Development and launch of the first obstetrics and gynaecology master of medicine residency training programme in Botswana
Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces a severe shortage of Obstetrician Gynaecologists (OBGYNs). While the Lancet Commission for Global Surgery recommends 20 OBGYNs per 100,000 population, Botswana has only 40 OBGYNs for a population of 2.3 million. We describe the development of the first OBGYN Master of Medicine (MMed) training programme in Botswana to address this […]
Influence of Neonatal Resuscitation Training on Practice of Community Health Extension Workers in Managing Asphyxiated Newborns in Rural Nigeria: A Qualitative Study
Birth asphyxia is a global health burden, and effective neonatal resuscitation could reduce the burden of deaths. Providing a suitable newborn resuscitation care will depend on the availability of an effective skilled health worker, who is competent in neonatal resuscitation. The study explores and assesses the effect of neonatal resuscitation training and retention of knowledge […]
Child and adolescent mental health policy in South Africa: History, current policy development and implementation, and policy analysis
Background: Mental health problems represent the greatest global burden of disease among children and adolescents. There is, however, lack of policy development and implementation for child and adolescent mental health (CAMH), particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where children and adolescents represent up to 50% of populations. South Africa, an upper-middle income country is […]
Maternal participant experience in a South African birth cohort study enrolling healthy pregnant women and their infants
Background: Critical to conducting high quality research is the ability to attract and retain participants, especially for longitudinal studies. Understanding participant experiences and motivators or barriers to participating in clinical research is crucial. There are limited data on healthy participant experiences in longitudinal research, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to investigate […]
Progression of the epidemiological transition in a rural South African setting: findings from population surveillance in Agincourt, 1993-2013
Background: Virtually all low- and middle-income countries are undergoing an epidemiological transition whose progression is more varied than experienced in high-income countries. Observed changes in mortality and disease patterns reveal that the transition in most low- and middle-income countries is characterized by reversals, partial changes and the simultaneous occurrence of different types of diseases of […]
Trust of community health workers influences the acceptance of community-based maternal and child health services
Background: Community health workers (CHWs) are a component of the health system in many countries, providing effective community-based services to mothers and infants. However, implementation of CHW programmes at scale has been challenging in many settings. Aim: To explore the acceptability of CHWs conducting household visits to mothers and infants during pregnancy and after delivery, […]
An e-health decision support system for improving compliance of health workers to the maternity care protocols in South Africa
Background: There are problems of quality in maternity services at primary health care level in South Africa. Many of these problems can be traced to non-adherence to the maternity care guidelines and lack of tools to support clinic staff and managers in their roles. Objective: The aim of this research was to investigate the utility […]
In Utero ART Exposure and Birth and Early Growth Outcomes among HIV-Exposed Uninfected Infants Attending Immunization Services: Results from National PMTCT Surveillance, South Africa
Background: Despite the recognized benefit of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for preventing and treating HIV, some studies have reported adverse birth outcomes with in utero ART exposure. We evaluated the effect of infant in utero HIV and ART exposure on preterm delivery (PTD), low birth weight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA), and underweight for age […]
Evaluation of a custom-developed computer game to improve executive functioning in 4- To 6-year-old children exposed to alcohol in utero: Protocol for a feasibility randomized controlled trial
Background: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is one of the most common causes of preventable intellectual disability, and the key associated deficits are in executive function (EF). Aspects of EF can be improved using cognitive training interventions. The highest prevalence of FASD globally (at a rate of 135.1 per 1000) has been found in a […]
Pooled prevalence and determinants of informed choice of contraceptive methods among reproductive age women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A multilevel analysis
Background: Despite the commitments of the government to minimize unintended pregnancy, abortion, and unmet need for contraceptives, as per our search of the literature, there is no study on the pooled prevalence and determinants of informed choice of contraceptive methods in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the pooled prevalence and determinants of […]
