9 research outputs found
Intimate partner violence and utilization of maternal health care services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Intimate partner violence and utilization of maternal health care services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
From Science to Applications: Determinants of Diffusion in the Use of Earth Observations
Directly Observed Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV-Infected Children in Cambodia
Antiretroviral medications are becoming available for HIV-infected children in resource-limited settings. Maryknoll, an international Catholic charity, provided directly observed antiretroviral therapy to HIV-infected children in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Child care workers administered generic antiretroviral drugs twice daily to children, ensuring adherence
A Field-based Approach to Support Improved Diabetes Care in Rural States
Introduction Diabetes care is a challenge in rural areas where primary care practices are faced with limited resources, few clinical information systems, and relative isolation from education programs and diabetes centers with multispecialty teams. This report describes an effective field-based approach to support improved care for patients with diabetes in primary care practices in rural states. Methods A collaborative effort between diabetes prevention and control programs in Montana and Wyoming and the University of North Dakota was established to provide support to rural primary care practices for improvement in diabetes care. Field teams from each state diabetes program approached primary care practices. After assessment and orientation of office staff, a computer-based registry was established in each practice. Baseline data were collected in 1997 in Montana and in 1998 in Wyoming; follow-up occurred on July 31, 2004. Health department staff provided ongoing technical support for implementing and evaluating quality-improvement interventions. Results Forty primary care practices, providing care to more than 7000 patients with diabetes, participated in this quality-improvement effort at follow-up. Of the 37 primary care practices participating in the quality-improvement program for 6 or more months at follow-up, there were significant improvements in Montana in rates of hemoglobin A1c testing, blood glucose control, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol testing, foot and dilated retinal examinations, and pneumococcal vaccinations, and there were significant improvements in pneumococcal vaccinations in Wyoming. Conclusion A field-based approach in which individual practices maintain and use their own registries for both clinical care and quality improvement with ongoing support is a sustainable and an effective strategy for improving diabetes care for rural populations
Enhanced infection prophylaxis reduces mortality in severely immunosuppressed HIV-infected adults and older children initiating antiretroviral therapy in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Zimbabwe: the REALITY trial
Meeting abstract FRAB0101LB from 21st International AIDS Conference 18â22 July 2016, Durban, South Africa.
Introduction: Mortality from infections is high in the first 6 months of antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIVâinfected adults and children with advanced disease in subâSaharan Africa. Whether an enhanced package of infection prophylaxis at ART initiation would reduce mortality is unknown.
Methods:
The REALITY 2Ă2Ă2 factorial openâlabel trial (ISRCTN43622374) randomized ARTânaĂŻve HIVâinfected adults and children >5 years with CD4 <100 cells/mm3. This randomization compared initiating ART with enhanced prophylaxis (continuous cotrimoxazole plus 12 weeks isoniazid/pyridoxine (antiâtuberculosis) and fluconazole (antiâcryptococcal/candida), 5 days azithromycin (antiâbacterial/protozoal) and singleâdose albendazole (antiâhelminth)), versus standardâofâcare cotrimoxazole. Isoniazid/pyridoxine/cotrimoxazole was formulated as a scored fixedâdose combination. Two other randomizations investigated 12âweek adjunctive raltegravir or supplementary food. The primary endpoint was 24âweek mortality.
Results:
1805 eligible adults (n = 1733; 96.0%) and children/adolescents (n = 72; 4.0%) (median 36 years; 53.2% male) were randomized to enhanced (n = 906) or standard prophylaxis (n = 899) and followed for 48 weeks (3.8% lossâtoâfollowâup). Median baseline CD4 was 36 cells/mm3 (IQR: 16â62) but 47.3% were WHO Stage 1/2. 80 (8.9%) enhanced versus 108(12.2%) standard prophylaxis died before 24 weeks (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.73 (95% CI: 0.54â0.97) p = 0.03; Figure 1) and 98(11.0%) versus 127(14.4%) respectively died before 48 weeks (aHR = 0.75 (0.58â0.98) p = 0.04), with no evidence of interaction with the two other randomizations (p > 0.8). Enhanced prophylaxis significantly reduced incidence of tuberculosis (p = 0.02), cryptococcal disease (p = 0.01), oral/oesophageal candidiasis (p = 0.02), deaths of unknown cause (p = 0.02) and (marginally) hospitalisations (p = 0.06) but not presumed severe bacterial infections (p = 0.38). Serious and grade 4 adverse events were marginally less common with enhanced prophylaxis (p = 0.06). CD4 increases and VL suppression were similar between groups (p > 0.2).
Conclusions:
Enhanced infection prophylaxis at ART initiation reduces early mortality by 25% among HIVâinfected adults and children with advanced disease. The pill burden did not adversely affect VL suppression. Policy makers should consider adopting and implementing this lowâcost broad infection prevention package which could save 3.3 lives for every 100 individuals treated