Author:
Martha J. Aby
University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.
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Published: March 2020
Archives: UW Articles
✪ HIV-exposed infant follow-up in Mozambique: Formative research findings for the design of a cluster randomized controlled trial to improve testing and ART initiation
Authors:
Lúcia Vieira, Arlete Miloque Mahumane, Manuel Napua, Falume Chale, João Luís Manuel, Jessica Greenberg Cowan, Kenneth Sherr, Rachel R. Chapman & James T. Pfeiffer
University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.
✪ Open Access
Published: March 2020
Read the full text in the open access journal BMC Health Services Research
Abstract:
Background
Early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV-exposed and initiation of HIV-positive infants on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) requires a well-coordinated cascade of care. Loss-to-follow-up (LTFU) can occur at multiple steps and effective EID is impeded by human resource constraints, difficulty with patient tracking, and long waiting periods. The objective of this research was to conduct formative research to guide the development of an intervention to improve the pediatric HIV care cascade in central Mozambique. The study was conducted in Manica and Sofala Provinces where the adult HIV burden is higher than the national average. The research focused on 3 large clinics in each province, along the highly populated Beira corridor.
Methods
The research was conducted in 2014 over 3 months at six facilities and consisted of 1) patient flow mapping and collection of health systems data from postpartum, child-at-risk, and ART service registries, 2) measurement of clinic waiting times, and 3) patient and health worker focus groups.
Results
HIV testing and ART initiation coverage for mothers tends to be high, but EID and pediatric ART initiation are hampered by lack of patient tracking, long waiting times, and inadequate counseling to navigate the care cascade. About 76% of HIV-positive infants were LTFU and did not initiate ART.
Conclusions
Effective interventions to reduce LTFU in EID and improve pediatric ART initiation should focus on patient tracking, active follow-up of defaulting patients, reduction in EID turn-around times for PCR results, and initiation of ART by nurses in child-at-risk services.
Trial registration
Retrospectively registered, ISRCTN67747315, July 24, 2019.
**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**
✪ Evaluating the implementation of cervical cancer screening programs in low-resource settings globally: a systematized review
Authors:
J. Andrew Dykens, Jennifer S. Smith, Margaret Demment, E. Marshall, Tina Schuh, Karen Peters, Tracy Irwin, Scott McIntosh, Angela Sy & Timothy Dye
University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.
✪ Open Access
Published: March 2020
Read the full text in the open access journal Cancer Causes & Control
Abstract:
Purpose
Cervical cancer disproportionately burdens low-resource populations where access to quality screening services is limited. A greater understanding of sustainable approaches to implement cervical cancer screening services is needed.
Methods
We conducted a systematized literature review of evaluations from cervical cancer screening programs implemented in resource-limited settings globally that included a formal evaluation and intention of program sustainment over time. We categorized the included studies using the continuum of implementation research framework which categorizes studies progressively from “implementation light” to more implementation intensive.
Results
Fifty-one of 13,330 initially identified papers were reviewed with most study sites in low-resource settings of middle-income countries (94.1%) ,while 9.8% were in low-income countries. Across all studies, visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid (58.8%) was the most prevalent screening method followed by cytology testing (39.2%). Demand-side (client and community) considerations were reported in 86.3% of the articles, while 68.6% focused scientific inquiry on the supply side (health service). Eighteen articles (35.3%) were categorized as “Informing Scale-up” along the continuum of implementation research.
Conclusions
The number of cervical cancer screening implementation reports is limited globally, especially in low-income countries. The 18 papers we classified as Informing Scale-up provide critical insights for developing programs relevant to implementation outcomes. We recommend that program managers report lessons learnt to build collective implementation knowledge for cervical cancer screening services, globally.
**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**
✪ Evaluating and optimizing the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) for use in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review
Authors:
Arianna Rubin Means, Christopher G. Kemp, Marie-Claire Gwayi-Chore, Sarah Gimbel, Caroline Soi, Kenneth Sherr, Bradley H. Wagenaar, Judith N. Wasserheit, & Bryan J. Weiner
University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.
✪ Open Access
Published: March 2020
Read the full text in the open access journal Implementation Science
Abstract:
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
**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**
✪ 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
Authors:
Sarah Gimbel, Ana Olga Mocumbi, Kristjana Ásbjörnsdóttir, Joana Coutinho, Leonel Andela, Bonifacio Cebola, Heidi Craine, Jonny Crocker, Leecreesha Hicks, Sarah Holte, Rodrigues Hossieke, Edgar Itai, Carol Levin, Nelia Manaca, Filipe Murgorgo, Miguel Nhumba, James Pfeiffer, Isaias Ramiro, Keshet Ronen, Nona Sotoodehnia, Onei Uetela, Anjuli Wagner, Bryan J. Weiner, & Kenneth Sherr
University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.
✪ Open Access
Published: March 2020
Read the full text in the open access journal Implementation Science
Abstract:
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
Registered 09/13/2019; NCT04088656).
**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**
✪ Implementation outcomes and strategies for depression interventions in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
Authors:
Bradley H. Wagenaar, Wilson H. Hammett, Courtney Jackson, Dana L. Atkins, Jennifer M. Belus, and Christopher G. Kemp
University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.
✪ Open Access
Published: March 2020
Read the full text in the open access journal Global Mental Health
Abstract:
Background
We systematically reviewed implementation research targeting depression interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to assess gaps in methodological coverage.
Methods
PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and EMBASE were searched for evaluations of depression interventions in LMICs reporting at least one implementation outcome published through March 2019.
Results
A total of 8714 studies were screened, 759 were assessed for eligibility, and 79 studies met inclusion criteria. Common implementation outcomes reported were acceptability (n = 50; 63.3%), feasibility (n = 28; 35.4%), and fidelity (n = 18; 22.8%). Only four studies (5.1%) reported adoption or penetration, and three (3.8%) reported sustainability. The Sub-Saharan Africa region (n = 29; 36.7%) had the most studies. The majority of studies (n = 59; 74.7%) reported outcomes for a depression intervention implemented in pilot researcher-controlled settings. Studies commonly focused on Hybrid Type-1 effectiveness-implementation designs (n = 53; 67.1), followed by Hybrid Type-3 (n = 16; 20.3%). Only 21 studies (26.6%) tested an implementation strategy, with the most common being revising professional roles (n = 10; 47.6%). The most common intervention modality was individual psychotherapy (n = 30; 38.0%). Common study designs were mixed methods (n = 27; 34.2%), quasi-experimental uncontrolled pre-post (n = 17; 21.5%), and individual randomized trials (n = 16; 20.3).
Conclusions
Existing research has focused on early-stage implementation outcomes. Most studies have utilized Hybrid Type-1 designs, with the primary aim to test intervention effectiveness delivered in researcher-controlled settings. Future research should focus on testing and optimizing implementation strategies to promote scale-up of evidence-based depression interventions in routine care. These studies should use high-quality pragmatic designs and focus on later-stage implementation outcomes such as cost, penetration, and sustainability.
**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**
ImPlementation REsearCh to DEvelop Interventions for People Living with HIV (the PRECluDE consortium): Combatting chronic disease comorbidities in HIV populations through implementation research
Authors:
Joyonna Carrie Gamble-George, Christopher T. Longenecker, Allison R. Webel, David H. Au, Arleen F. Brown, Hayden Bosworth, Kristina Crothers, William E. Cunningham, Kevin A. Fiscella, Alison B. Hamilton, Christian D. Helfrich, Joseph A. Ladapo, Amneris Luque, Jonathan N. Tobin, Gail E. Wyatt, Implementation Research to Develop Interventions for People Living with HIV (PRECluDE) Consortium
University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.
Subscription Required for Full Text Access
Published: March 2020
Read the full text in the subscription access journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases
The impact of localized implementation: Determining the cost-effectiveness of HIV prevention and care interventions across six United States cities
Authors:
Emanuel Krebs, Xiao Zang, Benjamin Enns, Jeong E. Min, Czarina N. Behrends, Carlos del Rio, Julia C. Dombrowski, Daniel J. Feaster, Kelly A. Gebo, Matthew Golden, Brandon D.L. Marshall, Lisa R. Metsch, Bruce R. Schackman, Steven Shoptaw, Steffanie A. Strathdee, Bohdan Nosyk on behalf of the Localized Economic Modeling Study Group
University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.
Subscription Required for Full Text Access
Published: March 2020
Read the full text in the subscription access journal AIDS
✪ Responding to the challenge of Adolescent Perinatal Depression (RAPiD): Protocol for a cluster randomized hybrid trial of psychosocial intervention in primary maternal care
Authors:
Oye Gureje, Lola Kola, Bibilola D. Oladeji, Jibril Abdulmalik, Olatunde Ayinde, Phyllis Zelkowitz & Ian Bennett
University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.
✪ Open Access
Published: February 2020
Read the full text in the open access journal Trials
Abstract:
Background
Adolescent pregnancy is a pressing public health issue globally, and particularly in low and middle-income countries. Depression occurring in the perinatal period is common among women and more so among adolescent mothers. Effective treatments for the condition have been demonstrated in adults but the needs of adolescents are often unique, making such treatments unlikely to meet those needs.
Method/study design
A hybrid effectiveness–implementation research study is described in which a cluster randomized trial design is used to explore the effectiveness as well as the utility in routine practice of an intervention package specifically designed for adolescents with perinatal depression. Consenting pregnant adolescents (aged less than 20 years) who are newly registered for antenatal care are enrolled into the trial if their fetal gestational age is less than 36 weeks and they score 12 or more on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The intervention package consists of structured sessions of behavior activation, problem-solving treatment, and parenting skills training, and is delivered by primary maternal health care providers, complemented by support provided by a “neighborhood mother” identified by the adolescent.
Mothers in the control arm receive care as usual. The trial is conducted in clinics where the maternal providers are trained to deliver routine depression care with the use of the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme, intervention guide. Assessments are undertaken by trained blinded assessors at baseline, at childbirth, and at 3 and 6 months postpartum. The primary outcome, assessed at 6 months, is the level of maternal depression (measured with the EPDS). The secondary outcome is parenting skills (assessed with the Home Observation Measurement of the Environment, Infant–Toddler version), while tertiary outcomes include measures of disability, quality of life, mother–child bonding, as well as infants’ nutritional and growth indices.
Discussion
This, to the best of our knowledge, will be the first fully-powered trial of an intervention package specifically designed to address the unique needs of adolescents with perinatal depression.
Trial registration
ISRCTN16775958. Registered on 30 April 2019.
**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**
✪ Aligning implementation and user-centered design strategies to enhance the impact of health services: results from a concept mapping study
Authors:
Alex R. Dopp, Kathryn E. Parisi, Sean A. Munson, & Aaron R. Lyon
University of Washington affiliated authors are displayed in bold.
✪ Open Access
Published: February 2020
Read the full text in the open access journal Implementation Science Communications
Abstract:
Background
Innovative approaches are needed to maximize fit between the characteristics of evidence-based practices (EBPs), implementation strategies that support EBP use, and contexts in which EBPs are implemented. Standard approaches to implementation offer few ways to address such issues of fit. We characterized the potential for collaboration with experts from a relevant complementary approach, user-centered design (UCD), to increase successful implementation.
Method
Using purposive and snowball sampling, we recruited 56 experts in implementation (n = 34) or UCD (n = 22). Participants had 5+ years of professional experience (M = 10.31), worked across many settings (e.g., healthcare, education, human services), and were mostly female (59%) and white (73%). Each participant completed a web-based concept mapping structured conceptualization task. They sorted strategies from established compilations for implementation (36 strategies) and UCD (30 strategies) into distinct clusters, then rated the importance and feasibility of each strategy.
Results
We used multidimensional scaling techniques to examine patterns in the sorting of strategies. Based on conceptual clarity and fit with established implementation frameworks, we selected a final set of 10 clusters (i.e., groups of strategies), with five implementation-only clusters, two UCD-only clusters, and three trans-discipline clusters. The highest-priority activities (i.e., above-average importance and feasibility) were the trans-discipline clusters plus facilitate change and monitor change. Implementation and UCD experts sorted strategies into similar clusters, but each gave higher importance and feasibility ratings to strategies/clusters from their own discipline.
Conclusions
In this concept mapping study, experts in implementation and UCD had perspectives that both converged (e.g., trans-discipline clusters, which were all rated as high-priority) and diverged (e.g., in importance/feasibility ratings). The results provide a shared understanding of the alignment between implementation science and UCD, which can increase the impact and sustainability of EBP implementation efforts. Implications for improved collaboration among implementation and UCD experts are discussed.
**This abstract is posted with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License**