort was developed to fill gaps in maternal and newborn health (MNH) care quality measurement. In this paper, we describe the survey development process, recruitment strategy, data collection procedures, survey content and plans for analysis of the data generated by the study. We also compare the survey content to that of existing multi-country tools on MNH care quality. The eCohort is a longitudinal mixed-mode (in-person and phone) survey that will recruit women in health facilities at their first antenatal care (ANC) visit. Women will be followed via phone survey until 10-12 weeks postpartum. User-reported information will be complemented with data from physical health assessments at baseline and endline, extraction from MNH cards, and a brief facility survey. The final MNH eCohort instrument is centered around six key domains of high-quality health systems including competent care (content of ANC, delivery, and postnatal care for the mother and newborn), competent systems (prevention and detection, timely care, continuity, integration), user experience, health outcomes, confidence in the health system, and economic outcomes. The eCohort combines the maternal and newborn experience and, due to its longitudinal nature, will allow for quality assessment according to specific risks that evolve throughout the pregnancy and postpartum period. Detailed information on medical and obstetric history and current health status of respondents and newborns will allow us to determine whether women and newborns at risk are receiving needed care. The MNH eCohort will answer novel questions to guide health system improvements and to fill data gaps in implementing countries.

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is an essential platform to improve maternal and newborn health (MNH). While several articles have described the content of ANC in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), few have investigated the quality of detection and management of pregnancy risk factors during ANC. It remains unclear whether women with pregnancy risk factors receive targeted management and additional ANC., Methods and Findings: This observational study uses baseline data from the MNH eCohort study conducted in 8 sites in Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and South Africa from April 2023 to January 2024. A total of 4,068 pregnant women seeking ANC for the first time in their pregnancy were surveyed. We built country-specific ANC completeness indices that measured provision of 16 to 22 recommended clinical actions in 5 domains: physical examinations, diagnostic tests, history taking and screening, counselling, and treatment and prevention. We investigated whether women with pregnancy risks tended to receive higher quality care and we assessed the quality of detection and management of 7 concurrent illnesses and pregnancy risk factors (anemia, undernutrition, obesity, chronic illnesses, depression, prior obstetric complications, and danger signs). ANC completeness ranged from 43% in Ethiopia, 66% in Kenya, 73% in India, and 76% in South Africa, with large gaps in history taking, screening, and counselling. Most women in Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Africa initiated ANC in second or third trimesters. We used country-specific multivariable mixed-effects linear regression models to investigate factors associated with ANC completeness. Models included individual demographics, health status, presence of risk factors, health facility characteristics, and fixed effects for the study site. We found that some facility characteristics (staffing, patient volume, structural readiness) were associated with variation in ANC completeness. In contrast, pregnancy risk factors were only associated with a 1.7 percentage points increase in ANC completeness (95% confidence interval 0.3, 3.0, p-value 0.014) in Kenya only. Poor self-reported health was associated with higher ANC completeness in India and South Africa and with lower ANC completeness in Ethiopia. Some concurrent illnesses and risk factors were overlooked during the ANC visit. Between 0% and 6% of undernourished women were prescribed food supplementation and only 1% to 3% of women with depression were referred to a mental health provider or prescribed antidepressants. Only 36% to 73% of women who had previously experienced an obstetric complication (a miscarriage, preterm birth, stillbirth, or newborn death) discussed their obstetric history with the provider during the first ANC visit. Although we aimed to validate self-reported information on health status and content of care with data from health cards, our findings may be affected by recall or other information biases., Conclusions: In this study, we observed gaps in adherence to ANC standards, particularly for women in need of specialized management. Strategies to maximize the potential health benefits of ANC should target women at risk of poor pregnancy outcomes and improve early initiation of ANC in the first trimester., Competing Interests: MEK is a member of the PLOS Medicine Editorial Board., (Copyright: © 2024 Arsenault et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Malaria and preeclampsia are leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. They contribute significantly to poor perinatal outcomes like low neonatal weight by causing considerable placental morphological changes that impair placental function. Previous studies have described the effects of either condition on the placental structure but the structure of the placenta in malaria-preeclampsia comorbidity is largely understudied despite its high burden. This study aimed to compare the placental characteristics and neonatal weights among women with malaria-preeclampsia comorbidity versus those with healthy pregnancies., Methodology: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among 24 women with malaria-preeclampsia comorbidity and 24 women with healthy pregnancies at a County Hospital in Western Kenya. Neonatal weights, gross and histo-morphometric placental characteristics were compared among the two groups., Results: There was a significant reduction in neonatal weights (P<0.001), placental weights (P = 0.028), cord length (P<0.001), and cord diameter (P<0.001) among women with malaria-preeclampsia comorbidity compared to those with healthy pregnancies. There was also a significant reduction in villous maturity (P = 0.016) and villous volume density (P = 0.012) with increased villous vascularity (P<0.007) among women with malaria-preeclampsia comorbidity compared to those with healthy pregnancies., Conclusion: Placental villous maturity and villous volume density are significantly reduced in patients with malaria-preeclampsia comorbidity with a compensatory increase in villous vascularity. This leads to impaired placental function that contributes to lower neonatal weights., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Lwamulungi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Introduction: The potential for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in healthcare is immense, revolutionizing the delivery of medical services and improving patient outcomes. ICT efficiently manages health information, facilitating electronic health records (EHRs) and streamlined communication among healthcare professionals, leading to significant changes, especially in underserved areas., Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study took place between March and April 2023 among healthcare professionals in Kericho County, Kenya. Participants were selected using simple random sampling and completed a self-administered questionnaire. Data on the ICT status of health facilities were collected using a checklist. The qualitative component involved key informant interviews with a health record and information department officer. Collected data were entered into Excel and analysed using R software for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data., Results: The study engaged 201 participants. Findings showed a 67.66% [95% CI=0.607, 0.741]; p-value<0.0001, uptake of ICT among healthcare workers. Those with computer training were approximately 10 times [OR = 10.867, 95% CI=3.121, 40.99] more likely to utilize ICT in service delivery than those without IT training. Operating at least one healthcare database was associated with over 2 times [OR=2.552, 95% CI=0.7475, 8.7195] higher likelihood of ICT uptake compared to those without this skill. Health facilities with eHealth platforms showed, on average, 38% higher [OR=1.386, 95% CI=0.7661, 2.223] utilization of ICT than those without., Conclusion: IT training for personnel is crucial, ensuring they can operate preferred health management and information systems (HMIS) within the sector. The presence of an IT department and the use of ICT for administrative purposes significantly affected the general uptake of ICT in health facilities. Additionally, infrastructure such as roads, power, and security had a significant association with ICT compliance. Improving these supportive elements will considerably enhance ICT uptake in healthcare., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this study.

Setting: Kenya, 2012-2015., Objective: To explore whether there is a gender difference in all-cause mortality among smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB)/ HIV co-infected patients treated for tuberculosis (TB) between 2012 and 2015 in Kenya., Design: Retrospective cohort of 9,026 smear-positive patients aged 15-49 years. All-cause mortality during TB treatment was the outcome of interest. Time to start of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation was considered as a proxy for CD4 cell count. Those who took long to start of ART were assumed to have high CD4 cell count., Results: Of the 9,026 observations analysed, 4,567(51%) and 4,459(49%) were women and men, respectively. Overall, out of the 9,026 patients, 8,154 (90%) had their treatment outcome as cured, the mean age in years (SD) was 33.3(7.5) and the mean body mass index (SD) was 18.2(3.4). Men were older (30% men' vs 17% women in those ≥40 years, p = <0.001) and had a lower BMI <18.5 (55.3% men vs 50.6% women, p = <0.001). Men tested later for HIV: 29% (1,317/4,567) of women HIV tested more than 3 months prior to TB treatment, as compared to 20% (912/4,459) men (p<0.001). Mortality was higher in men 11% (471/4,459) compared to women 9% (401/4,567, p = 0.004). There was a 17% reduction in the risk of death among women (adjusted HR 0.83; 95% CI 0.72-0.96; p = 0.013). Survival varied by age-groups, with women having significantly better survival than men, in the age-groups 40 years and over (log-rank p = 0.006)., Conclusion: Women with sputum positive PTB/HIV co-infection have a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality during TB treatment compared to men. Men were older, had lower BMI and tested later for HIV than women., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exists.

Objectives: To estimate the modified societal costs of cervical cancer treatment in Kenya; and to compare the modified societal costs of treatment for pre-cancerous cervical lesions integrated into same-day HIV care compared to "non-integrated" treatment when the services are not coordinated on the same day., Materials and Methods: A micro-costing study was conducted at Coptic Hope Center for Infectious Diseases and Kenyatta National Hospital from July 1-October 31, 2014. Interviews were conducted with 54 patients and 23 staff. Direct medical, non-medical (e.g., overhead), and indirect (e.g., time) costs were calculated for colposcopy, cryotherapy, Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP), and treatment of cancer. All costs are reported in 2017 US dollars., Results: Patients had a mean age of 41 and daily earnings of $6; travel time to the facility averaged 2.8 hours. From the modified societal perspective, per-procedure costs of colposcopy were $41 (integrated) vs. $91 (non-integrated). Per-procedure costs of cryotherapy were $22 (integrated) vs. $46 (non-integrated), whereas costs of LEEP were $50 (integrated) and $99 (non-integrated). This represents cost savings of $25 for cryotherapy and $50 for colposcopy and LEEP when provided on the same day as an HIV-care visit. Treatment for cervical cancer cost $1,345-$6,514, depending on stage. Facility-based palliative care cost $59/day., Conclusions: Integrating treatment of pre-cancerous lesions into HIV care is estimated to be cost-saving from a modified societal perspective. These costs can be applied to financial and economic evaluations in Kenya and similar urban settings in other low-income countries., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: To assess adherence to malaria diagnosis and treatment guidelines (2010 and 2014) in all health care facilities in Swaziland between 2011 and 2015. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving all health care facilities that diagnosed and managed malaria cases in Swaziland. Patients' age, sex, diagnosis method and type of treatment were analysed. Results: Of 1981 records for severe and uncomplicated malaria analysed, 56% of cases were uncomplicated and 14% had severe malaria. The type of malaria was not recorded for 30% of cases. Approximately 71% of cases were confirmed by rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) alone, 3% by microscopy alone and 26% by both RDT and microscopy. Of the uncomplicated cases, 93% were treated with artemether-lumefantrine (AL) alone, 5% with quinine alone and 2% with AL and quinine. Amongst the severe cases, 11% were treated with AL alone, 44% with quinine alone and 45% with AL and quinine. For severe malaria, clinics and health centres prescribed AL alone more often than hospitals (respectively 13%, 12% and 4%, P = 0.03). Conclusion: RDTs and/or microscopy results are used at all facilities to inform treatment. Poor recording of malaria type causes difficulties in assessing the prescription of antimalarial drugs., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: none declared.

Objective: To estimate the societal-level costs of integrating cervical cancer screening into HIV clinics in Nairobi, Kenya., Methods: A cross-sectional micro-costing study was performed at Coptic Hope Center for Infectious Diseases and Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya, between July 1 and October 31, 2014. To estimate direct medical, non-medical, and indirect costs associated with screening, a time-and-motion study was performed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with women aged at least 18 years attending the clinic for screening during the study period and with clinic staff who had experience relevant to cervical cancer screening., Results: There were 148 patients and 23 clinic staff who participated in interviews. Visual inspection with acetic acid was associated with the lowest estimated marginal per-screening costs ($3.30), followed by careHPV ($18.28), Papanicolaou ($24.59), and Hybrid Capture 2 screening ($31.15). Laboratory expenses were the main cost drivers for Papanicolaou and Hybrid Capture 2 testing ($11.61 and $16.41, respectively). Overhead and patient transportation affected the costs of all methods. Indirect costs were cheaper for single-visit screening methods ($0.43 per screening) than two-visit screening methods ($2.88 per screening)., Conclusions: Integrating cervical cancer screening into HIV clinics would be cost-saving from a societal perspective compared with non-integrated screening. These findings could be used in cost-effectiveness analyses to assess incremental costs per clinical outcome in an integrated setting., (© 2016 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa there is an increasing need to leverage available health care workers to provide care for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study was conducted to evaluate adherence to Médecins Sans Frontières clinical protocols when the care of five stable NCDs (hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, epilepsy, asthma, and sickle cell) was shifted from clinical officers to nurses., Methods: Descriptive, retrospective review of routinely collected clinic data from two integrated primary health care facilities within an urban informal settlement, Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya (May to August 2014)., Results: There were 3,554 consultations (2025 patients); 733 (21%) were by nurses out of which 725 met the inclusion criteria among 616 patients. Hypertension (64%, 397/616) was the most frequent NCD followed by asthma (17%, 106/616) and diabetes mellitus (15%, 95/616). Adherence to screening questions ranged from 65% to 86%, with an average of 69%. Weight and blood pressure measurements were completed in 89% and 96% of those required. Laboratory results were reviewed in 91% of indicated visits. Laboratory testing per NCD protocols was higher in those with hypertension (88%) than diabetes mellitus (67%) upon review. Only 17 (2%) consultations were referred back to clinical officers., Conclusion: Nurses are able to adhere to protocols for managing stable NCD patients based on clear and standardized protocols and guidelines, thus paving the way towards task shifting of NCD care to nurses to help relieve the significant healthcare gap in developing countries.

Background: Death among premature neonates contributes significantly to neonatal mortality which in turn represents approximately 40% of paediatric mortality. Care for premature neonates is usually provided at the tertiary care level, and premature infants in rural areas often remain bereft of care. Here, we describe the characteristics and outcomes of premature neonates admitted to neonatal services in a district hospital in rural Burundi that also provided comprehensive emergency obstetric care. These services included a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) ward, and did not rely on high-tech interventions or specialist medical staff., Methods: A retrospective descriptive study, using routine programme data of neonates (born at <32 weeks and 32-36 weeks of gestation), admitted to the NICU and/or KMC at Kabezi District Hospital., Results: 437 premature babies were admitted to the neonatal services; of these, 134 (31%) were born at <32 weeks, and 236 (54%) at 32-36 weeks. There were 67 (15%) with an unknown gestational age but with a clinical diagnosis of prematurity. Survival rates at hospital discharge were 62% for the <32 weeks and 87% for the 32-36 weeks groups; compared to respectively 30 and 50% in the literature on neonates in low- and middle-income countries. Cause of death was categorised, non-specifically, as "Conditions associated with prematurity/low birth weight" for 90% of the <32 weeks and 40% of the 32-36 weeks of gestation groups., Conclusions: Our study shows for the first time that providing neonatal care for premature babies is feasible at a district level in a resource-limited setting in Africa. High survival rates were observed, even in the absence of high-tech equipment or specialist neonatal physician staff. We suggest that these results were achieved through staff training, standardised protocols, simple but essential equipment, provision of complementary NICU and KMC units, and integration of the neonatal services with emergency obstetric care. This approach has the potential to considerably reduce overall neonatal mortality.

Objective: Approximately 85% of cervical cancer cases and deaths occur in resource-constrained countries where best practices for prevention, particularly for women with HIV infection, still need to be developed. The aim of this study was to assess cervical cancer prevention capacity in select HIV clinics located in resource-constrained countries., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey of sub-Saharan African sites of 4 National Institutes of Health-funded HIV/AIDS networks was conducted. Sites were surveyed on the availability of cervical cancer screening and treatment among women with HIV infection and without HIV infection. Descriptive statistics and χ or Fisher exact test were used as appropriate., Results: Fifty-one (65%) of 78 sites responded. Access to cervical cancer screening was reported by 49 sites (96%). Of these sites, 39 (80%) performed screening on-site. Central African sites were less likely to have screening on-site (p = .02) versus other areas. Visual inspection with acetic acid and Pap testing were the most commonly available on-site screening methods at 31 (79%) and 26 (67%) sites, respectively. High-risk HPV testing was available at 29% of sites with visual inspection with acetic acid and 50% of sites with Pap testing. Cryotherapy and radical hysterectomy were the most commonly available on-site treatment methods for premalignant and malignant lesions at 29 (74%) and 18 (46%) sites, respectively., Conclusions: Despite limited resources, most sites surveyed had the capacity to perform cervical cancer screening and treatment. The existing infrastructure of HIV clinical and research sites may provide the ideal framework for scale-up of cervical cancer prevention in resource-constrained countries with a high burden of cervical dysplasia.

Objectives: To assess the care of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and/or HIV patients enrolled into Medication Adherence Clubs (MACs)., Methods: Retrospective descriptive study was carried out using routinely collected programme data from a primary healthcare clinic at informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. All patients enrolled into MACs were selected for the study. MACs are nurse-facilitated mixed groups of 25-35 stable hypertension, diabetes mellitus and/or HIV patients who met quarterly to confirm their clinical stability, have brief health discussions and receive medication. Clinical officer reviewed MACs yearly, when a patient developed complications or no longer met stable criteria., Results: A total of 1432 patients were enrolled into 47 clubs with 109 sessions conducted between August 2013 and August 2014. There were 1020 (71%) HIV and 412 (29%) non-communicable disease patients. Among those with NCD, 352 (85%) had hypertension and 60 (15%) had DM, while 12 had HIV concurrent with hypertension. A total of 2208 consultations were offloaded from regular clinic. During MAC attendance, blood pressure, weight and laboratory testing were completed correctly in 98-99% of consultations. Only 43 (2%) consultations required referral for clinical officer review before their routine yearly appointment. Loss to follow-up from the MACs was 3.5%., Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility and early efficacy of MACs for mixed chronic disease in a resource-limited setting. It supports burden reduction and flexibility of regular clinical review for stable patients. Further assessment regarding long-term outcomes of this model should be completed to increase confidence for deployment in similar contexts., (© 2015 The Authors. Tropical Medicine & International Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To determine gender differences in treatment outcomes among 15-49 year olds with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and factors associated with poor outcomes in Kenya., Design: Retrospective descriptive cohort., Results: Of 16 056 subjects analysed, 38% were female and 62% male. Females had a higher risk of poor treatment outcome than males (12% vs. 10%, P < 0.001; adjusted OR 1.29, 95%CI 1.16-1.44, P < 0.001). In the first multivariate model, restricting the analysis to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients and adjusting for risk factors and clustering, females had a non-significantly lower risk of poor outcome (OR 0.99, 95%CI 0.86-1.13, P = 0.844). In the model restricted to HIV-negative patients, a non-significantly lower risk was found (OR 0.89, 95%CI 0.73-1.09, P = 0.267). In the second model, restricting analysis to patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and adjusting for risk factors and clustering, females had a non-significantly lower risk of poor PTB treatment outcomes (OR 0.98, 95%CI 0.84-1.14, P = 0.792). In the model restricted to HIV-positive patients not on ART, a non-significantly higher risk was found (OR 1.15, 95%CI 0.79-1.67, P = 0.461)., Conclusion: Females of reproductive age are likely to have poorer treatment outcomes than males. Among females, not commencing ART during anti-tuberculosis treatment seemed to be associated with poor outcomes.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased the life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLHIV); HIV is now considered a chronic disease. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and HIV care were integrated into primary care clinics operated within the informal settlement of Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya. We describe early cohort outcomes among PLHIV and HIV-negative patients, both of whom had NCDs., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of routinely collected clinic data from January 2010 to June 2013. All patients >14 years with hypertension and/or diabetes were included., Results: Of 2206 patients included in the analysis, 210 (9.5%) were PLHIV. Median age at enrollment in the NCD program was 43 years for PLHIV and 49 years for HIV-negative patients (p<0.0001). The median duration of follow up was 1.4 (IQR 0.7-2.1) and 1.0 (IQR 0.4-1.8) years for PLHIV and HIV-negative patients, respectively (p=0.003). Among patients with hypertension, blood pressure outcomes were similar, and for those with diabetes, outcomes for HbA1c, fasting glucose and cholesterol were not significantly different between the two groups. The frequency of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was 12% overall. Median age for PLHIV and CKD was 50 vs 55 years for those without HIV (p=0.005)., Conclusions: In this early comparison of PLHIV and HIV-negative patients with NCDs, there were significant differences in age at diagnosis but both groups responded similarly to treatment. This study suggests that integrating NCD care for PLHIV along with HIV-negative patients is feasible and achieves similar results., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

There is growing evidence that a number of pulmonary diseases affect women differently and with a greater degree of severity than men. The causes for such sex disparity is the focus of this Blue Conference Perspective review, which explores basic cellular and molecular mechanisms, life stages, and clinical outcomes based on environmental, sociocultural, occupational, and infectious scenarios, as well as medical health beliefs. Owing to the breadth of issues related to women and lung disease, we present examples of both basic and clinical concepts that may be the cause for pulmonary disease disparity in women. These examples include those diseases that predominantly affect women, as well as the rising incidence among women for diseases traditionally occurring in men, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Sociocultural implications of pulmonary disease attributable to biomass burning and infectious diseases among women in low- to middle-income countries are reviewed, as are disparities in respiratory health among sexual minority women in high-income countries. The implications of the use of complementary and alternative medicine by women to influence respiratory disease are examined, and future directions for research on women and respiratory health are provided.

Setting: A rural private health facility, Ruby Medical Centre (RMC), participating in a safe motherhood health voucher system for poor women in Kiambu County, Kenya., Objectives: Between 2007 and 2013, to determine 1) the number of women who delivered at the RMC, their characteristics and pregnancy-related outcomes, and 2) the number of women who received an incomplete antenatal care (ANC) package and associated factors., Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study using routine programme data., Results: During the study period, 2635 women delivered at the RMC: 50% were aged 16-24 years, 60% transferred in from other facilities and 59% started ANC in the third trimester of pregnancy. Of the 2635 women, 1793 (68%) received an incomplete ANC package: 347 (13%) missed essential blood tests, 312 (12%) missed the tetanus toxoid immunisation and 1672 (65%) had fewer than four visits. Presenting late and starting ANC elsewhere were associated with an incomplete package. One pregnancy-related mortality occurred; the stillbirth rate was 10 per 1000 births., Conclusion: This first assessment of the health voucher system in rural Kenya showed problems in ANC quality. Despite favourable pregnancy-related outcomes, increased efforts should be made to ensure earlier presentation of pregnant women, comprehensive ANC, and more consistent and accurate monitoring of reproductive indicators and interventions.

Open-access journal publications aim to ensure that new knowledge is widely disseminated and made freely accessible in a timely manner so that it can be used to improve people's health, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries. In this paper, we briefly explain the differences between closed- and open-access journals, including the evolving idea of the 'open-access spectrum'. We highlight the potential benefits of supporting open access for operational research, and discuss the conundrum and ways forward as regards who pays for open access.

Setting: The primary care clinics of Médecins Sans Frontières within the informal settlement of Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya., Objective: To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of children clinically diagnosed with rickets from September 2012 to October 2013., Design: Descriptive retrospective case review of diagnosis and treatment course with vitamin D and calcium using routine programme data., Results: Of the 82 children who met the clinical diagnosis of rickets, 57% were male, with a median age of 12 months and 14 months for females. Children with rickets were found to have ⩽3 hours/week sunlight exposure for 71% of the children and malnutrition in 39%. Clinical findings on presentation revealed gross motor developmental delays in 44%. The loss to follow-up rate during treatment was 40%., Conclusions: This study found that rickets is a common clinical presentation among children living in the informal settlement of Kibera and that there are likely multiple factors within that environment contributing to this condition. As rickets is a simply and inexpensively preventable non-communicable disease, we suggest that routine vitamin D supplementation be formally recommended by the World Health Organization for well-child care in Africa, especially in the contexts of informal settlements.

Objective: In three primary health care clinics run by Médecins Sans Frontières in the informal settlement of Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, we describe the caseload, management and treatment outcomes of patients with hypertension (HT) and/or diabetes mellitus (DM) receiving care from January 2010 to June 2012., Method: Descriptive study using prospectively collected routine programme data., Results: Overall, 1465 patients were registered in three clinics during the study period, of whom 87% were hypertensive only and 13% had DM with or without HT. Patients were predominantly female (71%) and the median age was 48 years. On admission, 24% of the patients were obese, with a body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2. Overall, 55% of non-diabetic hypertensive patients reached their blood pressure (BP) target at 24 months. Only 28% of diabetic patients reached their BP target at 24 months. For non-diabetic patients, there was a significant decrease in BP between first consultation and 3 months of treatment, maintained over the 18-month period. Only 20% of diabetic patients with or without hypertension achieved glycaemic control. By the end of the study period,1003 (68%) patients were alive and in care, one (<1%) had died, eight (0.5%) had transferred out and 453 (31%) were lost to follow-up., Conclusion: Good management of HT and DM can be achieved in a primary care setting within an informal settlement. This model of intervention appears feasible to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in developing countries.

Objectives: 1) To explore the utility of tuberculosis (TB) symptom screening for symptoms of ≥2 weeks' duration in a routine setting, and 2) to compare differences in TB diagnosis between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected and non-HIV-infected pregnant women in western Kenya., Design: Comparative cross-sectional study among pregnant women with known HIV status screened for TB from 2010 to 2012, in Eldoret, western Kenya., Results: Of 2983 participants, respectively 34 (1%), 1488 (50.5%) and 1461 (49.5%) had unknown, positive and negative HIV status. The median age was respectively 30 years (interquartile range [IQR] 26-35) and 26 years (IQR 24-31) in HIV-infected and non-infected participants. A positive symptom screen was found in respectively 8% (119/1488) and 5% (67/1461) of the HIV-infected and non-infected women. The median CD4 count at enrolment was 377 cells/μl (IQR 244-530) for HIV-infected women. One non-HIV-infected patient was sputum-positive. For HIV-infected women, TB was presumptively treated in 1% (16/1488) based on clinical symptoms and chest X-ray. Cumulatively, anti-tuberculosis treatment was offered to 0.6% (17/2949) of the participants., Conclusion: This study does not seem to demonstrate the utility of TB symptom screening questionnaires in a routine setting among pregnant women, either HIV-infected or non-infected, in western Kenya.

Setting: Three regional referral hospitals in Uganda with a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases., Objective: To determine the treatment outcomes of TB retreatment cases and factors influencing these outcomes., Design: A retrospective cohort study of routinely collected National Tuberculosis Programme data between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2010., Results: The study included 331 retreatment patients (68% males), with a median age of 36 years, 93 (28%) of whom were relapse smear-positive, 21 (6%) treatment after failure, 159 (48%) return after loss to follow-up, 26 (8%) relapse smear-negative and 32 (10%) relapse cases with no smear performed. Treatment success rates for all categories of retreatment cases ranged between 28% and 54%. Relapse smear-positive (P = 0.002) and treatment after failure (P = 0.038) cases were less likely to have a successful treatment outcome. Only 32% of the retreatment cases received a Category II treatment regimen; there was no difference in treatment success among patients who received Category II or Category I treatment regimens (P = 0.73)., Conclusion: Management of TB retreatment cases and treatment success for all categories in three referral hospitals in Uganda was poor. Relapse smear-positive or treatment after failure cases were less likely to have a successful treatment outcome.

Setting: Médecins Sans Frontières Clinic for sexual gender-based violence (SGBV), Nairobi, Kenya., Objectives: Among survivors of SGBV in 2011, to describe demographic characteristics and episodes of sexual violence, medical management, pregnancy and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) related outcomes., Design: Retrospective review of clinical records and SGBV register., Results: Survivors attending the clinic increased from seven in 2007 to 866 in 2011. Of the 866 survivors included, 92% were female, 34% were children and 54% knew the aggressor; 73% of the assaults occurred inside a home and most commonly in the evening or at night. Post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV was given to 536 (94%), prophylaxis for sexually transmitted infections to 731 (96%) and emergency contraception to 358 (83%) eligible patients. Hepatitis B and tetanus toxoid vaccinations were given to 774 survivors, but respectively only 46% and 14% received a second injection. Eight (4.5%) of 174 women who underwent urine pregnancy testing were positive at 1 month. Of 851 survivors HIV-tested at baseline, 96 (11%) were HIV-positive. None of the 220 (29%) HIV-negative individuals who returned for repeat HIV testing after 3 months was positive., Conclusion: Acceptable, good quality SGBV medical care can be provided in large cities of sub-Saharan Africa, although further work is needed to improve follow-up interventions.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic usefulness of tuberculosis (TB) symptom screening to detect active pulmonary TB among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected pregnant women in two PMTCT (prevention of mother-to-child transmission) clinics in western Kenya that are supported by the United States Agency for International Development-Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare partnership., Design: Cross-sectional study. Participants were interviewed for TB symptoms with a standardized questionnaire (cough >2 weeks, fever, night sweats, weight loss or failure to gain weight). Those with cough submitted sputum specimens for smear microscopy for acid-fast bacilli and mycobacterial culture. Women at >14 weeks gestation underwent shielded chest radiography (CXR)., Results: Of 187 HIV-infected women, 38 (20%) were symptom screen-positive. Of these, 21 had a cough for >2 weeks, but all had negative sputum smears and mycobacterial cultures. CXRs were performed in 26 symptomatic women: three were suggestive of TB (1 miliary, 1 infiltrates and 1 cavitary). Of 149 women with a negative symptom screen, 100 had a CXR and seven had a CXR suggestive of TB (1 cavitary, 2 miliary and 4 infiltrates)., Conclusion: This study did not support the utility of isolated symptom screening in identification of TB disease in our PMTCT setting. CXR was useful in identification of TB suspects in both symptomatic and asymptomatic women.

Objective: To determine the impact of routine care (RC) and integrated family planning (IFP) and HIV care service on family planning (FP) uptake and pregnancy outcomes., Design: Retrospective cohort study conducted between October 10, 2005, and February 28, 2009., Setting: United States Agency for International Development-Academic Model Providing Access To Healthcare (USAID-AMPATH) in western Kenya., Subjects: Records of adult HIV-infected women., Intervention: Integration of FP into one of the care teams. PRIMARY OUTCOMES MEASURES: Incidence of FP methods and pregnancy., Results: Four thousand thirty-one women (1453 IFP; 2578 RC) were eligible. Among the IFP group, there was a 16.7% increase (P < 0.001) [95% confidence interval (CI): 13.2% to 20.2%] in incidence of condom use, 12.9% increase (P < 0.001) (95% CI: 9.4% to 16.4%) in incidence of FP use including condoms, 3.8% reduction (P < 0.001) (95% CI: 1.9% to 5.6%) in incidence of FP use excluding condoms, and 0.1% increase (P = 0.9) (95% CI: -1.9% to 2.1%) in incidence of pregnancies. The attributable risk of the incidence rate per 100 person-years of IFP and RC for new condom use was 16.4 (95% CI: 11.9 to 21.0), new FP use including condoms was 13.5 (95% CI: 8.7 to 18.3), new FP use excluding condoms was -3.0 (95% CI: -4.6 to -1.4) and new cases of pregnancies was 1.2 (95% CI: -0.6 to 3.0)., Conclusions: Integrating FP services into HIV care significantly increased the use of modern FP methods but no impact on pregnancy incidence. HIV programs need to consider integrating FP into their program structure.

Background: United states Agency for International development-Academic Model for Providing Accesses to Healthcare (USAID-AMPATH) cares for over 80,000 HIV-infected patients. Express care (EC) model addresses challenges of: clinically stable patient's adherent to combined-antiretroviral-therapy with minimal need for clinician intervention and high risk patients newly initiated on cART with CD4 counts < or = 100 cells/mm3 with frequent need for clinician intervention., Objective: To improve patient outcomes without increasing clinic resources., Design: A descriptive study of a clinician supervised shared nurse model., Setting: USAID-AMPATH clinics, Western Kenya., Results: Four thousand eight hundred and twenty four patients were seen during the pilot period, 90.4% were eligible for EC of whom 34.6% were enrolled. Nurses performed all traditional roles and attended to two thirds and three quarters of stable and high risk patient visits respectively. Clinicians attended to one third and one quarter of stable and high risk patient visits respectively and all visits ineligible for express care., Conclusion: The EC model is feasible. Task shifting allowed stable patients to receive visits with nurses, while clinicians had more time to concentrate on patients that were new as well as more acutely ill patients.

Objective: To review the literature on coronary heart disease (CHD) and its electrocardiogram (ECG) manifestations in Eastern Africa and provide medical education by increasing awareness and strengthening recognition skills of myocardial infarction (MI) through discussion of key features from representative ECGs selected from the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) ECG service in Eldoret, Kenya., Data Source: Peer reviewed published articles found using a Medline search. ECGs were reproduced with one complex from each of the 12 standard leads, without patient's name or other identifying information., Conclusion: CHD and its risk factors are increasing in prevalence in Eastern Africa over recent years. The ECG remains integral to the diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes, including MI. Representative ECGs from MTRH demonstrate the various features of the common anatomical distributions of MI, enabling medical education. Recognition of CHD and its ECG manifestations is one step on the path to decreasing resultant morbidity and mortality.