Journal Articles

Sepsis causes 20% of global deaths, particularly among children and vulnerable populations living in developing countries. This study investigated how sepsis is prioritised in Malawi’s health system to inform health policy. In this mixed-methods study, twenty multisectoral stakeholders were qualitatively interviewed and asked to quantitatively rate the likelihood of sepsis-related medium-term policy outcomes being realised. Respondents indicated that sepsis is not prioritised in Malawi due to a lack of local sepsis-related evidence and policies. However, they highlighted strong linkages between sepsis and maternal health, antimicrobial resistance and COVID-19, which are already existing national priorities, and offers opportunities for sepsis researchers […]

The global challenge of evidence-informed policy-making in health is perpetuated by the gap between researchers and policy-makers.1 2 Knowledge translation (KT) addresses this gap by promoting interactions that encourage policy-makers’ responsiveness to research and researchers to conduct policy-relevant research.3 The WHO supports global KT efforts through the Evidence-informed Policy Network that encourages countries to establish KT platforms (KTPs).4 For example, platforms such as immunisation advisory groups have been instrumental in influencing immunisation country policy changes through evidence promotion.5 Specific to vector control (VC), the WHO developed the Global Vector Control Response to guide the implementation of VC through stakeholder integration and evidence-use.6 This paper […]

This study adds to the body of evidence regarding malaria prevention in rural community settings and promotes community buy-in to interventions. The study showed that the community-led HI resonated positively amongst the population in the rural area of Chikwawa in Malawi. Community-led HI implementation improved the community’s knowledge on HI and malaria. Participants perceived that HI had contributed to reducing the burden of malaria in the area. Acceptability of the intervention was reported to be high by participants. However, barriers towards implementation, such as heat and lack of ventilation in the HI house, inaccessibility, and affordability of materials, would make […]

This study was part of a 3-year (October 2019–October 2022) project called The Heightening Institutional Capacity for Government Use of Health Research (HIGH-Res) conducted in Kenya, Malawi and Uganda. The study was implemented to test interventions that strengthen the capacity of TWGs in enabling a sustained evidence use culture in the MoHs. This study focused on TWGs within the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Malawi, categorized as a low-income country in sub-Saharan Africa. The Ministry is responsible for developing, reviewing and enforcing health-related policies and standards for the health sector. The MoH performs its functions through 14 directorates, including a […]

HPV vaccine communication is critical in ensuring that the community understands the importance of vaccination. The most effective communication strategies included those which educate the population about the HPV vaccine, facilitate decision-making on vaccine uptake and community ownership of the vaccination process immunisation.   Authors: Sandra Y Oketch, Edwin O Ochomo, Jeniffer A Orwa, Lilian M Mayieka, Leila H Abdullahi Full-Text Link: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/4/e067164  

Sepsis causes 20% of global deaths, particularly among children and vulnerable populations living in developing countries. This study investigated how sepsis is prioritised in Malawi’s health system to inform health policy. In this mixed-methods study, twenty multisectoral stakeholders were qualitatively interviewed and asked to quantitatively rate the likelihood of sepsis-related medium-term policy outcomes being realised. Respondents indicated that sepsis is not prioritised in Malawi due to a lack of local sepsis-related evidence and policies. However, they highlighted strong linkages between sepsis and maternal health, antimicrobial resistance and COVID-19, which are already existing national priorities, and offers opportunities for sepsis researchers […]

Sepsis has been recognised as a global health priority by the United Nations World Health Assembly, which adopted a resolution in 2017 to improve sepsis prevention, diagnosis, and management globally. This study investigated how sepsis is prioritised in Gabon. From May to November 2021, we conducted a qualitative study in healthcare stakeholders at the local, regional, and national levels. Stakeholders included the Ministry of Health (MOH), ethics/regulatory bodies, research institutions, academic institutions, referral hospitals, international funders, and the media. Twenty-three multisectoral stakeholders were interviewed. Respondents indicated that sepsis is not yet prioritised in Gabon due to the lack of evidence […]

Given the primary functions of parliaments and the central role they play in countries’ development efforts, they are often inadequately staffed and equipped and therefore unable to support sustained use of evidence in parliamentary debate and decision-making. In sub-Saharan African countries, many parliaments must contend with weak institutional systems, structures and capacities – among other factors. Strengthening evidence systems for better and quality debate and decision-making, must therefore remain a priority for both scholars and practitioners. The publication is a collection of reflections from parliamentarians and practitioners. Read reflections from AFIDEP’s Dr. Rose Oronje’s reflections on page xxii.  Access the […]

Sepsis protocols in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) are typically extrapolated from high-income settings, yet sepsis in sSA is likely caused by distinct pathogens and may require novel treatment strategies. Data to guide such strategies are lacking. We aimed to define causes and modifiable factors associated with sepsis outcome in Blantyre, Malawi to inform design of treatment strategies tailored to sSA. You can access the full articles here: A longitudinal observational study of aetiology and long-term outcomes of sepsis in Malawi revealing the key role of disseminated tuberculosis – PubMed (nih.gov) Authors: Joseph M. Lewis, Madalitso Mphasa, Lucy Keyala, Rachel Banda, Emma […]

Modern contraceptive use is effective for preventing unplanned pregnancies and helping individual women and couples to decide freely and responsibly if, when, and how many children they want to have; family planning progress under the SDGs is measured with a novel indicator, demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods (mDFPS), which provides a better indication of modern contraceptive coverage than unmet need and contraceptive prevalence rate, this study demonstrates significant intra-urban disparities in demand for FP satisfied with modern contraceptives in Malawi. There is a need for policymakers and reproductive health practitioners to recognise these disparities and to prioritise […]

Cervical cancer is a major cause of disease and death in many low-income countries. Prevention strategies have effectively reduced the burden in high-income countries, and this has caused a highly in-equitable global distribution of disease. Adoption of routine cervical cancer screening in Malawi is very low, even though it has the highest cervical cancer burden in the world. We performed a multi-level assessment of Malawian women’s knowledge and perceptions of cervical cancer risk and screening, Malawian women have found low awareness about cervical cancer risk, low perceived susceptibility, and many misconceptions about the role and process of screening. A comprehensive, […]

Nearly fifty million people worldwide are afflicted by sepsis every year, resulting in eleven million deaths annually and sub-Saharan Africa countries are amongst those most heavily affected. This study explores knowledge regarding sepsis among health workers in Lambaréné Gabon; and revealed that there are considerable knowledge gaps regarding sepsis among health workers in Lambaréné, potentially impairing the prompt recognition and management of sepsis. There is a need to establish periodic up- to-date training to improve sepsis knowledge. You can access the full articles here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.105914 Authors: Bayode R Adegbite, Jean Ronald Edoa, Jamie Rylance, Shevin T Jacob, Paul Kawale, Ayola […]