"We Need it the Same Day": A Qualitative Study of Caregivers and Community Members' Perspectives Toward the Use of Point-of-Care Early Infant Diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Only half of the infants tested for HIV ever receive results, leading to low uptake of treatment and increased mortality and morbidity rates. Point-of-care (POC) nucleic acid diagnostic machines allow for the possibility of same-day results. In Kenya and Zimbabwe, as part of an evaluation comparing standard of care with POC testing for early infant diagnosis, a qualitative substudy was undertaken to understand the acceptability of POC among caregivers of HIV-exposed infants and community members. SETTING: Kenya and Zimbabwe. METHODS: In Kenya, 74 interviews were conducted with caregivers, and 6 focus group discussions were conducted with male and female community members and elders. In Zimbabwe, we conducted 85 interviews and 8 focus group discussions. Data were collected in 2 rounds: 1 before the introduction of POC platforms and 1 after the platforms had been in use for at least 3 months. Interviews were conducted in local languages, and content analysis and constant comparison were used to identify key themes. RESULTS: Reduced time to receive test results lowered caregiver anxiety about the child's HIV status and allowed families to put children on treatment earlier. Printed POC results were seen by some as more trustworthy than conventional handwritten results, believing this reduced the chance of human error; a few distrusted HIV results were generated too quickly. Community awareness of POC was lower among caregivers of HIV-exposed infants. CONCLUSION: Caregivers are generally very accepting of receiving POC HIV test results; however, additional sensitization among influential community members about the benefits of POC testing is needed.

Evidence gap map of performance measurement and management in primary healthcare systems in low-income and middle-income countries.

INTRODUCTION: We mapped available evidence on performance measurement and management (PMM) strategies in primary healthcare (PHC) systems of low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Widely used, their effectiveness remains inconclusive. This evidence gap map characterises existing research and evidence gaps. METHODS: Systematic mapping of performance measurement and management research in LMICs from 2000 to mid-2018; literature searches of seven academic databases and institutional repositories of impact evaluations and systematic reviews. Using a combination of manual screening and machine learning, four reviewers appraised 38 088 titles and abstracts, and extracted metadata from 137 impact evaluations and 18 systematic reviews that met the inclusion criteria. The resulting visual representation of the evidence base was uploaded to a web-based platform. RESULTS: Since 2000, the number of studies has increased; the first systematic reviews were completed in 2010. Two-thirds of the studies were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Randomised controlled trials were the most frequently used study design. The evidence is concentrated in two types of PMM strategies: implementation strategies (in-service training, continuing education, supervision) and performance-based financing. Major gaps exist in accountability arrangements particularly the use of audit and feedback. The least studied types of outcomes were unintended effects, harm and social equity. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence is clustered around interventions that are unlikely to achieve transformational change in health outcomes. The gaps identified suggest that routinely used PMM strategies are implemented without sufficient knowledge of their effects. Future efforts at redesigning PHC systems need to be informed by evidence on the most effective approaches for using PMM strategies.

Evidence gap map of performance measurement and management in primary care delivery systems in low- and middle-income countries - Study protocol.

Background . For the last two decades there has been growing interest in governmental and global health stakeholders about the role that performance measurement and management systems can play for the production of high-quality and safely delivered primary care services. Despite recognition and interest, the gaps in evidence in this field of research and practice in low- and middle-income countries remain poorly characterized. This study will develop an evidence gap map in the area of performance management in primary care delivery systems in low- and middle-income countries. Methods. The evidence gap map will follow the methodology developed by 3Ie, the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, to systematically map evidence and research gaps. The process starts with the development of the scope by creating an evidence-informed framework that helps identify the interventions and outcomes of relevance as well as help define inclusion and exclusion criteria. A search strategy is then developed to guide the systematic search of the literature, covering the following databases: Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), CAB Global Health (Ovid), CINAHL (Ebsco), Cochrane Library, Scopus (Elsevier), and Econlit (Ovid). Sources of grey literature are also searched. Studies that meet the inclusion criteria are systematically coded, extracting data on intervention, outcome, measures, context, geography, equity, and study design. Systematic reviews are also critically appraised using an existing standard checklist. Impact evaluations are not appraised but will be coded according to study design. The process of map-building ends with the creation of an evidence gap map graphic that displays the available evidence according to the intervention and outcome framework of interest. Discussion . Implications arising from the evidence map will be discussed in a separate paper that will summarize findings and make recommendations for the development of a prioritized research agenda.