The article is a scoping review that explores the challenges in diagnosing asthma in children in three sub-Saharan African countries: Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda. It identifies key barriers, such as a lack of community awareness, inadequate healthcare ...">access, limited diagnostic tools like spirometry, and insufficient knowledge among healthcare workers. The review also highlights the stigma associated with asthma and the absence of relevant diagnostic guidelines. Solutions proposed include community education, development and adherence to diagnostic guidelines, and strengthening healthcare systems. The study aims to inform policymakers and healthcare providers to improve asthma diagnosis and care for children in these regions.
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Background
Asthma education, a key component of long-term asthma management, is challenging in resource-limited settings with shortages of clinical staff. Task-shifting educational roles to lay (non-clinical) staff is a potential solution. We conducted a randomised controlled trial of an enhanced a...sthma care intervention for children in Malawi, which included reallocation of asthma education tasks to lay-educators. In this qualitative sub-study, we explored the experiences of asthmatic children, their families and lay-educators, to assess the acceptability, facilitators and barriers, and perceived value of the task-shifting asthma education intervention.
Methods
We conducted six focus group discussions, including 15 children and 28 carers, and individual interviews with four lay-educators and a senior nurse. Translated transcripts were coded independently by three researchers and key themes identified.
Results
Prior to the intervention, participants reported challenges in asthma care including the busy and sometimes hostile clinical environment, lack of access to information and the erratic supply of medication. The education sessions were well received: participants reported greater understanding of asthma and their treatment and confidence to manage symptoms. The lay-educators appreciated pre-intervention training, written guidelines, and access to clinical support. Low education levels among carers presented challenges, requiring an open, non-critical and individualised approach.
Discussion
Asthma education can be successfully delivered by lay-educators with adequate training, supervision and support, with benefits to the patients, their families and the community. Wider implementation could help address human resource shortages and support progress towards Universal Health Coverage.
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The Global Breast Cancer Initiative aims to address disparities in access to care to reduce mortality rates globally. Patient navigation is an evidence-based personalized intervention designed to guide patients through often complex cancer care syst...ems to receive timely access, particularly in low-income and minority populations. It is useful in settings with limited availability, fragmented healthcare systems and socioeconomic barriers that hinder early detection and treatment. It is proven to significantly reduce delays, improve patient adherence to care and enhance survival rates. The model involves helping individuals and their families to tackle barriers such as cultural stigma, misinformation, and psychosocial, among others, that can delay or prevent access to timely care. It can also reduce financial strain, streamline care coordination and improve the overall quality of life by connecting patients with affordable treatment options and support systems to address their needs in the course of treatment.
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To identify and to assess factors enhancing or hindering the delivery of breast and cervical cancer screening services in Malawi with regard to accessibility, uptake, acceptability and effectiveness....
Systematic review of published scientific evidence. A search of six bibliographic databases and grey literature was executed to identify relevant studies conducted in Malawi in the English language, with no time or study design restrictions. Data extraction was conducted in Excel and evidence synthesis followed a thematic analysis approach to identify and compare emerging themes.
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4th edition.
This report – now in its fourth edition – analyses the barriers and factors affecting access to treatment regimens for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), including new and repurposed drugs. We provide detailed pricing profiles of... key DR-TB drugs, using manufacturer responses to standardised questionnaires and the Global TB Drug Facility website.
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Documentation of Best Practices and Bottlenecks to Program Implementation in Senegal
SUMMARY REPORT
Accessed at March 2014
An Overview of Current Evidence with Recommendations for Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs to Accelerate Progress in Achieving the Health-related Millennium Development Goals
The Mass Information Toolkit aims to provide staff working with refugees a tool for producing
information material using standard office software (Word and PowerPoint) and hardware (office
printer) – circumventing tenders, high costs and lengthy processes involved in using a graphic
designer ... and illustrations adapted to the Syrian refugee context – which appeal to illiterate refugees
as well
The Toolkit can be found by accessing the link below:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7xj1m9o8c9i5cxo/9VhNJC4Wl0?lst
The toolkit also comes with a video tutorial which can be found either accessing the actual toolkit or
by viewing it on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFHDkidkL38&feature=youtu.be)
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The objective of this book is to provide health workers with easily accessible information on important aspects of the medicines commonly used at primary care level in Zimbabwe. Medicines are a crucial part of the management of most of our patients,... yet many medicines are potentially dangerous if not used correctly (by either prescriber or patient). It is important to have up-to-date information not only on the indications for, and the dose of a particular medicine, but also the contra-indications and reasons for special care, possible side effects and interactions with other medicine or medicines. The patient must also have information on how to use the preparation, what side effects may occur, and when to return for help.
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The new WHO guidelines provide recommended steps for safe phlebotomy and reiterate accepted principles for drawing, collecting blood and transporting blood to laboratories/blood banks.
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Open Access. Please download the pdf-file from the website!
The BMJ has made all of its articles referring to the Ebola outbreak free to access.
The content includes latest guidance for healthcare workers, which 'will continue to update healthcare workers, outside of west Africa, with the latest guidance fr...om the UK's Health Protection Agency and the US Center for Disease Control'
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Ebola Deeply is an online web portal and news site designed to provide accurate and timely information about the Ebola health crisis, with an emphasis on providing context and countering misinformation. Launched in October 2014, this digital media p...roject involves a team of freelance journalists and technologists who feature a mix of original articles, op-eds, and content from the Associated Press and other news organisations. A key feature of the site is the Ebola Files section, a collection of text and interactive materials covering basic information, the history of the Ebola virus, scientific perspectives, and stories about survivors. There is also an interactive map of recent cases and death rates, a timeline of events, and videos
http://www.eboladeeply.org/.
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Fighting malaria and Saving Lives, Accessed Febr. 23, 2017
This video shows how to identify and manage eye infections in the young baby.
Accessed 12 March 2015
Ghana is attracting global attention for efforts to provide health insurance to all citizens through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). With the program’s strong emphasis on maternal and child health, an expectation of the program is that members will have increased use of relevant servi...ces. The NHIS does appear to enable pregnant women to access services and allow caregivers to seek care early for sick children, but both the quantitative and qualitative assessments also indicated that the poor and least educated were less likely to have insurance than their wealthier and more educated counterparts.
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Where must I go if I feel unwell or have had an accident? Is medical treatment free in Switzerland or must I pay for it? What should I do in an emergency? What types of insurance do I need? How can I protect myself from illness? Where can I find hea...lth information in my own language? The Health Guide to Switzerland answers these and many other qüstions. Available in 18 languages: Albanian, Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Croatian/Serbian/Bosnian, Portugüse, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, Thai, Tamil, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, Urdu, Farsi, Somali. For other languages check following link: http://www.migesplus.ch/publikationen/gesundheitsversorgung/show/gesundheitswegweiser-schweiz-3-komplett-überarbeitete-auflage/
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The agenda focuses on six critical changes necessary for more children suffering from SAM to access effective treatment. Building on lessons from the last decade, and the experiences of other successful health initiatives, the agenda addresses issue...s ranging from the creation of a more enabling environment to stronger mechanisms for tracking progress. It provides a diagnosis of the key challenges in each of these areas to-date and the specific solutions needed to turn things around over the next five years. These solutions require a collective effort at global, regional and national levels. The Agenda lays out Action Against Hunger’s commitments and contributions to these joint efforts
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El informe ofrece un análisis de los mayores retos para asegurar la acción humanitaria y da recomendaciones sobre aspectos que mejorar. Este estudio ayudará a mejorar la manera en que el personal humanitario hace su trabajo en entornos de segurid...ad complejos.
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Notre objectif est d’augmenter l’investissement financier et l’engagement politique nécessaires à l’accès pour tous à la planification familiale volontaire de qualité, à travers des techniques de plaidoyer fondées sur des résultats d...e recherche.
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