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Lee KM, Ma X, Yang GM, Cheung YB. Inclusion of unexposed clusters improves the precision of fixed effects analysis of stepped‐wedge cluster randomized trials. Stat Med 2022; 41:2923-2938. [DOI: 10.1002/sim.9394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Xiangmei Ma
- Centre for Quantitative Medicine Duke‐NUS Medical School Singapore
| | - Grace Meijuan Yang
- Division of Supportive and Palliative Care National Cancer Centre Singapore Singapore
- Lien Centre for Palliative Care Duke‐NUS Medical School Singapore
| | - Yin Bun Cheung
- Centre for Quantitative Medicine Duke‐NUS Medical School Singapore
- Signature Programme in Health Services & Systems Research Duke‐NUS Medical School Singapore
- Tampere Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research Tampere University Tampere Finland
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A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Adherence Interventions for Women Living with HIV. AIDS Behav 2019; 23:1998-2013. [PMID: 30443806 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-018-2341-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine the efficacy of women-focused ART adherence interventions. Included studies (a) reported on a behavioral ART adherence intervention for cis-women living with HIV, (b) measured ART adherence as an outcome, and (c) employed a randomized controlled trial design. Thirteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, interventions significantly improved ART adherence compared to control conditions (random-effects d = 0.82, 95% CI [0.18, 1.45], p = 0.01), however, this was largely driven by two studies that had effect sizes greater than 3 standard errors above the mean effect size. Key moderators were location, recruitment method, group-based intervention, and alteration of the healthcare system. Innovative behavioral interventions that focus on young women and adolescents, target the critical periods of pregnancy and postpartum and test the integration of multiple levels of intervention to create lasting effects on ART adherence are needed.
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Hoffmann CJ, Milovanovic M, Kinghorn A, Kim HY, Motlhaoleng K, Martinson NA, Variava E. Value stream mapping to characterize value and waste associated with accessing HIV care in South Africa. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0201032. [PMID: 30040836 PMCID: PMC6057670 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Inefficient clinic-level delivery of HIV services is a barrier to linkage and engagement in care. We used value stream mapping to quantify time spent on each component of a clinic visit while receiving care following a hospital admission in South Africa. METHODS We described time for each clinic service ("process time") and time spent waiting for that service ("lead time"). We also determined time and patient costs associated with travel to the clinic and expenditures during the clinic visits for 15 clinic visits in South Africa. Participants were selected consecutively based on timing of scheduled clinic visit from a cohort of HIV-positive patients recently discharged from inpatient hospital care. During the mapping we asked the participants to assess challenges faced at the clinic visit. We subsequently conducted in depth interviews and included themes from the care experience in this analysis. RESULTS The 15 clinic visits occurred at five clinics; four primary care and one hospital-based specialty clinic. Nine (64%) of the participants were women, the median age was 44 years (IQR: 32-49), three of the participants had one or more clinic visit in the prior 14 days, all but one participant was on antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the time of the clinic visit (ART was stopped following the hospital visit for that participant). The median time since hospital discharge was 131 days (interquartile range; IQR: 121-183) for the observed visits. The median travel time to and from the clinic to a place of residence was 60 minutes. The median time spent at the clinic was 3.5 hours (IQR: 2.5-5.3) of which 2.9 hours was lead time and 25 minutes was process time (registration, vital signs, clinician assessment, laboratory, and check-out). The median patient cost for transport and food while at the clinic was ZAR43/USD2.8 (median monthly household income in the district was ZAR2450/USD157). Participants highlighted long queues, repeat clinic visits, and multiple queues during the visit (median of 5 queues) as challenges. CONCLUSIONS Accessing HIV care in South Africa is time consuming, complicated by multiple queues and frequent visits. A more patient-centered approach to care may decrease the burden of receiving care and improve outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Hoffmann
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States of America
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Minja Milovanovic
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Anthony Kinghorn
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Hae-Young Kim
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Katlego Motlhaoleng
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Neil A. Martinson
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Faculty of Health Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ebrahim Variava
- Department of Internal Medicine, Klerksdorp Tshepong Hospital Complex and the University of the Witwatersrand, Klerksdorp, South Africa
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Marotta C, Di Gennaro F, Pizzol D, Madeira G, Monno L, Saracino A, Putoto G, Casuccio A, Mazzucco W. The At Risk Child Clinic (ARCC): 3 Years of Health Activities in Support of the Most Vulnerable Children in Beira, Mozambique. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:ijerph15071350. [PMID: 29954117 PMCID: PMC6069480 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15071350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Revised: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The concept of “children at risk” changes worldwide according to each specific context. Africa has a large burden of overall risk factors related to childhood health and development, most of which are of an infective or social origin. The aim of this study was to report and analyze the volumes of activities of fifteen At Risk Child Clinics (ARCCs) within the Beira District (Mozambique) over a 3 year-period in order to define the health profile of children accessing such health services. We retrospectively analyzed the data from all of the children accessing one of the 15 Beira ARCCs from January 2015 to December 2017. From this, 17,657 first consultations were registered. The motivations for accessing the services were in order of relevance: HIV exposure (n. 12,300; 69.7%), other risk conditions (n. 2542; 14.4%), Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) (n. 1664; 9.4%), Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) (n. 772; 4.4%), and TB exposure (n. 542; 3.1%). During the first consultations, 16,865 children were screened for HIV (95.5%), and 7.89% tested HIV-positive. In our three years of experience, HIV exposure was the main indication for children to access the ARCCs in Mozambique. ARCCs could represent a strategic point to better understand health demands and to monitor the quality of care provided to this vulnerable population group, however significant effort is needed to improve the quality of the data collection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Marotta
- Department of Science for Health Promotion and Mother to Child Care "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Via del Vespro, Palermo 90217, Italy.
| | - Francesco Di Gennaro
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari 70124, Italy.
- Research Unit, Doctors with Africa CUAMM, Beira 1363, Mozambique.
| | - Damiano Pizzol
- Research Unit, Doctors with Africa CUAMM, Beira 1363, Mozambique.
| | | | - Laura Monno
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari 70124, Italy.
| | - Annalisa Saracino
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari 70124, Italy.
| | - Giovanni Putoto
- Research Section, Doctors with Africa CUAMM, Padova 35128, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Casuccio
- Department of Science for Health Promotion and Mother to Child Care "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Via del Vespro, Palermo 90217, Italy.
| | - Walter Mazzucco
- Department of Science for Health Promotion and Mother to Child Care "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Via del Vespro, Palermo 90217, Italy.
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Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial to Promote Option B+ Retention in Central Mozambique. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2017; 76:273-280. [PMID: 28777263 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000001515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This randomized trial studied performance of Option B+ in Mozambique and evaluated an enhanced retention package in public clinics. SETTING The study was conducted at 6 clinics in Manica and Sofala Provinces in central Mozambique. METHODS Seven hundred sixty-one pregnant women tested HIV+, immediately initiated antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, and were followed to track retention at 6 clinics from May 2014 to May 2015. Clinics were randomly allocated within a stepped-wedge fashion to intervention and control periods. The intervention included (1) workflow modifications and (2) active patient tracking. Retention was defined as percentage of patients returning for 30-, 60-, and 90-day medication refills within 25-35 days of previous refills. RESULTS During control periods, 52.3% of women returned for 30-day refills vs. 70.8% in intervention periods [odds ratio (OR): 1.80; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05 to 3.08]. At 60 days, 46.1% control vs. 57.9% intervention were retained (OR: 1.82; CI: 1.06 to 3.11), and at 90 days, 38.3% control vs. 41.0% intervention (OR: 1.04; CI: 0.60 to 1.82). In prespecified subanalyses, birth before pickups was strongly associated with failure-women giving birth before ARV pickup were 33.3 times (CI: 4.4 to 250.3), 7.5 times (CI: 3.6 to 15.9), and 3.7 times (CI: 2.2 to 6.0) as likely to not return for ARV pickups at 30, 60, and 90 days, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The intervention was effective at 30 and 60 days, but not at 90 days. Combined 90-day retention (40%) and adherence (22.5%) were low. Efforts to improve retention are particularly important for women giving birth before ARV refills.
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Option B+ in Mozambique: Formative Research Findings for the Design of a Facility-Level Clustered Randomized Controlled Trial to Improve ART Retention in Antenatal Care. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2017; 72 Suppl 2:S181-8. [PMID: 27355507 PMCID: PMC5113244 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000001061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION With the rollout of "Option B+" in Mozambique in 2013, initial data indicated major challenges to early retention in antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-positive pregnant women. We sought to develop and test a pilot intervention in 6 large public clinics in central Mozambique to improve retention of mothers starting ART in antenatal care. The results from the formative research from this study described here were used to design the intervention. METHODS The research was initiated in early 2013 and completed in early 2014 in each of the 6 study clinics and consisted of (1) patient flow mapping and measurement of retention through collection of health systems data from antenatal care registries, pharmacy registries, ART clinic databases, (2) workforce assessment and measurement of patient waiting times, and (3) patient and worker individual interviews and focus groups. RESULTS Coverage of HIV testing and ART initiation were over 90% at all sites, but retention at 30-, 60-, and 90-day pharmacy refill visits was very low ranging from only 5% at 1 site to 30% returning at 90 days. These data revealed major systemic bottlenecks that contributed to poor adherence and retention in the first month after ART initiation. Long wait times, short consultations, and poor counseling were identified as barriers. CONCLUSIONS Based on these findings, we designed an intervention with these components: (1) workflow modification to redefine nurse tasks, shift tasks to community health workers, and enhance patient tracking and (2) an adherence and retention package to systematize active patient follow-up, ensure home visits by community health workers, use text messaging, and intensify counseling by health staff. This intervention is currently under evaluation using a stepped wedge design.
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Wesevich A, Mtande T, Saidi F, Cromwell E, Tweya H, Hosseinipour MC, Hoffman I, Miller WC, Rosenberg NE. Role of male partner involvement in ART retention and adherence in Malawi's Option B+ program. AIDS Care 2017; 29:1417-1425. [PMID: 28355926 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2017.1308464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Malawi's Option B+ program provides all HIV-infected pregnant women free lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART), but challenges remain regarding retention and ART adherence, potentially due to male partner barriers. We explored relationships between male partner involvement and Option B+ retention and adherence. In 2014, a randomized controlled trial in Malawi compared male recruitment strategies for couple HIV testing and counseling (cHTC) at an antenatal clinic. This secondary analysis was conducted among the entire cohort (N = 200) of women, irrespective of randomization status. We assessed whether cHTC attendance, early disclosure of HIV-positive status, and partner ART reminders were associated with retention and adherence at one month after starting treatment. Retention was defined as attending HIV clinic follow-up within one day of running out of pills. Adherence was defined as taking ≥95% of ARTs by pill count. We used binomial regression to calculate adjusted risk ratios (aRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Median female age was 26 years. Most women (79%) were retained; of these, 68% were adherent. Receiving cHTC was associated with improved retention (aRR 1.33, 95% CI 1.12, 1.59). Receiving male partner ART reminders was weakly associated with retention (aRR 1.16, 95% CI 0.96, 1.39). Disclosure within one day was not associated with retention (aRR 1.08, 95% CI: 0.91, 1.28). Among those who were retained, these three behaviors were not associated with improved 95% adherence. CHTC could play an important role in improving Option B+ retention. Increasing cHTC participation and enhancing adherence-related messages within cHTC are important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Wesevich
- a UNC Project , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - Tiwonge Mtande
- a UNC Project , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - Friday Saidi
- a UNC Project , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Lilongwe , Malawi
| | - Elizabeth Cromwell
- b Department of Epidemiology , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , USA
| | - Hannock Tweya
- c Lighthouse Trust , Lilongwe , Malawi.,d The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease , Paris , France
| | - Mina C Hosseinipour
- a UNC Project , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Lilongwe , Malawi.,e Department of Medicine , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , USA
| | - Irving Hoffman
- a UNC Project , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Lilongwe , Malawi.,e Department of Medicine , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , USA
| | - William C Miller
- b Department of Epidemiology , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , USA.,e Department of Medicine , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , USA
| | - Nora E Rosenberg
- a UNC Project , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Lilongwe , Malawi.,b Department of Epidemiology , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , USA.,e Department of Medicine , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , USA
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Barker D, D'Este C, Campbell MJ, McElduff P. Minimum number of clusters and comparison of analysis methods for cross sectional stepped wedge cluster randomised trials with binary outcomes: A simulation study. Trials 2017; 18:119. [PMID: 28279222 PMCID: PMC5345156 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-017-1862-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stepped wedge cluster randomised trials frequently involve a relatively small number of clusters. The most common frameworks used to analyse data from these types of trials are generalised estimating equations and generalised linear mixed models. A topic of much research into these methods has been their application to cluster randomised trial data and, in particular, the number of clusters required to make reasonable inferences about the intervention effect. However, for stepped wedge trials, which have been claimed by many researchers to have a statistical power advantage over the parallel cluster randomised trial, the minimum number of clusters required has not been investigated. METHODS We conducted a simulation study where we considered the most commonly used methods suggested in the literature to analyse cross-sectional stepped wedge cluster randomised trial data. We compared the per cent bias, the type I error rate and power of these methods in a stepped wedge trial setting with a binary outcome, where there are few clusters available and when the appropriate adjustment for a time trend is made, which by design may be confounding the intervention effect. RESULTS We found that the generalised linear mixed modelling approach is the most consistent when few clusters are available. We also found that none of the common analysis methods for stepped wedge trials were both unbiased and maintained a 5% type I error rate when there were only three clusters. CONCLUSIONS Of the commonly used analysis approaches, we recommend the generalised linear mixed model for small stepped wedge trials with binary outcomes. We also suggest that in a stepped wedge design with three steps, at least two clusters be randomised at each step, to ensure that the intervention effect estimator maintains the nominal 5% significance level and is also reasonably unbiased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Barker
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. .,CCEB, University of Newcastle, HMRI Building, Level 4 West, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
| | - Catherine D'Este
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Michael J Campbell
- Medical Statistics Group, ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Patrick McElduff
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,Health Policy Analysis Pty Ltd, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Means AR, Phillips DE, Lurton G, Njoroge A, Furere SM, Liu R, Hassan WM, Dai X, Augusto O, Cherutich P, Ikilezi G, Soi C, Xu D, Kemp CG. The role of implementation science training in global health: from the perspective of graduates of the field's first dedicated doctoral program. Glob Health Action 2016; 9:31899. [PMID: 27846928 PMCID: PMC5110555 DOI: 10.3402/gha.v9.31899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Revised: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bridging the ‘know-do gap’ is an enormous challenge for global health practitioners. They must be able to understand local health dynamics within the operational and social contexts that engender them, test and adjust approaches to implementation in collaboration with communities and stakeholders, interpret data to inform policy decisions, and design adaptive and resilient health systems at scale. These skills and methods have been formalized within the nascent field of Implementation Science (IS). As graduates of the world's first PhD program dedicated explicitly to IS, we have a unique perspective on the value of IS and the training, knowledge, and skills essential to bridging the ‘know-do gap’. In this article, we describe the philosophy and curricula at the core of our program, outline the methods vital to IS in a global health context, and detail the role that we believe IS will increasingly play in global health practice. At this junction of enormous challenges and opportunities, we believe that IS offers the necessary tools for global health professionals to address complex problems in context and raises the bar of success for the global health programs of the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna R Means
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;
| | - David E Phillips
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Grégoire Lurton
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Anne Njoroge
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sabine M Furere
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rong Liu
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Wisal M Hassan
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Xiaochen Dai
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Orvalho Augusto
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Peter Cherutich
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gloria Ikilezi
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Caroline Soi
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Dong Xu
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Retention in Care among HIV-Infected Pregnant Women in Haiti with PMTCT Option B. AIDS Res Treat 2016; 2016:6284290. [PMID: 27651953 PMCID: PMC5019862 DOI: 10.1155/2016/6284290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background. Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV relies on engagement in care during the prenatal, peripartum, and postpartum periods. Under PMTCT Option B, pregnant women with elevated CD4 counts are provided with antiretroviral prophylaxis until cessation of breastfeeding. Methods. Retrospective analysis of retention in care among HIV-infected pregnant women in Haiti was performed. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with loss to follow-up (LFU) defined as no medical visit for at least 6 months and Kaplan-Meier curves were created to show LFU timing. Results. Women in the cohort had 463 pregnancies between 2009 and 2012 with retention rates of 80% at delivery, 67% at one year, and 59% at 2 years. Among those who were LFU, the highest risk period was during pregnancy (60%) or shortly afterwards (24.4% by 12 months). Never starting on antiretroviral therapy (aRR 2.29, 95% CI 1.4–3.8) was associated with loss to follow-up. Conclusions. Loss to follow-up during and after pregnancy was common in HIV-infected women in Haiti under PMTCT Option B. Since sociodemographic factors and distance from home to facility did not predict LFU, future work should elicit and address barriers to retention at the initial prenatal care visit in all women. Better tracking systems to capture engagement in care in the wider network are needed.
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Barker D, McElduff P, D'Este C, Campbell MJ. Stepped wedge cluster randomised trials: a review of the statistical methodology used and available. BMC Med Res Methodol 2016; 16:69. [PMID: 27267471 PMCID: PMC4895892 DOI: 10.1186/s12874-016-0176-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 05/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous reviews have focussed on the rationale for employing the stepped wedge design (SWD), the areas of research to which the design has been applied and the general characteristics of the design. However these did not focus on the statistical methods nor addressed the appropriateness of sample size methods used.This was a review of the literature of the statistical methodology used in stepped wedge cluster randomised trials. METHODS Literature Review. The Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Cochrane databases were searched for methodological guides and RCTs which employed the stepped wedge design. RESULTS This review identified 102 trials which employed the stepped wedge design compared to 37 from the most recent review by Beard et al. 2015. Forty six trials were cohort designs and 45 % (n = 46) had fewer than 10 clusters. Of the 42 articles discussing the design methodology 10 covered analysis and seven covered sample size. For cohort stepped wedge designs there was only one paper considering analysis and one considering sample size methods. Most trials employed either a GEE or mixed model approach to analysis (n = 77) but only 22 trials (22 %) estimated sample size in a way which accounted for the stepped wedge design that was subsequently used. CONCLUSIONS Many studies which employ the stepped wedge design have few clusters but use methods of analysis which may require more clusters for unbiased and efficient intervention effect estimates. There is the need for research on the minimum number of clusters required for both types of stepped wedge design. Researchers should distinguish in the sample size calculation between cohort and cross sectional stepped wedge designs. Further research is needed on the effect of adjusting for the potential confounding of time on the study power.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Barker
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, CCEB, HMRI Building, Level 4 West, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
| | - P McElduff
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, CCEB, HMRI Building, Level 4 West, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
| | - C D'Este
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, CCEB, HMRI Building, Level 4 West, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.,National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
| | - M J Campbell
- Medical Statistics Group, ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Kuete M, Yuan H, He Q, Tchoua Kemayou AL, Ndognjem TP, Yang F, Hu Z, Tian B, Zhao K, Zhang H, Xiong C. Sexual Practices, Fertility Intentions, and Awareness to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV Among Infected Pregnant Women at the Yaounde Central Hospital. Sex Med 2016; 4:e95-e103. [PMID: 27006318 PMCID: PMC5005303 DOI: 10.1016/j.esxm.2016.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Revised: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The sexual and reproductive health of people living with HIV is fundamental for their well-being. Antiretroviral therapy and reproductive technologies have significantly improved quality of life of people living with HIV in developed countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, the epicenter of HIV, the sexual practices and fertility of women infected with HIV have been understudied. Aim To assess the sexual behavior, fertility intentions, and awareness of preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in pregnant women with HIV-negative partners in Yaounde Central Hospital (Yaounde, Cameroon). Methods A cross-sectional survey using a semistructured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was conducted at the antenatal unit and HIV clinic in 2014. Main Outcome Measures Ninety-four pregnant women infected with HIV provided consistent information on (i) sociodemographic characteristics, (ii) sexual and fertility patterns, (iii) awareness of preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and (iv) their unmet needs. Results Although sexual desire had significantly changed since their HIV diagnosis, the women were highly sexually active. Approximately 19% of women had more than one sexual partner and 40% had regular unprotected sex during the 12-month period before the interviews (P < .0001). Twenty-nine percent of women preferred intermittent sexual intercourse and inconsistent condom use to delay pregnancy, but the abortion rate remained high. Age, marital status, and education affected women's awareness of mother-to-child transmission (P < .05); and no association existed between the number of living children and future pregnancies (rs = −0.217; P = .036). Conclusion HIV-infected women living with HIV-negative partners in Cameroon expressed high sexual and fertility intentions with several unmet needs, including safer sexual practices and conception. Incorporating and supporting safe sexual educational practices and conception services in maternal care can decrease risky sexual behavior and vertical transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kuete
- Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China; Yaounde Central Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Messa, Cameroon
| | - Hongfang Yuan
- Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qian He
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Aude Laure Tchoua Kemayou
- Yaounde Central Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Messa, Cameroon
| | - Tita Pale Ndognjem
- Yaounde Central Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Messa, Cameroon
| | - Fan Yang
- Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - ZhiZong Hu
- Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - BoZhen Tian
- Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Kai Zhao
- Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - HuiPing Zhang
- Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - ChengLiang Xiong
- Family Planning Research Institute, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
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