Systems analysis and improvement approach to optimize tuberculosis (SAIA-TB) screening, treatment, and prevention in South Africa: a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial

BACKGROUND

The use of systems engineering tools, including the development and use of care cascades using routinely collected data, process mapping, and continuous quality improvement, is used for frontline healthcare workers to devise systems level change. South Africa experiences high rates of tuberculosis (TB) infection and disease as well as HIV co-infection. The Department of Health has made significant gains in HIV services over the last two decades, reaching their set "90-90-90" targets for HIV. However, TB services, although robust, have lagged in comparison for both disease and infection. The Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) is a five-step implementation science method, drawn from systems engineering, to identify, define, and implement workflow modifications using cascade analysis, process mapping, and repeated quality improvement cycles within healthcare facilities.

METHODS

This stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial will evaluate the effectiveness of SAIA on TB (SAIA-TB) cascade optimization for patients with TB and high-risk contacts across 16 clinics in four local municipalities in the Sarah Baartman district, Eastern Cape, South Africa. We hypothesize that SAIA-TB implementation will lead to a 20% increase in each of: TB screening, TB preventive treatment initiation, and TB disease treatment initiation during the 18-month intervention period. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews with clinic staff will also be conducted to determine drivers of implementation variability across clinics.

DISCUSSION

This study has the potential to improve TB screening, treatment initiation, and completion for both active disease and preventive measures among individuals with and without HIV in a high burden setting. SAIA-TB provides frontline health care workers with a systems-level view of their care delivery system with the aim of sustainable systems-level improvements.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT06314386. Registered 18 March 2024, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06314386 . NCT06314386.

Scaling-up and scaling-out the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach to optimize the hypertension diagnosis and care cascade for HIV infected individuals (SCALE SAIA-HTN): a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Undiagnosed and untreated hypertension is a main driver of cardiovascular disease and disproportionately affects persons living with HIV (PLHIV) in low- and middle-income countries. Across sub-Saharan Africa, guideline application to screen and manage hypertension among PLHIV is inconsistent due to poor service readiness, low health worker motivation, and limited integration of hypertension screening and management within HIV care services. In Mozambique, where the adult HIV prevalence is over 13%, an estimated 39% of adults have hypertension. As the only scaled chronic care service in the county, the HIV treatment platform presents an opportunity to standardize and scale hypertension care services. Low-cost, multi-component systems-level strategies such as the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) have been found effective at integrating hypertension and HIV services to improve the effectiveness of hypertension care delivery for PLHIV, reduce drop-offs in care, and improve service quality. To build off lessons learned from a recently completed cluster randomized trial (SAIA-HTN) and establish a robust evidence base on the effectiveness of SAIA at scale, we evaluated a scaled-delivery model of SAIA (SCALE SAIA-HTN) using existing district health management structures to facilitate SAIA across six districts of Maputo Province, Mozambique.

METHODS

This study employs a stepped-wedge design with randomization at the district level. The SAIA strategy will be "scaled up" with delivery by district health supervisors (rather than research staff) and will be "scaled out" via expansion to Southern Mozambique, to 18 facilities across six districts in Maputo Province. SCALE SAIA-HTN will be introduced over three, 9-month waves of intensive intervention, where technical support will be provided to facilities and district managers by study team members from the Mozambican National Institute of Health. Our evaluation of SCALE SAIA-HTN will be guided by the RE-AIM framework and will seek to estimate the budget impact from the payer's perspective.

DISCUSSION

SAIA packages user-friendly systems engineering tools to support decision-making by frontline health workers and to identify low-cost, contextually relevant improvement strategies. By integrating SAIA delivery into routine management structures, this pragmatic trial will determine an effective strategy for national scale-up and inform program planning.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05002322 (registered 02/15/2023).

Implementation outcomes of the integrated district evidence to action (IDEAs) program to reduce neonatal mortality in central Mozambique: an application of the RE-AIM evaluation framework

BACKGROUND

Scarce evidence exists on audit and feedback implementation processes in low-resource health systems. The Integrated District Evidence to Action (IDEAs) is a multi-component audit and feedback strategy designed to improve the implementation of maternal and child guidelines in Mozambique. We report IDEAs implementation outcomes.

METHODS

IDEAs was implemented in 154 health facilities across 12 districts in Manica and Sofala provinces between 2016 and 2020 and evaluated using a quasi-experimental design guided by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Reach is the proportion of pregnant women attending IDEAs facilities. Adoption is the proportion of facilities initiating audit and feedback meetings. Implementation is the fidelity to the strategy components, including readiness assessments, meetings (frequency, participation, action plan development), and targeted financial support and supervision. Maintenance is the sustainment at 12, 24, and 54 months.

RESULTS

Across both provinces, 56% of facilities were exposed to IDEAs (target 57%). Sixty-nine and 73% of pregnant women attended those facilities' first and fourth antenatal consultations (target 70%). All facilities adopted the intervention. 99% of the expected meetings occurred with an average interval of 5.9 out of 6 months. Participation of maternal and child managers was high, with 3076 attending meetings, of which 64% were from the facility, 29% from the district, and 7% from the province level. 97% of expected action plans were created, and 41 specific problems were identified. "Weak diagnosis or management of obstetric complications" was identified as the main problem, and "actions to reinforce norms and protocols" was the dominant subcategory of micro-interventions selected. Fidelity to semiannual readiness assessments was low (52% of expected facilities), and in completing micro-interventions (17% were completed). Ninety-six and 95% of facilities sustained the intervention at 12 and 24 months, respectively, and 71% had completed nine cycles at 54 months.

CONCLUSION

Maternal and child managers can lead audit and feedback processes in primary health care in Mozambique with high reach, adoption, and maintenance. The IDEAs strategy should be adapted to promote higher fidelity around implementing action plans and conducting readiness assessments. Adding effectiveness to these findings will help to inform strategy scale-up.

Impact of differentiated service delivery models on 12-month retention in HIV treatment in Mozambique: an interrupted time-series analysis

BACKGROUND

HIV treatment has been available in Mozambique since 2004, but coverage of, and retention in, antiretroviral therapy (ART) remain suboptimal. Therefore, to increase health system efficiency and reduce HIV-associated mortality, in November, 2018, the Ministry of Health launched national guidelines on implementing eight differentiated service delivery models (DSDMs) for HIV treatment. We assessed the effect of this implementation on retention in ART 12 months after initiation, and explored the associated effects of COVID-19.

METHODS

In this uncontrolled interrupted time-series analysis, data were extracted from the Mozambique ART database, which contains data on individuals in ART care from 1455 health facilities providing ART in Mozambique. We included individual-level data from facilities that were providing ART at the beginning of the study period (Jan 1, 2016) and at the start of DSDM implementation (Dec 1, 2018). We compared the proportion of individuals retained in ART 12 months after initiation between the periods before (Jan 1, 2017, to Nov 30, 2018) and after (Dec 1, 2019, to June 30, 2021) implementation of the DSDMs, overall and stratified by sex and age. We applied a generalised estimating equation model with a working independence correlation and cluster-robust standard errors to account for clustering at the facility level. In a secondary analysis, we assessed the effect of COVID-19 response measures during the post-intervention period on ART retention.

FINDINGS

The study included 613 facilities and 1 131 118 individuals who started ART during the inclusion period up to June 30, 2020, of whom 79 178 (7·0%) were children (age ≤14 years), 226 224 (20·0%) were adolescents and young adults (age 15-24 years), and 825 716 (73·0%) were adults (age ≥25 years). 731 623 (64·7%) were female and 399 495 (35·3%) were male. Introduction of the DSDMs was associated with an estimated increase of 24·5 percentage points (95% CI 21·1 to 28·0) in 12-month ART retention by the end of the study period, compared with the counterfactual scenario without DSDM implementation. By age, the smallest effect was estimated in children (6·1 percentage points, 1·3 to 10·9) and the largest effect in adolescents and young adults (28·8 percentage points, 24·2 to 33·4); by sex, a larger effect was estimated in males (29·7 percentage points, 25·6 to 33·7). Our analysis showed that COVID-19 had an overall negative effect on 12-month retention in ART compared with a counterfactual scenario based on the post-intervention period without COVID-19 (-10·0 percentage points, -18·2 to -1·8).

INTERPRETATION

The implementation of eight DSDMs for HIV treatment had a positive impact on 12-month retention in ART. COVID-19 negatively influenced this outcome.

FUNDING

None.

TRANSLATION

For the Portuguese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Healthcare worker perceived barriers and facilitators to implementing a tuberculosis preventive therapy program in rural South Africa: a content analysis using the consolidated framework for implementation research

BACKGROUND

South African national tuberculosis (TB) guidelines, in accordance with the World Health Organization, recommend conducting routine household TB contact investigation with provision of TB preventive therapy (TPT) for those who qualify. However, implementation of TPT has been suboptimal in rural South Africa. We sought to identify barriers and facilitators to TB contact investigations and TPT management in rural Eastern Cape, South Africa, to inform the development of an implementation strategy to launch a comprehensive TB program.

METHODS

We collected qualitative data through individual semi-structured interviews with 19 healthcare workers at a district hospital and four surrounding primary-care clinics referring to the hospital. The consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) was used to develop interview questions as well as guide deductive content analysis to determine potential drivers of implementation success or failure.

RESULTS

A total of 19 healthcare workers were interviewed. Identified common barriers included lack of provider knowledge regarding efficacy of TPT, lack of TPT documentation workflows for clinicians, and widespread community resource constraints. Facilitators identified included healthcare workers high interest to learn more about the effectiveness of TPT, interest in problem-solving logistical barriers in provision of comprehensive TB care (including TPT), and desire for clinic and nurse-led TB prevention efforts.

CONCLUSION

The use of the CFIR, a validated implementation determinants framework, provided a systematic approach to identify barriers and facilitators to TB household contact investigation, specifically the provision and management of TPT in this rural, high TB burden setting. Specific resources-time, trainings, and evidence-are necessary to ensure healthcare providers feel knowledgeable and competent about TPT prior to prescribing it more broadly. Tangible resources such as improved data systems coupled with political coordination and funding for TPT programming are essential for sustainability.

"We should be resourcing their liberation:" a qualitative formative study to guide introduction of a systems engineering intervention at a King County, WA juvenile detention center clinic

BACKGROUND

There are ongoing efforts to eliminate juvenile detention in King County, WA. An essential element of this work is effectively addressing the health needs of youth who are currently detained to improve their wellbeing and reduce further contact with the criminal legal system. This formative study sought to inform adaptation and piloting of an evidence-based systems engineering strategy - the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) - in a King County juvenile detention center clinic to improve quality and continuity of healthcare services. Our aims were to describe the priority health needs of young people who are involved in Washington's criminal legal system and the current system of healthcare for young people who are detained.

METHODS

We conducted nine individual interviews with providers serving youth. We also obtained de-identified quantitative summary reports of quality improvement discussions held between clinic staff and 13 young people who were detained at the time of data collection. Interview transcripts were analyzed using deductive and inductive coding and quantitative data were used to triangulate emergent themes.

RESULTS

Providers identified three priority healthcare cascades for detention-based health services-mental health, substance use, and primary healthcare-and reported that care for these concerns is often introduced for the first time in detention. Interviewees classified incarceration itself as a health hazard, highlighting the paradox of resourcing healthcare quality improvement interventions in an inherently harmful setting. Fractured communication and collaboration across detention- and community-based entities drives systems-level inefficiencies, obstructs access to health and social services for marginalized youth, and fragments the continuum of care for young people establishing care plans while detained in King County. 31% of youth self-reported receiving episodic healthcare prior to detention, 15% reported never having medical care prior to entering detention, and 46% had concerns about finding healthcare services upon release to the community.

CONCLUSIONS

Systems engineering interventions such as the SAIA may be appropriate and feasible approaches to build systems thinking across and between services, remedy systemic challenges, and ensure necessary information sharing for care continuity. However, more information is needed directly from youth to draw conclusions about effective pathways for healthcare quality improvement.

Assessing drivers of implementing "Scaling-up the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach" for Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission in Mozambique (SAIA-SCALE) over implementation waves

BACKGROUND

The Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) is an evidence-based package of systems engineering tools originally designed to improve patient flow through the prevention of Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) cascade. SAIA is a potentially scalable model for maximizing the benefits of universal antiretroviral therapy (ART) for mothers and their babies. SAIA-SCALE was a stepped wedge trial implemented in Manica Province, Mozambique, to evaluate SAIA's effectiveness when led by district health managers, rather than by study nurses. We present the results of a qualitative assessment of implementation determinants of the SAIA-SCALE strategy during two intensive and one maintenance phases.

METHODS

We used an extended case study design that embedded the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to guide data collection, analysis, and interpretation. From March 2019 to April 2020, we conducted in-depth individual interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with district managers, health facility maternal and child health (MCH) managers, and frontline nurses at 21 health facilities and seven districts of Manica Province (Chimoio, Báruè, Gondola, Macate, Manica, Sussundenga, and Vanduzi).

RESULTS

We included 85 participants: 50 through IDIs and 35 from three FGDs. Most study participants were women (98%), frontline nurses (49.4%), and MCH health facility managers (32.5%). An identified facilitator of successful intervention implementation (regardless of intervention phase) was related to SAIA's compatibility with organizational structures, processes, and priorities of Mozambique's health system at the district and health facility levels. Identified barriers to successful implementation included (a) inadequate health facility and road infrastructure preventing mothers from accessing MCH/PMTCT services at study health facilities and preventing nurses from dedicating time to improving service provision, and (b) challenges in managing intervention funds.

CONCLUSIONS

The SAIA-SCALE qualitative evaluation suggests that the scalability of SAIA for PMTCT is enhanced by its fit within organizational structures, processes, and priorities at the primary level of healthcare delivery and health system management in Mozambique. Barriers to implementation that impact the scalability of SAIA include district-level financial management capabilities and lack of infrastructure at the health facility level. SAIA cannot be successfully scaled up to adequately address PMTCT needs without leveraging central-level resources and priorities.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03425136 . Registered on 02/06/2018.

Elaboration and implementation of a protocol for the Golden Hour of premature newborns using an Implementation Science lens

OBJECTIVE

describe the process of designing and implementing a care protocol for the first hour of life of premature newborns.

METHOD

a participatory research study using an implementation science framework, the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was employed to determine drivers and facilitators of implementation success of the Golden Hour protocol for newborns at a large university hospital in southeastern Brazil. A multi-professional team, including first line providers and managers participated in six stages of quality improvement: situational diagnosis; protocol elaboration; training protocol implementation; barrier and facilitator assessment; and protocol monitoring and review. Qualitative and monitoring data collected across these six stages were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

RESULTS

the institution's Golden Hour protocol was organized by the multi-professional team based on a collective and dialogical approach. The protocol prioritized the infant's cardiopulmonary stability, as well as prevention of hypothermia, hypoglycemia and infection. After four months of implementation, the care team was evaluated the protocol as a good quality intervention, necessary for the service, low-cost and not very complex. One suggested improvement recommended was to carry out refresher training to address staff turnover.

CONCLUSION

implementation of the Golden Hour protocol introduced an appropriate and feasible neonatal care quality improvement process, which requires periodic refresher training to ensure greater adherence and better neonatal results.

Refining the Performance of Routine Information System Management (PRISM) framework for data use at the local level: An integrative review

INTRODUCTION

Foundational to a well-functioning health system is a strong routine health information system (RHIS) that informs decisions and actions at all levels of the health system. In the context of decentralization across low- and middle-income countries, RHIS has the promise of supporting sub-national health staff to take data-informed actions to improve health system performance. However, there is wide variation in how "RHIS data use" is defined and measured in the literature, impeding the development and evaluation of interventions that effectively promote RHIS data use.

METHODS

An integrative review methodology was used to: (1) synthesize the state of the literature on how RHIS data use in low- and middle-income countries is conceptualized and measured; (2) propose a refined RHIS data use framework and develop a common definition for RHIS data use; and (3) propose improved approaches to measure RHIS data use. Four electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles published between 2009 and 2021 investigating RHIS data use.

RESULTS

A total of 45 articles, including 24 articles measuring RHIS data use, met the inclusion criteria. Less than half of included articles (42%) explicitly defined RHIS data use. There were differences across the literature whether RHIS data tasks such as data analysis preceded or were a part of RHIS data use; there was broad consensus that data-informed decisions and actions were essential steps within the RHIS data use process. Based on the synthesis, the Performance of Routine Information System Management (PRISM) framework was refined to specify the steps of the RHIS data use process.

CONCLUSION

Conceptualizing RHIS data use as a process that includes data-informed actions emphasizes the importance of actions in improving health system performance. Future studies and implementation strategies should be designed with consideration for the different support needs for each step of the RHIS data use process.

Implementation and scale-up of a single-visit, screen-and-treat approach with thermal ablation for sustainable cervical cancer prevention services: a protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial in Kenya

BACKGROUND

An important cervical cancer prevention strategy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been single-visit screen-and-treat (SV-SAT) approach, using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and ablative treatment with cryotherapy to manage precancerous lesions. While SV-SAT with VIA and cryotherapy have established efficacy, its population level coverage and impact on reducing cervical cancer burden remains low. In Kenya, the estimated cervical cancer screening uptake among women aged 30-49 is 16% and up to 70% of screen-positive women do not receive treatment. Thermal ablation for treatment of precancerous lesions of the cervix is recommended by the World Health Organization and has the potential to overcome logistical challenges associated with cryotherapy and facilitate implementation of SV-SAT approach and increase treatment rates of screen-positive women. In this 5-year prospective, stepped-wedge randomized trial, we plan to implement and evaluate the SV-SAT approach using VIA and thermal ablation in ten reproductive health clinics in central Kenya.

METHODS

The study aims to develop and evaluate implementation strategies to inform the national scale-up of SV-SAT approach with VIA and thermal ablation through three aims: (1) develop locally tailored implementation strategies using multi-level participatory method with key stakeholders (patient, provider, system-level), (2) implement SV-SAT approach with VIA and thermal ablation and evaluate clinical and implementation outcomes, and (3) assess the budget impact of SV-SAT approach with VIA and thermal ablation compared to single-visit, screen-and-treat method using cryotherapy.

DISCUSSION

Our findings will inform national scale-up of the SV-SAT approach with VIA and thermal ablation. We anticipate that this intervention, along with tailored implementation strategies will enhance the adoption and sustainability of cervical cancer screening and treatment compared to the standard of care using cryotherapy.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT05472311.

Development, successes, and potential pitfalls of multidisciplinary chronic disease management clinics in a family health team: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

The creation of Family Health Teams in Ontario was intended to reconfigure primary care services to better meet the needs of an aging population, an increasing proportion of which is affected by frailty and multimorbidity. However, evaluations of family health teams have yielded mixed results.

METHODS

We conducted interviews with 22 health professionals affiliated or working with a well-established family health team in Southwest Ontario to understand how it approached the development of interprofessional chronic disease management programs, including successes and areas for improvement.

RESULTS

Qualitative analysis of the transcripts identified two primary themes: [1] Interprofessional team building and [2] Inadvertent creation of silos. Within the first theme, two subthemes were identified: (a) collegial learning and (b) informal and electronic communication.

CONCLUSION

Emphasis on collegiality among professionals, rather than on more traditional hierarchical relationships and common workspaces, created opportunities for better informal communication and shared learning and hence better care for patients. However, formal communication and process structures are required to optimize the deployment, engagement, and professional development of clinical resources to better support chronic disease management and to avoid internal care fragmentation for more complex patients with clustered chronic conditions.

Healthcare worker knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding tuberculosis preventive therapy in rural South Africa: A content analysis using the consolidated framework for implementation research

BACKGROUND

South African national tuberculosis (TB) guidelines, in accordance with the World Health Organization, recommend conducting routine household TB contact investigation with provision of TB preventive therapy (TPT) for those who qualify. However, implementation of TPT has been suboptimal in rural South Africa. We sought to identify barriers and facilitators to TB contact investigations and TPT management in rural Eastern Cape, South Africa to inform the development of an implementation strategy to launch a comprehensive TB program.

METHODS

We collected qualitative data through individual semi-structured interviews with 19 healthcare workers at a district hospital and four surrounding primary-care clinics referring to the hospital. The consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) was used to develop interview questions as well as guide deductive content analysis to determine potential drivers of implementation success or failure.

RESULTS

A total of 19 healthcare workers were interviewed. Identified common barriers included lack of provider knowledge regarding efficacy of TPT, lack of TPT documentation workflows for clinicians, and widespread community resource constraints. Facilitators identified included healthcare workers high interest to learn more about the effectiveness of TPT, interest in problem-solving logistical barriers in provision of comprehensive TB care (including TPT), and desire for clinic and nurse-led TB prevention efforts.

CONCLUSION

The use of the CFIR, a validated implementation determinants framework, provided a systematic approach to identify barriers and facilitators to TB household contact investigation, specifically the provision and management of TPT in this rural, high TB burden setting. Specific resources - time, trainings, and evidence - are necessary to ensure healthcare providers feel knowledgeable and competent about TPT prior to prescribing it more broadly. Tangible resources such as improved data systems coupled with political coordination and funding for TPT programming are essential for sustainability.

Nursing Workforce Optimization Study: A Multi-method Evaluation and Process Improvement Intervention for HIV Service Delivery in Tanzania and Zambia

ABSTRACT

Nurses are often suboptimally used in HIV care, due to misalignment of training and practice, workflow inefficiencies, and management challenges. We sought to understand nursing workforce capacity and support implementation of process improvement strategies to improve efficiency of HIV service delivery in Tanzania and Zambia. We conducted time and motion observations and task analyses at 16 facilities followed by process improvement workshops. On average, each nurse cared for 45 clients per day in Tanzania and 29 in Zambia. Administrative tasks and documentation occupied large proportions of nurse time. Self-reported competency was low at baseline and higher at follow-up for identifying and managing treatment failure and prescribing antiretroviral therapy. After workshops, facilities changed care processes, provided additional training and mentorship, and changed staffing and supervision. Efficiency outcomes were stable despite staffing increases. Collaborative approaches to use workforce data to engage providers in improvement strategies can support roll-out of nurse-managed HIV treatment.

Managers' and providers' perspectives on barriers and facilitators for the implementation of differentiated service delivery models for HIV treatment in Mozambique: a qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

In 2018, Mozambique's Ministry of Health launched a guideline for a nationwide implementation of eight differentiated service delivery models to optimize HIV service delivery and achieve universal coverage of HIV care and treatment. The models were (1) Fast-track, (2) Three-month Antiretrovirals Dispensing, (3) Community Antiretroviral Therapy Groups, (4) Adherence Clubs, (5) Family-approach, and three one-stop shop models for (6) Tuberculosis, (7) Maternal and Child Health, and (8) Adolescent-friendly Health Services. This study identified drivers of implementation success and failure across these differentiated service delivery models.

METHODS

Twenty in-depth individual interviews were conducted with managers and providers from the Ministry of Health and implementing partners from all levels of the health system between July and September 2021. National-level participants were based in the capital city of Maputo, and participants at provincial, district and health facility levels were from Sofala province, a purposively selected setting. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) guided data collection and thematic analysis. Deductively selected constructs were assessed while allowing for additional themes to emerge inductively.

RESULTS

The CFIR constructs of Relative Advantage, Complexity, Patient Needs and Resources, and Reflecting and Evaluating were identified as drivers of implementation, whereas Available Resources and Access to Knowledge and Information were identified as barriers. Fast-track and Three-month Antiretrovirals Dispensing models were deemed easier to implement and more effective in reducing workload. Adherence Clubs and Community Antiretroviral Therapy Groups were believed to be less preferred by clients in urban settings. COVID-19 (an inductive theme) improved acceptance and uptake of individual differentiated service delivery models that reduced client visits, but it temporarily interrupted the implementation of group models.

CONCLUSIONS

This study described important determinants to be addressed or leveraged for the successful implementation of differentiated service delivery models in Mozambique. The models were considered advantageous overall for the health system and clients when compared with the standard of care. However, successful implementation requires resources and ongoing training for frontline providers. COVID-19 expedited individual models by loosening the inclusion criteria; this experience can be leveraged to optimize the design and implementation of differentiated service delivery models in Mozambique and other countries.

The Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach: specifying core components of an implementation strategy to optimize care cascades in public health

BACKGROUND

Healthcare systems in low-resource settings need simple, low-cost interventions to improve services and address gaps in care. Though routine data provide opportunities to guide these efforts, frontline providers are rarely engaged in analyzing them for facility-level decision making. The Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) is an evidence-based, multi-component implementation strategy that engages providers in use of facility-level data to promote systems-level thinking and quality improvement (QI) efforts within multi-step care cascades. SAIA was originally developed to address HIV care in resource-limited settings but has since been adapted to a variety of clinical care systems including cervical cancer screening, mental health treatment, and hypertension management, among others; and across a variety of settings in sub-Saharan Africa and the USA. We aimed to extend the growing body of SAIA research by defining the core elements of SAIA using established specification approaches and thus improve reproducibility, guide future adaptations, and lay the groundwork to define its mechanisms of action.

METHODS

Specification of the SAIA strategy was undertaken over 12 months by an expert panel of SAIA-researchers, implementing agents and stakeholders using a three-round, modified nominal group technique approach to match core SAIA components to the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) list of distinct implementation strategies. Core implementation strategies were then specified according to Proctor's recommendations for specifying and reporting, followed by synthesis of data on related implementation outcomes linked to the SAIA strategy across projects.

RESULTS

Based on this review and clarification of the operational definitions of the components of the SAIA, the four components of SAIA were mapped to 13 ERIC strategies. SAIA strategy meetings encompassed external facilitation, organization of provider implementation meetings, and provision of ongoing consultation. Cascade analysis mapped to three ERIC strategies: facilitating relay of clinical data to providers, use of audit and feedback of routine data with healthcare teams, and modeling and simulation of change. Process mapping matched to local needs assessment, local consensus discussions and assessment of readiness and identification of barriers and facilitators. Finally, continuous quality improvement encompassed tailoring strategies, developing a formal implementation blueprint, cyclical tests of change, and purposefully re-examining the implementation process.

CONCLUSIONS

Specifying the components of SAIA provides improved conceptual clarity to enhance reproducibility for other researchers and practitioners interested in applying the SAIA across novel settings.

Association between service readiness and PMTCT cascade effectiveness: a 2018 cross-sectional analysis from Manica province, Mozambique

BACKGROUND

Despite high coverage of maternal and child  health services in Mozambique, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) cascade outcomes remain sub-optimal. Delivery effectiveness is modified by health system preparedness. Identifying modifiable factors that impact quality of care and service uptake can inform strategies to improve the effectiveness of PMTCT programs. We estimated associations between facility-level modifiable health system readiness measures and three PMTCT outcomes: Early infant diagnosis (polymerase chain reaction (PCR) before 8 weeks of life), PCR ever (before or after 8 weeks), and positive PCR test result.

METHODS

A 2018 cross-sectional, facility-level survey was conducted in a sample of 36 health facilities covering all 12 districts in Manica province, central Mozambique, as part of a baseline assessment for the SAIA-SCALE trial (NCT03425136). Data on HIV testing outcomes among 3,427 exposed infants were abstracted from at-risk child service registries. Nine health system readiness measures were included in the analysis. Logistic regressions were used to estimate associations between readiness measures and pediatric HIV testing outcomes. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) are reported.

RESULTS

Forty-eight percent of HIV-exposed infants had a PCR test within 8 weeks of life, 69% had a PCR test ever, and 6% tested positive. Staffing levels, glove stockouts, and distance to the reference laboratory were positively associated with early PCR (OR = 1.02 [95%CI: 1.01-1.02], OR = 1.73 [95%CI: 1.24-2.40] and OR = 1.01 [95%CI: 1.00-1.01], respectively) and ever PCR (OR = 1.02 [95%CI: 1.01-1.02], OR = 1.80 [95%CI: 1.26-2.58] and OR = 1.01 [95%CI: 1.00-1.01], respectively). Catchment area size and multiple NGOs supporting PMTCT services were associated with early PCR testing OR = 1.02 [95%CI: 1.01-1.03] and OR = 0.54 [95%CI: 0.30-0.97], respectively). Facility type, stockout of prophylactic antiretrovirals, the presence of quality improvement programs and mothers' support groups in the health facility were not associated with PCR testing. No significant associations with positive HIV diagnosis were found.

CONCLUSION

Salient modifiable factors associated with HIV testing for exposed infants include staffing levels, NGO support, stockout of essential commodities and accessibility of reference laboratories. Our study provides insights into modifiable factors that could be targeted to improve PMTCT performance, particularly at small and rural facilities.

Primary Health Care Management Effectiveness as a Driver of Family Planning Service Readiness: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in Central Mozambique

INTRODUCTION

The effectiveness of facility-level management is an important determinant of primary health care (PHC) reach and quality; however, the nature of the relationship between facility-level management and health system effectiveness lacks sufficient empirical grounding. We describe the association between management effectiveness and facility readiness to provide family planning services in central Mozambique.

METHODS

We linked data from the Ministry of Health's 2018 Service Availability and Readiness Assessment and a second 2018 health facility survey that included the World Bank's Service Delivery Indicators management module. Our analysis focused on 68 public sector PHC facilities in Manica, Sofala, Tete, and Zambézia provinces in which the 2 surveys overlapped. We used logistic quantile regression to model associations between management strength and family planning service readiness.

RESULTS

Of the 68 facility managers, 47 (69.1%) were first-time managers and (18) 26.5% had received formal management training. Managers indicated that 63.6% of their time was spent on management responsibilities, 63.2% of their employees had received a performance review in the year preceding the survey, and 12.5% of employee incentives were linked to performance evaluations. Adjusting for facility type and distance to the provincial capital, facility management effectiveness, and urban location were significantly associated with higher levels of readiness for family planning service delivery.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that a higher degree of management effectiveness is independently associated with an increased likelihood of improved family planning service readiness. Furthermore, we describe barriers to effective PHC service management, including managers lacking formal training and spending a significant amount of time on nonmanagerial duties. Strengthening management capacity and reinforcing management practices at the PHC level are needed to improve health system readiness and outputs, which is essential for achieving global Sustainable Development Goals and universal health coverage targets.

Applying the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to Identify Implementation Determinants for the Integrated District Evidence-to-Action Program, Mozambique

INTRODUCTION

The Integrated District Evidence-to-Action program is an audit and feedback intervention introduced in 2017 in Manica and Sofala provinces, Mozambique, to reduce mortality in children younger than 5 years. We describe barriers and facilitators to early-stage effectiveness of that intervention.

METHOD

We embedded the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) into an extended case study design to inform sampling, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. We collected data in 4 districts in Manica and Sofala Provinces in November 2018. Data collection included document review, 22 in-depth individual interviews, and 2 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 19 provincial, district, and facility managers and nurses. Most participants (70.2%) were nurses and facility managers and the majority were women (87.8%). We audio-recorded all but 2 interviews and FGDs and conducted a consensus-based iterative analysis.

RESULTS

Facilitators of effective intervention implementation included: implementation of the core intervention components of audit and feedback meetings, supportive supervision and mentorship, and small grants as originally planned; positive pressure from district managers and study nurses on health facility staff to strive for excellence; and easy access to knowledge and information about the intervention. Implementation barriers were the intervention's lack of compatibility in not addressing the scarcity of human and financial resources and inadequate infrastructures for maternal and child health services at district and facility levels and; the intervention's lack of adaptability in having little flexibility in the design and decision making about the use of intervention funds and data collection tools.

DISCUSSION

Our comprehensive and systematic use of the CFIR within an extended case study design generated granular evidence on CFIR's contribution to implementation science efforts to describe determinants of early-stage intervention implementation. It also provided baseline findings to assess subsequent implementation phases, considering similarities and differences in barriers and facilitators across study districts and facilities. Sharing preliminary findings with stakeholders promoted timely decision making about intervention implementation.

Maternal and Child Health Care Service Disruptions and Recovery in Mozambique After Cyclone Idai: An Uncontrolled Interrupted Time Series Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Climate change-related extreme weather events have increased in frequency and intensity, threatening people's health, particularly in places with weak health systems. In March 2019, Cyclone Idai devastated Mozambique's central region, causing infrastructure destruction, population displacement, and death. We assessed the impact of Idai on maternal and child health services and recovery in the Sofala and Manica provinces.

METHODS

Using monthly district-level routine data from November 2016 to March 2020, we performed an uncontrolled interrupted time series analysis to assess changes in 10 maternal and child health indicators in all 25 districts before and after Idai. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical negative binomial model with district-level random intercepts and slopes to estimate Idai-related service disruptions and recovery.

RESULTS

Of the 4.44 million people in Sofala and Manica, 1.83 (41.2%) million were affected. Buzi, Nhamatanda, and Dondo (all in Sofala province) had the highest proportion of people affected. After Idai, all 10 indicators showed an abrupt substantial decrease. First antenatal care visits per 100,000 women of reproductive age decreased by 23% (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.62, 0.96) in March and 11% (95% CI=0.75, 1.07) in April. BCG vaccinations per 1,000 children under age 5 years declined by 21% (95% CI=0.69, 0.90) and measles vaccinations decreased by 25% (95% CI=0.64, 0.87) in March and remained similar in April. Within 3 months post-cyclone, almost all districts recovered to pre-Idai levels, including Buzi, which showed a 22% and 13% relative increase in the number of first antenatal care visits and BCG, respectively.

CONCLUSION

We found substantial health service disruptions immediately after Idai, with greater impact in the most affected districts. The findings suggest impressive recovery post-Idai, emphasizing the need to build resilient health systems to ensure quality health care during and after natural disasters.

Providing "a beam of light to see the gaps": determinants of implementation of the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach applied to the pediatric and adolescent HIV cascade in Kenya

Background

Children and adolescents living with HIV have poorer rates of HIV testing, treatment, and virologic suppression than adults. Strategies that use a systems approach to optimize these multiple, linked steps simultaneously are critical to close these gaps.

Methods

The Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) was adapted and piloted for the pediatric and adolescent HIV care and treatment cascade (SAIA-PEDS) at 6 facilities in Kenya. SAIA-PEDS includes three tools: continuous quality improvement (CQI), flow mapping, and pediatric cascade analysis (PedCAT). A predominately qualitative evaluation utilizing focus group discussions (N = 6) and in-depth interviews (N = 19) was conducted with healthcare workers after implementation to identify determinants of implementation. Data collection and analysis were grounded in the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

Results

Overall, the adapted SAIA-PEDS strategy was acceptable, and the three tools complemented one another and provided a relative advantage over existing processes. The flow mapping and CQI tools were compatible with existing workflows and resonated with team priorities and goals while providing a structure for group problem solving that transcended a single department’s focus. The PedCAT was overly complex, making it difficult to use. Leadership and hierarchy were complex determinants. All teams reported supportive leadership, with some describing in detail how their leadership was engaged and enthusiastic about the SAIA-PEDS process, by providing recognition, time, and resources. Hierarchy was similarly complex: in some facilities, leadership stifled rapid innovation by insisting on approving each change, while at other facilities, leadership had strong and supportive oversight of processes, checking on the progress frequently and empowering teams to test innovative ideas.

Conclusion

CQI and flow mapping were core components of SAIA-PEDS, with high acceptability and consistent use, but the PedCAT was too complex. Leadership and hierarchy had a nuanced role in implementation. Future SAIA-PEDS testing should address PedCAT complexity and further explore the modifiability of leadership engagement to maximize implementation.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s43058-022-00304-3.

Comprehensive Process Mapping and Qualitative Interviews to Inform Implementation of Rapid Linkage to HIV Care Programs in a Mid-Sized Urban Setting in the Southern United States

BACKGROUND

Rapid antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, in which people living with HIV start ART within days of diagnosis, is a key component of the US Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative.

SETTING

The Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area ranked fourth in the United States for the highest HIV incidence per 100,000 population in 2018. Rapid ART programs are limited in the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area, and our objective was to identify local implementation barriers.

METHODS

We conducted participatory process mapping and in-depth interviews to detail steps between HIV testing at the municipal health department's Sexually Transmitted Infections Clinic and ART prescription from a nearby high-volume Ryan White-funded HIV Clinic.

RESULTS

Process mapping identified 4 modifiable, rate-limiting rapid ART barriers: (1) requiring laboratory-based confirmatory HIV results, (2) eligibility documentation requirements for Ryan White-funded services, (3) insufficient HIV Clinic medical provider availability, and (4) variability in ART initiation timing among HIV Clinic providers. Staff at both sites highlighted suboptimal communication and sense of shared management between facilities, limited resources to address important social determinants of health, and lack of Medicaid expansion in Tennessee as key barriers. In-depth interview themes negatively affecting rapid ART initiation included clinic burden; provider knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs; and client psychosocial needs.

CONCLUSIONS

Our preimplementation work identified modifiable and systemic barriers to systems flow and patient-level outcomes. This work will inform the design and implementation of a locally relevant rapid ART program in Memphis, a community disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic.

Evaluation of Women's Empowerment in a Community-Based Human Papillomavirus Self-Sampling Social Entrepreneurship Program (Hope Project) in Peru: A Mixed-Method Study

Introduction

Understanding community women's relational and financial empowerment in social entrepreneurship could be the key to scaling up community-based human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling programs in low- and middle-income countries. The Hope Project, social entrepreneurship in Peru, trains women (Hope Ladies) to promote HPV self-sampling among other women in their communities. This study aims to evaluate the Hope Ladies' relational and financial empowerment after participating in the program.

Materials and Methods

We evaluated the Hope Ladies' experiences of empowerment in social entrepreneurship using a parallel convergent mixed methods design. The Hope Ladies participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews (n = 20) and an eight-questions five-point Likert scale survey that evaluated their relational (n = 19)/financial (n = 17) empowerment. The interview and the survey questions were developed using three empowerment frameworks: Kabeer's conceptual framework, International Center for Research on Women's economic empowerment indicators, and the Relational Leadership Theory. Deductive content analysis was used to evaluate the interviews with pre-determined codes and categories of empowerment. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey results. Qualitative and quantitative data were integrated through a cross-case comparison of emergent themes and corresponding survey responses during the results interpretation.

Results

All Hope Ladies reported experiencing increased empowerment in social entrepreneurship. Interviews: The women reported challenges and improvement in three categories of empowerment: (1) resources (balancing between household and Hope Lady roles, recognition from the community as a resource, camaraderie with other Hope Ladies); (2) agency (increased knowledge about reproductive health, improved confidence to express themselves, and ability to speak out against male-dominant culture); and (3) achievement (increased economic assets, improved ability to make financial decisions, and widened social network and capital, and technology skills development). Survey: All (100%) agreed/totally agreed an increase in social contacts, increased unaccompanied visits to a healthcare provider (86%), improved confidence in discussing reproductive topics (100%), improved ability to make household decisions about money (57% pre-intervention vs. 92% post-intervention).

Conclusions

The Hope Ladies reported improved relational and financial empowerment through participating in community-based social entrepreneurship. Future studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between empowerment and worker retention/performance to inform the scale-up of HPV self-sampling social entrepreneurship programs.

Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach to optimize the pediatric and adolescent HIV Cascade (SAIA-PEDS): a pilot study

INTRODUCTION

Children and adolescents lag behind adults in achieving UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets for HIV testing, treatment, and viral suppression. The Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) is a multi-component implementation strategy previously shown to improve the HIV care cascade for pregnant women and infants. SAIA merits adaptation and testing to reduce gaps in the pediatric and adolescent HIV cascade.

METHODS

We adapted the SAIA strategy components to be applicable to the pediatric and adolescent HIV care cascade (SAIA-PEDS) in Nairobi and western Kenya. We tested whether this SAIA-PEDS strategy improved HIV testing, linkage to care, antiretroviral treatment (ART), viral load (VL) testing, and viral load suppression for children and adolescents ages 0-24 years at 5 facilities. We conducted a pre-post analysis with 6 months pre- and 6 months post-implementation strategy (coupled with an interrupted time series sensitivity analysis) using abstracted routine program data to determine changes attributable to SAIA-PEDS.

RESULTS

Baseline levels of HIV testing and care cascade indicators were heterogeneous between facilities. Per facility, the monthly average number of children/adolescents attending outpatient and inpatient services eligible for HIV testing was 842; on average, 253 received HIV testing services, 6 tested positive, 6 were linked to care, and 5 initiated ART. Among those on treatment at the facility, an average of 15 had a VL sample taken and 13 had suppressed VL results returned. Following the SAIA-PEDS training and mentorship, there was no substantial or significant change in the ratio of HIV testing (RR: 0.803 [95% CI: 0.420, 1.532]) and linkage to care (RR: 0.831 [95% CI: 0.546, 1.266]). The ratio of ART initiation increased substantially and trended towards significance (RR: 1.412 [95% CI: 0.999, 1.996]). There were significant and substantial improvements in the ratio of VL tests ordered (RR: 1.939 [95% CI: 1.230, 3.055]) but no substantial or significant change in the ratio of VL results suppressed (RR: 0.851 [95% CI: 0.554, 1.306]).

CONCLUSIONS

The piloted SAIA-PEDS implementation strategy was associated with increases in health system performance for indicators later in the HIV care cascade, but not for HIV testing and treatment indicators. This strategy merits further rigorous testing for effectiveness and sustainment.

Cost of community-based human papillomavirus self-sampling in Peru: A micro-costing study

Background

Cost data of human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling programs from low-and-middle-income countries is limited. We estimated the total and unit costs associated with the Hope Project, a community-based HPV self-sampling social entrepreneurship in Peru.

Methods

We conducted a micro-costing analysis from the program perspective to determine the unit costs of (1) recruitment/training of community women (Hope Ladies); (2) Hope Ladies distributing HPV self-sampling kits in their communities and the laboratory testing; and (3) Hope Ladies linking screened women with follow-up care. A procedural manual was used to identify the program's activities. A structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews were conducted with administrators to estimate the resource/time associated with activities. We obtained unit costs for each input previously identified from budgets and expenditure reports.

Findings

From November 2018 to March 2020, the program recruited and trained 62 Hope Ladies who distributed 4,882 HPV self-sampling kits in their communities. Of the screened women, 586 (12%) tested HPV positive. The annual cost per Hope Lady recruited/trained was $147·51 (2018 USD). The cost per HPV self-sampling kit distributed/tested was $45·39, the cost per woman followed up with results was $55·64, and the cost per HPV-positive woman identified was $378·14. Personnel and laboratory costs represented 56·1% and 24·7% of the total programmatic cost, respectively.

Interpretation

Our findings indicate that implementation of a community-based HPV self-sampling has competitive prices, which increases its likelihood to be feasible in Peru. Further economic evaluation is needed to quantify the incremental benefits of HPV self-sampling compared to more established options such as Pap tests.

Funding

Thomas Francis Jr. Fellowship provided funding for data collection. The Hope Project was funded by grants from Grand Challenges Canada (TTS-1812-21131), Uniting for Health Innovation, Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer, University of Manitoba, and the John E. Fogarty International Center (5D43TW009375-05).

The neglected epidemic-Risk factors associated with road traffic injuries in Mozambique: Results of the 2016 INCOMAS study

In 2019, 93% of road traffic injury related mortality occurred in low- and middle-income countries, an estimated burden of 1.3 million deaths. This problem is growing; by 2030 road traffic injury will the seventh leading cause of death globally. This study both explores factors associated with RTIs in the central region of Mozambique, as well as pinpoints geographical "hotspots" of RTI incidence. A cross-sectional, population-level survey was carried out in two provinces (Sofala and Manica) of central Mozambique where, in addition to other variables, the number of road traffic injuries sustained by the household within the previous six months, was collected. Urbanicity, household ownership of a car or motorcycle, and socio-economic strata index were included in the analysis. We calculated the prevalence rate ratios using a generalized linear regression with a Poisson distribution, as well as the spatial prevalence rate ratio using an Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation. The survey included 3,038 households, with a mean of 6.29 (SD 0.06) individuals per household. The road traffic injury rate was 6.1% [95%CI 7.1%, 5.3%]. Urban residence was associated with a 47% decrease in rate of injury. Household motorbike ownership was associated with a 92% increase in the reported rate of road traffic injury. Higher socio-economic status households were associated with a 26% increase in the rate of road traffic injury. The rural and peri-urban areas near the "Beira corridor" (national road N6) have higher rates of road traffic injuries. In Mozambique, living in the rural areas near the "Beira corridor", higher household socio-economic strata, and motorbike ownership are risk factors for road traffic injury.

Meanings and significance attributed by people with HIV/aids to their lives with this virus/disease

OBJECTIVES

to understand the meanings and significance attributed by people with HIV/aids to the process of living with this virus/disease.

METHODS

qualitative and exploratory study, carried out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Grounded Theory and the Symbolic Interactionism were used. Data were collected in a semistructured interview and through non-participant observation, from August 2017 to May 2018. 29 patients participated.

RESULTS

living with HIV/AIDS is a social phenomenon in which it is not possible to disconnect the process of adapting to the disease from the social relations one (re)constructs during life. It also involves stigmatization, rejection, and isolation.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

understanding the meanings of this process is a positive influence for proactive behavior and resilience, not only in regard to the care concerning the presence of the virus and the uninterrupted need to adhere to medication, but also in the way to deal with the social values that reproduce previous models, which, in turn, can help improve self-knowledge.

How to evaluate the implementation of complex health programmes in low-income settings: the approach of the Gavi Full Country Evaluations

Vaccination, like most other public health services, relies on a complex package of intervention components, functioning systems and committed actors to achieve universal coverage. Despite significant investment in immunization programmes, national coverage trends have slowed and equity gaps have grown. This paper describes the design and implementation of the Gavi Full Country Evaluations, a multi-country, prospective, mixed-methods approach whose goal was to monitor and evaluate processes, inputs, outputs and outcomes of immunization programmes in Bangladesh, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia. We implemented the Full Country Evaluations from 2013 to 2018 with the goal of identifying the drivers of immunization programme improvement to support programme implementation and increase equitable immunization coverage. The framework supported methodological and paradigmatic flexibility to respond to a broad range of evaluation and implementation research questions at global, national and cross-country levels, but was primarily underpinned by a focus on evaluating processes and identifying the root causes of implementation breakdowns. Process evaluation was driven by theories of change for each Gavi funding stream (e.g. Health Systems Strengthening) or activity, ranging from global policy development to district-level programme implementation. Mixing of methods increased in relevance and rigour over time as we learned to build multiple methods into increasingly tailored evaluation questions. Evaluation teams in country-based research institutes increasingly strengthened their level of embeddedness with immunization programmes as the emphasis shifted over time to focus more heavily on the use of findings for programme learning and adaptation. Based on our experiences implementing this approach, we recommend it for the evaluation of other complex interventions, health programmes or development assistance.

The prevalence of hypertension and its distribution by sociodemographic factors in Central Mozambique: a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND

Hypertension (HTN) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and its prevalence has been rising in low- and middle-income countries. The current study describes HTN prevalence in central Mozambique, association between wealth and blood pressure (BP), and HTN monitoring and diagnosis practice among individuals with elevated BP.

METHODS

The study used data from a cross-sectional, representative household survey conducted in Manica and Sofala provinces, Mozambique. There were 4101 respondents, aged ≥20 years. We measured average systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP) from three measurements taken in the household setting. Elevated BP was defined as having either SBP ≥140 or DBP ≥90 mmHg.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 36.7 years old, 59.9% were women, and 72.5% were from rural areas. Adjusting for complex survey weights, 15.7% (95%CI: 14.0 to 17.4) of women and 16.1% (13.9 to 18.5) of men had elevated BP, and 7.5% (95% CI: 6.4 to 8.7) of the overall population had both SBP ≥140 and DBP ≥90 mmHg. Among participants with elevated BP, proportions of participants who had previous BP measurement and HTN diagnosis were both low (34.9% (95% CI: 30.0 to 40.1) and 12.2% (9.9 to 15.0) respectively). Prior BP measurement and HTN diagnosis were more commonly reported among hypertensive participants with secondary or higher education, from urban areas, and with highest relative wealth. In adjusted models, wealth was positively associated with higher SBP and DBP.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study found evidence of positive association between wealth and BP. The prevalence of elevated BP was lower in Manica and Sofala provinces than the previously estimated national prevalence. Previous BP screening and HTN diagnosis were uncommon in our study population, especially among rural residents, individuals with lower education levels, and those with relatively less wealth. As the epidemiological transition advances in Mozambique, there is a need to develop and implement strategies to increase BP screening and deliver appropriate clinical services, as well as to encourage lifestyle changes among people at risk of developing hypertension in near future.

Global health systems partnerships: a mixed methods analysis of Mozambique's HPV vaccine delivery network actors

Background

Global health partnerships have expanded exponentially in the last two decades with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance considered the model’s pioneer and leader because of its vaccination programs’ implementation mechanism. Gavi, relies on diverse domestic and international partners to carry out the programs in low- and middle-income countries under a partnership engagement framework (PEF). In this study, we utilized mixed methods to examine Mozambique’s Gavi driven partnership network which delivered human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine during the demonstration phase.

Methods

Qualitative tools gauged contextual factors, prerequisites, partner performance and practices while a social network analysis (SNA) survey measured the partnership structure and perceived added value in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and country ownership. Forty key informants who were interviewed included frontline Ministry of Health workers, Ministry of Education staff and supporting partner organization members, of whom 34 participated in the social network analysis survey.

Results

Partnership structure SNA connectivity measurement scores of reachability (100%) and average distance (2.5), were high, revealing a network of very well-connected HPV vaccination implementation collaborators. Such high scores reflect a network structure favorable for rapid and widespread diffusion of information, features necessary for engaging and handling multiple implementation scales. High SNA effectiveness and efficiency measures for structural holes (85%) and low redundancy (30%) coupled with high mean perceived effectiveness (97.6%) and efficiency (79.5%) network outcome scores were observed. Additionally, the tie strength average score of 4.1 on a scale of 5 denoted high professional trust. These are all markers of a collaborative partnership environment in which disparate institutions and organizations leveraged each entity’s comparative advantage. Lower perceived outcome scores for country ownership (24%) were found, with participants citing the prominent role of several out-of-country partner organizations as a major obstacle.

Conclusions

While there is room for improvement on the country ownership aspects of the partnership, the expanded, diverse and inclusive collaboration of institutions and organizations that implemented the Mozambique HPV vaccine demonstration project was effective and efficient. We recommend that the country adapt a similar model during national scale up of HPV vaccination.

Evaluating and optimizing the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) for use in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) is a determinants framework that may require adaptation or contextualization to fit the needs of implementation scientists in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The purpose of this review is to characterize how the CFIR has been applied in LMIC contexts, to evaluate the utility of specific constructs to global implementation science research, and to identify opportunities to refine the CFIR to optimize utility in LMIC settings.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was performed to evaluate the use of the CFIR in LMICs. Citation searches were conducted in Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. Data abstraction included study location, study design, phase of implementation, manner of implementation (ex., data analysis), domains and constructs used, and justifications for use, among other variables. A standardized questionnaire was sent to the corresponding authors of included studies to determine which CFIR domains and constructs authors found to be compatible with use in LMICs and to solicit feedback regarding ways in which CFIR performance could be improved for use in LMICs.

RESULTS

Our database search yielded 504 articles, of which 34 met final inclusion criteria. The studies took place across 21 countries and focused on 18 different health topics. The studies primarily used qualitative study designs (68%). Over half (59%) of the studies applied the CFIR at study endline, primarily to guide data analysis or to contextualize study findings. Nineteen (59%) of the contacted authors participated in the survey. Authors unanimously identified culture and engaging as compatible with use in global implementation research. Only two constructs, patient needs and resources and individual stages of change were commonly identified as incompatible with use. Author feedback centered on team level influences on implementation, as well as systems characteristics, such as health system architecture. We propose a "Characteristics of Systems" domain and eleven novel constructs be added to the CFIR to increase its compatibility for use in LMICs.

CONCLUSIONS

These additions provide global implementation science practitioners opportunities to account for systems-level determinants operating independently of the implementing organization. Newly proposed constructs require further reliability and validity assessments.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO, CRD42018095762.

Systems analysis and improvement approach to optimize the hypertension diagnosis and care cascade for PLHIV individuals (SAIA-HTN): a hybrid type III cluster randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Across sub-Saharan Africa, evidence-based clinical guidelines to screen and manage hypertension exist; however, country level application is low due to lack of service readiness, uneven health worker motivation, weak accountability of health worker performance, and poor integration of hypertension screening and management with chronic care services. The systems analysis and improvement approach (SAIA) is an evidence-based implementation strategy that combines systems engineering tools into a five-step, facility-level package to improve understanding of gaps (cascade analysis), guide identification and prioritization of low-cost workflow modifications (process mapping), and iteratively test and redesign these modifications (continuous quality improvement). As hypertension screening and management are integrated into chronic care services in sub-Saharan Africa, an opportunity exists to test whether SAIA interventions shown to be effective in improving efficiency and coverage of HIV services can be effective when applied to the non-communicable disease services that leverage the same platform. We hypothesize that SAIA-hypertension (SAIA-HTN) will be effective as an adaptable, scalable model for broad implementation.

METHODS

We will deploy a hybrid type III cluster randomized trial to evaluate the impact of SAIA-HTN on hypertension management in eight intervention and eight control facilities in central Mozambique. Effectiveness outcomes include hypertension cascade flow measures (screening, diagnosis, management, control), as well as hypertension and HIV clinical outcomes among people living with HIV. Cost-effectiveness will be estimated as the incremental costs per additional patient passing through the hypertension cascade steps and the cost per additional disability-adjusted life year averted, from the payer perspective (Ministry of Health). SAIA-HTN implementation fidelity will be measured, and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research will guide qualitative evaluation of the implementation process in high- and low-performing facilities to identify determinants of intervention success and failure, and define core and adaptable components of the SAIA-HTN intervention. The Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change scale will measure facility-level readiness for adopting SAIA-HTN.

DISCUSSION

SAIA packages user-friendly systems engineering tools to guide decision-making by front-line health workers to identify low-cost, contextually appropriate chronic care improvement strategies. By integrating SAIA into routine hypertension screening and management structures, this pragmatic trial is designed to test a model for national scale-up.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04088656 (registered 09/13/2019; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04088656).

Validation of a counseling guide for adherence to antiretroviral therapy using implementation science

Objective:

to determine the contents that must be included in the usual counseling to improve the adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) of HIV patients, according to their different levels of alcohol consumption, and to determine the validity of the Counseling Guide in improving the adherence to ART in patients who consume alcohol using Implementation Science.

Method:

this is an observational study with formative and validation phases. The formative phase defined the content, approach and structure of the counseling. Validation included focus groups with patients and nurses, trial process by an expert and a pilot test. The criteria evaluated based on Implementation Science were: intervention source, evidence strength and quality, relative advantage, and complexity. The following criteria were also evaluated: usefulness, practicality, acceptability, sustainability, effectiveness; content consistency and congruence; procedural compliance and difficulties, and time spent in counseling.

Results:

the strength of evidence of the counseling is High-IIA, with strong level of recommendation and presenting usefulness, practicality, acceptability, sustainability and effectiveness. Eight in 11 experts argued that the Guide is clear, consistent and congruent. Initial counseling takes around 24 minutes; and follow-up counseling, 21. The instruments of the Guide present reliability levels between good and high (0.65 ≥ alpha ≤ 0.92).

Conclusion:

the Counseling Guide is valid to improve the adherence to antiretroviral therapy in patients who consume alcohol.

Implementation strategy and cost of Mozambique's HPV vaccine demonstration project

Background

Cost is an important determinant of health program implementation. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the implementation strategy of Mozambique’s school-based HPV vaccine demonstration project. We sought to estimate the total costs for the program, cost per fully immunized girl (FIG), and compute projections for the total cost of implementing a similar national level vaccination program.

Methods

We collected primary data through document review, participatory observation, and key informant interviews at all levels of the national health system and Ministry of Education. We used a combination of micro-costing methods—identification and measurement of resource quantities and valuation by application of unit costs, and gross costing—for consideration of resource bundles as they apply to the number of vaccinated girls. We extrapolated the cost per FIG to the HPV-vaccine-eligible population of Mozambique, to demonstrate the projected total annual cost for two scenarios of a similarly executed HPV vaccine program.

Results

The total cost of the Mozambique HPV vaccine demonstration project was $523,602. The mean cost per FIG was $72 (Credibility Intervals (CI): $62 - $83) in year one, $38 (CI: $37 - $40) in year two, and $54 CI: $49 - $61) for years one and two. The mean cost per FIG with the third HPV vaccine dose excluded from consideration was $60 (CI: $50 - $72) in year one, $38 (CI: $31 - $46) in year two, and $48 (CI: $42 - $55) for years one and two. The mean cost per FIG when only one HPV vaccine dose is considered was $30 (CI: $27 - $33)) in year one, $19 (CI: $15–$23) in year two, and $24 (CI: $22–$27) for both years. The projected annual cost of a two-and one-dose vaccine program targeting all 10-year-old girls in the country was $18.2 m (CI: $15.9 m - $20.7 m) and $9 m (CI: $8 m - $10 m) respectively.

Conclusion

National adaptation and scale-up of Mozambique’s school-based HPV vaccine strategy may result in substantial costs depending on dosing. For sustainability, stakeholders will need to negotiate vaccine price and achieve higher efficiency in startup activities and demand creation.

Development and Implementation of a Mobile Phone-Based Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV Cascade Analysis Tool: Usability and Feasibility Testing in Kenya and Mozambique

Background

Prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) care cascade failures drive pediatric HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa. As nurses’ clinical and management role in PMTCT expand, decision-support tools for nurses are needed to facilitate identification of cascade inefficiencies and solutions. The mobile phone–based PMTCT cascade analysis tool (mPCAT) provides health facility staff a quick summary of the number of patients and percentage drop-off at each step of the PMCTC care cascade, as well as how many women-infant pairs would be retained if a step was optimized.

Objective

The objective of this study was to understand and improve the mPCAT’s core usability factors and assess the health workers’ experience with using the mPCAT.

Methods

Overall, 2 rounds of usability testing were conducted with health workers from 4 clinics and leading experts in maternal and child health in Kenya and Mozambique using videotaped think aloud assessment techniques. Semistructured group interviews gauged the understanding of mPCAT’s core usability factors, based on the Nielsen Usability Framework, followed by development of cognitive demand tables describing the needed mPCAT updates. Post adaptation, feasibility was assessed in 3 high volume clinics over 12 weeks. Participants completed a 5-point Likert questionnaire designed to measure ease of use, convenience of integration into work, and future intention to use the mPCAT. Focus group discussions with nurse participants at each facility and in-depth interviews with nurse managers were also conducted to assess the acceptability, use, and recommendations for adaptations of the mPCAT.

Results

Usability testing with software engineers enabled real-time feedback to build a tool following empathic design principles. The revised mPCAT had improved navigation and simplified data entry interface, with only 1 data entry field per page. Improvements to the results page included a data visualization feature and the ability to share results through WhatsApp. Coding was simplified to enable future revisions by nontechnical staff—critical for context-specific adaptations for scale-up. Health care workers and facility managers found the tool easy to use (mean=4.3), used the tool very often (mean=4.1), and definitely intended to continue to use the tool (mean=4.8). Ease of use was the most common theme identified, with emphasis on how the tool readily informed system improvement decision making.

Conclusions

The mPCAT was well accepted by frontline health workers and facility managers. The collaborative process between software developer and user led to the development of a more user-friendly, context-specific tool that could be easily integrated into routine clinical practice and workflow. The mPCAT gave frontline health workers and facility managers an immediate, direct, and tangible way to use their clinical documentation and routinely reported data for decision making for their own clinical practice and facility-level improvements.

Scaling-up the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Mozambique (SAIA-SCALE): a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial

BACKGROUND

The introduction of option B+-rapid initiation of lifelong antiretroviral therapy regardless of disease status for HIV-infected pregnant and breastfeeding women-can dramatically reduce HIV transmission during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. Despite significant investments to scale-up Option B+, results have been mixed, with high rates of loss to follow-up, sub-optimal viral suppression, continued pediatric HIV transmission, and HIV-associated maternal morbidity. The Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) cluster randomized trial demonstrated that a package of systems engineering tools improved flow through the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) cascade. This five-step, facility-level intervention is designed to improve understanding of gaps (cascade analysis), guide identification and prioritization of low-cost workflow modifications (process mapping), and iteratively test and redesign these modifications (continuous quality improvement). This protocol describes a novel model for SAIA delivery (SAIA-SCALE) led by district nurse supervisors (rather than research nurses), and evaluation procedures, to serve as a foundation for national scale-up.

METHODS

The SAIA-SCALE stepped wedge trial includes three implementation waves, each 12 months in duration. Districts are the unit of assignment, with four districts randomly assigned per wave, covering all 12 districts in Manica province, Mozambique. In each district, the three highest volume health facilities will receive the SAIA-SCALE intervention (totaling 36 intervention facilities). The RE-AIM framework will guide SAIA-SCALE's evaluation. Reach describes the proportion of clinics and population in Manica province reached, and sub-groups not reached. Effectiveness assesses impact on PMTCT process measures and patient-level outcomes. Adoption describes the proportion of districts/clinics adopting SAIA-SCALE, and determinants of adoption using the Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC) tool. Implementation will identify SAIA-SCALE core elements and determinants of successful implementation using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Maintenance describes the proportion of districts sustaining the intervention. We will also estimate the budget and program impact from the payer perspective for national scale-up.

DISCUSSION

SAIA packages user-friendly systems engineering tools to guide decision-making by frontline health workers, and to identify low-cost, contextually appropriate PMTCT improvement strategies. By integrating SAIA delivery into routine management structures, this pragmatic trial is designed to test a model for national intervention scale-up.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03425136 (registered 02/06/2018).

Human papillomavirus vaccine delivery in Mozambique: identification of implementation performance drivers using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)

BACKGROUND

Since 2012 Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has provided financial support for HPV vaccine introduction in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); however, funding has been contingent on establishing a demonstration project prior to national scale-up, in order to gauge effectiveness of delivery models. Although by 2016, most beneficiary countries had completed demonstration projects, few have scaled up delivery nationwide. An important barrier was the dearth of published, country-specific implementation recommendations. We employed the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) as a lens to identify drivers of heterogeneous (dissimilar) implementation performance during Mozambique's 2-year demonstration project. Mozambique presents a compelling example as the country conducted demonstration projects in three different districts with extremely different economic resources and sociocultural practices.

METHODS

A post implementation interpretive evaluation was undertaken. Forty key informant interviews were conducted with district and health facility immunization staff, Ministry of Education managers, and teachers across the three demonstration districts, central level informants from MOH, research institutes, and immunization program partners. We compared valence and strength ratings of CFIR constructs, across diverse implementation sites, so as to explain drivers and barriers to implementation success. Two researchers coded separately, and subsequent content analysis followed pre-defined CFIR construct themes.

RESULTS

Eighteen constructs emerged from informants' responses as implementation influencers. Adaptability was identified as an important construct because delivery modalities needed to meet differing levels of girls' school attendance. Expanding outside of school-based delivery was needed in the low-performing district, making the vaccine delivery process more complex. Available resources varied across the three sites, with one site receiving direct Gavi support, while others received primarily state-based support. These latter sites reported considerably more implementation bottlenecks, in part related to weaker infrastructural characteristics and insufficient organizational incentives. Health workers' beliefs in importance of vaccines and an organizational culture of making personal sacrifice for immunization program activities drove implementation performance. Advocacy and social mobilization through the right opinion leaders and champions generated higher demand.

CONCLUSION

HPV vaccination presents a pertinent opportunity for the prevention of cervical cancer in Mozambique, sub-Saharan Africa, and other LMICs. However, important barriers to broad-scale implementation exist. We recommend the development of local and global strategies to overcome barriers and facilitate its expanded utilization.

A Missing Link: HIV-/AIDS-Related mHealth Interventions for Health Workers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Through a review of the peer-reviewed and gray literature on HIV mobile health (mHealth) tools for health workers and in-depth interviews with mHealth leaders in the field, we provide a synthesis of current work and propose mHealth research priorities for HIV prevention, care, and treatment.

RECENT FINDINGS

Significant investment in implementation research and bringing together researchers capable of identifying drivers of successful implementation and industry leaders capable of bringing efficacious tools to scale are needed to move this area forward. Effective and appropriate technologies to support health systems in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries are needed to improve the efficiency and quality of health service delivery and ultimately improve health outcomes. Although a growing number of HIV mHealth tools have been developed to support health workers, few of these tools have been rigorously evaluated and even fewer have been brought to scale.

Counseling for improving adherence to antiretroviral treatment: a systematic review

One-on-one counseling can be an effective strategy to improve patient adherence to HIV treatment. The aim of this systematic review is to examine articles with one-on-one counseling-based interventions, review their components and effectiveness in improving ART adherence. A systematic review, using the following criteria was performed: (i) experimental studies; (ii) published in Spanish, English or Portuguese; (iii) with interventions consisting primarily of counseling; (iv) adherence as the main outcome; (v) published between 2005 and 2016; (vi) targeted 18 to 60 year old, independent of gender or sexual identity. The author reviewed bibliographic databases. Articles were analyzed according to the type of study, type of intervention, period of intervention, theoretical basis for intervention, time used in each counseling session and its outcomes. A total of 1790 records were identified. Nine studies were selected for the review, these applied different types of individual counseling interventions and were guided by different theoretical frameworks. Counseling was applied lasting between 4 to 18 months and these were supervised through three to six sessions over the study period. Individual counseling sessions lasted from 7.5 to 90 minutes (Me. 37.5). Six studies demonstrated significant improvement in treatment. Counseling is effective in improving adherence to ART, but methods vary. Face-to-face and computer counseling showed efficacy in improving the adherence, but not the telephone counseling. More evidence that can determine a basic counseling model without losing the individualized intervention for people with HIV is required.

Small area estimation of under-5 mortality in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Chad, Mozambique, Uganda, and Zambia using spatially misaligned data

Background

The under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) is an important metric of child health and survival. Country-level estimates of U5MR are readily available, but efforts to estimate U5MR subnationally have been limited, in part, due to spatial misalignment of available data sources (e.g., use of different administrative levels, or as a result of historical boundary changes).

Methods

We analyzed all available complete and summary birth history data in surveys and censuses in six countries (Bangladesh, Cameroon, Chad, Mozambique, Uganda, and Zambia) at the finest geographic level available in each data source. We then developed small area estimation models capable of incorporating spatially misaligned data. These small area estimation models were applied to the birth history data in order to estimate trends in U5MR from 1980 to 2015 at the second administrative level in Cameroon, Chad, Mozambique, Uganda, and Zambia and at the third administrative level in Bangladesh.

Results

We found substantial variation in U5MR in all six countries: there was more than a two-fold difference in U5MR between the area with the highest rate and the area with the lowest rate in every country. All areas in all countries experienced declines in U5MR between 1980 and 2015, but the degree varied both within and between countries. In Cameroon, Chad, Mozambique, and Zambia we found areas with U5MRs in 2015 that were higher than in other parts of the same country in 1980. Comparing subnational U5MR to country-level targets for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), we find that 12.8% of areas in Bangladesh did not meet the country-level target, although the country as whole did. A minority of areas in Chad, Mozambique, Uganda, and Zambia met the country-level MDG targets while these countries as a whole did not.

Conclusions

Subnational estimates of U5MR reveal significant within-country variation. These estimates could be used for identifying high-need areas and positive deviants, tracking trends in geographic inequalities, and evaluating progress towards international development targets such as the Sustainable Development Goals.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12963-018-0171-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Donor data vacuuming

In this essay, we seek to understand how the stunning rise of data vacuuming, necessitated by the pretense of ‘partnership’ within global health, has fundamentally altered how routine health data in poor countries is collected, analyzed, prioritized, and used to inform management and policy. Writing as a team of authors with experiences on multiple sides of global health partnerships in the United States, Mozambique, Nepal, Lesotho, Kenya, and Cote d’Ivoire, we argue that solidarity-based partnership between donor and recipient countries is impossible when evidence production and management is effectively outsourced to external organizations to meet the criteria of donor partners. Specifically, to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, equity-oriented strategies are critically needed to create data collection, analysis, and use activities that are mutually beneficial and sustainable.

Fundamentals of Implementation Science: an intensive course on an emerging field of research

Abstract Objective: Report the participation in the Intensive Course on Fundamentals of Implementation Science (IS) in Global Health and present the theoretical scope of IS methods and the potential applicability perspectives for improving global health. Method: Experience report on participation in the course, promoted by the University of Washington, USA, September, 2017. Results: The course introduced IS methodologies and selected case studies, focusing on opportunities and challenges in applying IS in practice. Conclusion: The IS offers tools for the selection of published scientific material and its use through plans, programs, intervention projects, models and protocols that assume diminishing inconsistencies and leverage results on a large scale in health science. Implications for practice: Multidisciplinary teams can benefit from IS training to address in a related way the gaps consistent with progress in the health sciences.

Health system strengthening: a qualitative evaluation of implementation experience and lessons learned across five African countries

BACKGROUND

Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in sub-Saharan Africa will require substantial improvements in the coverage and performance of primary health care delivery systems. Projects supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's (DDCF) African Health Initiative (AHI) created public-private-academic and community partnerships in five African countries to implement and evaluate district-level health system strengthening interventions. In this study, we captured common implementation experiences and lessons learned to understand core elements of successful health systems interventions.

METHODS

We used qualitative data from key informant interviews and annual progress reports from the five Population Health Implementation and Training (PHIT) partnership projects funded through AHI in Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia.

RESULTS

Four major overarching lessons were highlighted. First, variety and inclusiveness of concerned key players (public, academic and private) are necessary to address complex health system issues at all levels. Second, a learning culture that promotes evidence creation and ability to efficiently adapt were key in order to meet changing contextual needs. Third, inclusion of strong implementation science tools and strategies allowed informed and measured learning processes and efficient dissemination of best practices. Fourth, five to seven years was the minimum time frame necessary to effectively implement complex health system strengthening interventions and generate the evidence base needed to advocate for sustainable change for the PHIT partnership projects.

CONCLUSION

The AHI experience has raised remaining, if not overlooked, challenges and potential solutions to address complex health systems strengthening intervention designs and implementation issues, while aiming to measurably accomplish sustainable positive change in dynamic, learning, and varied contexts.

Improving data quality across 3 sub-Saharan African countries using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR): results from the African Health Initiative

Background

High-quality data are critical to inform, monitor and manage health programs. Over the seven-year African Health Initiative of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, three of the five Population Health Implementation and Training (PHIT) partnership projects in Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zambia introduced strategies to improve the quality and evaluation of routinely-collected data at the primary health care level, and stimulate its use in evidence-based decision-making. Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) as a guide, this paper: 1) describes and categorizes data quality assessment and improvement activities of the projects, and 2) identifies core intervention components and implementation strategy adaptations introduced to improve data quality in each setting.

Methods

The CFIR was adapted through a qualitative theme reduction process involving discussions with key informants from each project, who identified two domains and ten constructs most relevant to the study aim of describing and comparing each country’s data quality assessment approach and implementation process. Data were collected on each project’s data quality improvement strategies, activities implemented, and results via a semi-structured questionnaire with closed and open-ended items administered to health management information systems leads in each country, with complementary data abstraction from project reports.

Results

Across the three projects, intervention components that aligned with user priorities and government systems were perceived to be relatively advantageous, and more readily adapted and adopted. Activities that both assessed and improved data quality (including data quality assessments, mentorship and supportive supervision, establishment and/or strengthening of electronic medical record systems), received higher ranking scores from respondents.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that, at a minimum, successful data quality improvement efforts should include routine audits linked to ongoing, on-the-job mentoring at the point of service. This pairing of interventions engages health workers in data collection, cleaning, and analysis of real-world data, and thus provides important skills building with on-site mentoring. The effect of these core components is strengthened by performance review meetings that unify multiple health system levels (provincial, district, facility, and community) to assess data quality, highlight areas of weakness, and plan improvements.

Austerity and the "sector-wide approach" to health: The Mozambique experience

Fiscal austerity policies imposed by the IMF have reduced investments in social services, leaving post-independence nations like Mozambique struggling to recover from civil war and high disease burden. By 2000, a sector-wide approach (SWAp) was promoted to maximize aid effectiveness. 'Like-minded' bilateral donors, from Europe and Canada, promoted a unified approach to health sector support focusing on joint planning, common basket funding, and streamlined monitoring and evaluation to improve sector coordination, amplify country ownership, and build sustainable health systems. Notable donors - including US government and the Global Fund - did not participate in the SWAp, and increased vertical funding weakened the SWAp in favor of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In spite of some success in harmonizing aid to the health sector, the SWAp experience in Mozambique demonstrates how continued austerity regimes that severely constrain public spending will continue to undermine health system strengthening in Africa, even in the midst of high levels of foreign aid with the ostensible purpose of strengthening those systems. The SWAp story provides a poignant illustration of how continued austerity will impede progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3); "Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all". However, the SWAp continues to offer an alternative model to health system support that can provide a foundation for resistance to renewed austerity measures.