South African hearing conservation programmes in the context of tele-audiology: A scoping review

Background: The limited involvement of audiologists in occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) management through hearing conservation programmes (HCPs) is a global issue. In low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries such as South Africa, this is also exacerbated by demand versus capacity challenges. Tele-audiology is an option requiring serious deliberation by the audiology community within HCPs in LAMI contexts.Objectives: This scoping review explores if tele-audiology has a potential value in HCPs and reviews what has been documented in the literature on the use of tele-audiology in HCPs.Method: A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. A search was conducted in five electronic bibliographic databases including Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus Medline, ProQuest and Google Scholar and the grey literature to identify publications presenting considerations around tele-audiology in the implementation of HCPs.Results: Findings revealed significant dearth of evidence specific to the use or application of tele-audiology in ONIHL and/or HCPs both within the African context and internationally, despite the purported potential benefit of this service delivery model, particularly in resource-constrained contexts such as LAMI countries. Of the publications deemed potentially relevant to this scoping review, none were found that specifically investigated or addressed the use of tele-audiology in ONIHL or HCPs as their main objective. Nuanced analysis of publications revealed that in the last decade, indication for potential growth in the use of tele-audiology within occupational audiology is indicated.Conclusion: Because of the significant demand versus capacity challenges in LAMI countries, and because of the need for scaling up audiology professionals’ management of HCPs, careful consideration of teleaudiology as a platform to deliver services in these contexts is required.

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Recent advances in hearing conservation programmes: A systematic review

South African Journal of Communication Disorders ◽

10.4102/sajcd.v67i2.675 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Nomfundo F. Moroe ◽

Katijah Khoza-Shangase

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Mining Industry ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Hair Cell Regeneration ◽

The South ◽

Middle Income ◽

Hearing Conservation ◽

Recent Advances

Background: Current evidence from low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries, such as South Africa, indicates that occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) continues to be a health and safety challenge for the mining industry. There is also evidence of hearing conservation programmes (HCPs) being implemented with limited success.Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore and document current evidence reflecting recent advances in HCPs in order to identify gaps within the South African HCPs.Method: A systematic literature review was conducted in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. Electronic databases including Sage, Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus MEDLINE, ProQuest and Google Scholar were searched for potential studies published in English between 2010 and 2019 reporting on recent advances in HCPs within the mining industry.Results: The study findings revealed a number of important recent advances internationally, which require deliberation for possible implementation within the South African HCPs context. These advances have been presented under seven themes: (1) the use of metrics, (2) pharmacological interventions and hair cell regeneration, (3) artificial neural network, (4) audiology assessment measures, (5) noise monitoring advances, (6) conceptual approaches to HCPs and (7) buying quiet.Conclusion: The study findings raise important advances that may have significant implications for HCPs in LAMI countries where ONIHL remains a highly prevalent occupational health challenge. Establishing feasibility and efficacy of these advances in these contexts to ensure contextual relevance and responsiveness is one of the recommendations to facilitate the success of HCPs targets.

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Multimorbidity of chronic non-communicable diseases and its models of care in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033320 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. e033320 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Fantu Abebe Eyowas ◽

Marguerite Schneider ◽

Biksegn Asrat Yirdaw ◽

Fentie Ambaw Getahun

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Communicable Diseases ◽

Multiple Chronic Conditions ◽

Middle Income ◽

Non Communicable Diseases ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Co Morbidity ◽

Scoping Reviews ◽

Low And Middle Income

IntroductionMultimorbidity is the coexistence of two or more chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in a given individual. Multimorbidity is increasing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and challenging health systems. Individuals with multimorbidity are facing the risk of premature mortality, lower quality of life and greater use of healthcare services. However, despite the huge challenge multimorbidity brings in LMICs, gaps remain in mapping and synthesising the available knowledge on the issue. The focus of this scoping review will be to synthesise the extent, range and nature of studies on the epidemiology and models of multimorbidity care in LMICs.MethodsPubMed (MEDLINE) will be the main database to be searched. For articles that are not indexed in the PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO and Cochrane databases will be searched. Grey literature databases will also be explored. There will be no restrictions on study setting or year of publication. Articles will be searched using key terms, including comorbidity, co-morbidity, multimorbidity, multiple chronic conditions and model of care. Relevant articles will be screened by two independent reviewers and data will be charted accordingly. The result of this scoping review will be presented using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist and reporting guideline.Ethics and disseminationThis scoping review does not require ethical approval. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journal and presented at scientific conferences.

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Health of transgender men in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review

BMJ Global Health ◽

10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003471 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (11) ◽

pp. e003471

Author(s):

Ayden Scheim ◽

Vibhuti Kacholia ◽

Carmen Logie ◽

Venkatesan Chakrapani ◽

Ketki Ranade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Low Income ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Men’S Health ◽

Men's Health ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Trans Men ◽

Gender Based ◽

And Gender

IntroductionDespite the rapid growth of research on transgender (trans) health globally, the extent of research on trans men and other transmasculine persons assigned the female sex at birth remains unclear. We, therefore, conducted a scoping review on trans men’s health in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).MethodsThe review included peer-reviewed articles and conference abstracts, and grey literature published from 1 January 1999 to 5 July 2019 in English, French, Hindi or Spanish and reporting original quantitative and/or qualitative data on the health of trans men or transmasculine persons living in LMIC. Studies were excluded if they did not disaggregate data for trans men or if they only described surgical techniques or laboratory values.ResultsWe included 53 studies (42 peer-reviewed and 11 grey literature) from 19 LMIC. Most were conducted in higher-middle-income countries (n=12) and in Latin America (n=16, 30.2%), the Middle East (n=14, 26.4%) or Sub-Saharan Africa (n=12, 22.6%) and published in 2014 or later (n=44, 83.0%). Approximately half of studies used quantitative methods (52.8%, n=28), of which 64.3% (n=18) had fewer than 50 participants and 14.2% (n=4) had over 150. Across study designs, social determinants of health and gender-affirming care were the most commonly represented domains (49.1% and 47.1% of studies respectively), with common themes including gender-based violence, coercion and discrimination as well as unprescribed hormone use. Other domains represented included mental health (32.1%), sexual and reproductive health (24.5%), general healthcare access (18.9%), physical health (9.4%) and substance use (9.4%).ConclusionGreater inclusion and disaggregation of trans men and transmasculine persons in global health research is needed to support sex- and gender-based analyses of trans health. Community-based research approaches and theoretically driven research may help to increase the relevance and rigour of such research. Funders should invest in research on trans men’s health in LMIC.

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Quality of patient, family, caregiver and public engagement in decision-making in healthcare systems: a scoping review protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-032788 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. e032788

Author(s):

Clayon Hamilton ◽

M Elizabeth Snow ◽

Nancy Clark ◽

Shannon Gibson ◽

Maryam Dehnadi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Family Caregiver ◽

Research Question ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Healthcare Systems ◽

Evaluation Framework ◽

Bibliographic Databases ◽

Scientific Article

IntroductionTo advance person- and family-centred healthcare, government initiatives have supported the engagement of patients and family caregivers in decision-making in healthcare systems. There is, however, no consensus on how to define success for such initiatives. This scoping review aims to identify the key elements for defining the quality of patient and family caregiver engagement in decision-making across the engagement domains (individual, community/organisation, system) of British Columbia’s healthcare system. We will use those elements to develop a conceptual evaluation framework.Methods and analysisThis scoping review follows Arskey and O’Malley’s methodology. (1) The research question was identified through team discussions. (2) Articles for data source will be identified using a librarian-informed search strategy for seven bibliographic databases as well as grey literature sources. (3) Selected articles will be relevant to the evaluation of patient and family caregiver engagement in healthcare systems. (4) Two researchers will independently extract data into predefined and emerging categories. (5) The researchers will reconcile and organise the identified elements. The research team’s collective perspective will then refine the elements, and select, interpret and summarise the results. (6) Persons from key stakeholder groups will be consulted to refine the emergent conceptual framework.Ethics and disseminationWe will seek ethics approval for the stakeholder consultation. This study follows an integrated knowledge translation approach. The results will inform evaluation of the Patients as Partners Initiative of the British Columbia Ministry of Health, and will be disseminated as a scientific article, a research brief, and presentations at conferences and stakeholder meetings.

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Substance use disorders among African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) people in Canada: a scoping review protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-028985 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. e028985

Author(s):

Joseph D Nguemo ◽

Ngozi Iroanyah ◽

Winston Husbands ◽

LaRon E Nelson ◽

Geoffrey Maina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Substance Use Disorders ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Bibliographic Databases ◽

Scoping Reviews ◽

African Caribbean ◽

Scientific Meetings ◽

English Articles

IntroductionPrevious research demonstrated that substance use continues to be one of the most complex and prevalent problems among African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) people. A number of studies were conducted to characterise substance use patterns in this population. To our knowledge, this is the first known review in Canada characterising substance use disorders on ACB people.This scoping review seeks to answer the following research questions: What characterises substance use disorders among ACB people in Canada? What are the different types and prevalence of substance use among ACB people in Canada? Do ACB people in Canada use more than one substance? What factors are associated with substance use among ACB people in Canada? What are the health and social impacts of substance use in ACB people in Canada?Methods and analysesThis study will use the methodological framework for scoping reviews developed by Arksey and O’Malley. We will search electronic bibliographic databases including Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO and CINAHL. We will limit our search to English articles published between 2000and2019. In addition, we will conduct a grey literature search. Two investigators will independently screen citations and full-text articles. Our findings will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis for scoping reviews guidelines. We will provide a descriptive summary of the studies and summarise the findings with respect to the outcomes and report any gaps that might require further investigation.Ethics and disseminationOur proposed study does not involve human participants; therefore, research ethics approval is not required. This study will provide evidence that will inform the development of strategies for appropriate interventions, as well as policy and further research. The results will be disseminated through publications in open access peer-reviewed journals, presentations at scientific meetings and to the lay public.

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Maternal and neonatal data collection systems in low- and middle-income countries: scoping review protocol

Gates Open Research ◽

10.12688/gatesopenres.13106.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. 18 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mabel Berrueta ◽

Ariel Bardach ◽

Agustin Ciaponni ◽

Xu Xiong ◽

Andy Stergachis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Adverse Event Reporting ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Recent Analysis ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

Background: Pregnant women and neonates represent one of the most vulnerable groups, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A recent analysis reported that most vaccine pharmacovigilance systems in LMICs consist of spontaneous (passive) adverse event reporting. Thus, LMICs need effective active surveillance approaches, such as pregnancy registries. We intend to identify currently active maternal and neonatal data collection systems in LMICs, with the potential to inform active safety electronic surveillance for novel vaccines using standardized definitions. Methods: A scoping review will be conducted based on established methodology. Multiple databases of indexed and grey literature will be searched with a specific focus on existing electronic and paper-electronic systems in LMICs that collect continuous, prospective, and individual-level data from antenatal care, delivery, neonatal care (up to 28 days), and postpartum (up to 42 days) at the facility and community level, at the national and district level, and at large hospitals. Also, experts will be contacted to identify unpublished information on relevant data collection systems. General and specific descriptions of Health Information Systems (HIS) extracted from the different sources will be combined and duplicated HIS will be removed, producing a list of unique statements. We will present a final list of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health systems considered flexible enough to be updated with necessary improvements to detect, assess and respond to safety concerns during the introduction of vaccines and other maternal health interventions. Selected experts will participate in an in-person consultation meeting to select up to three systems to be further explored in situ. Results and knowledge gaps will be synthesized after expert consultation.

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Patient pathways for cardiovascular diseases in Malaysia and the Philippines: a systematic review

Wellcome Open Research ◽

10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16412.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 43

Author(s):

Maureen Seguin ◽

Gideon Lasco ◽

Khairuddin Bin Idris ◽

Jhaki Mendoza ◽

N.H. Hanani Mohd Kadri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Cardiovascular Diseases ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Premature Mortality ◽

The Philippines ◽

Health Concern ◽

Bibliographic Databases ◽

Middle Income ◽

Patient Pathways

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of premature mortality in the world and are a growing public health concern in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including those in South East Asia. Their management requires coordinated responses by a range of healthcare providers, which should preferably be based on knowledge of the national context. We systematically review evidence on the pathways followed by patients with CVD in Malaysia and the Philippines to understand patient journeys, along with the barriers at each stage. Methods: We searched seven bibliographic databases and grey literature sources to identify material focused on the pathways followed by patients with CVD in Malaysia and the Philippines, and performed a narrative synthesis. Results: The search yielded 25 articles, 3 focused on the Philippines and 22 on Malaysia. Most articles were quantitative analyses that focused on hypertensive patients. Three examined secondary prevention post myocardial infarction, and one each examined acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Reported barriers reflected capability (knowledge of behaviours to achieve control or the capacity to conduct these behaviours), intention (attitudes or motivations toward the behaviours to achieve control), and aspects of the health care system (availability, accessibility, affordability and acceptability of services). Conclusions: There are large gaps in our understanding of patient pathways in Malaysia and the Philippines that limit the development of evidence-based strategies to effectively address the CVD burden in South East Asian countries and in LMICs more broadly. Addressing these evidence gaps will require longitudinal mixed-methods studies following patients from initial diagnosis to long-term management.

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Timeliness of routine childhood vaccination in low- and middle-income countries, 1978–2021: Protocol for a scoping review to map methodologic gaps and determinants

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0253423 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0253423

Author(s):

Oghenebrume Wariri ◽

Uduak Okomo ◽

Yakubu Kevin Kwarshak ◽

Kris A. Murray ◽

Chris Grundy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Childhood Vaccination ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Routine Childhood ◽

Vaccination Timeliness ◽

Google Search ◽

Full Search ◽

Low And Middle Income

The literature on the timeliness of childhood vaccination (i.e. vaccination at the earliest appropriate age) in low-and middle-income countries has important measurement and methodological issues that may limit their usefulness and cross comparison. We aim to conduct a comprehensive scoping review to map the existing literature with a key focus on how the literature on vaccination timeliness has evolved, how it has been defined or measured, and what determinants have been explored in the period spanning the last four decades. This scoping review protocol was developed based on the guidance for scoping reviews from the Joanna Briggs Institute. We will include English and French language peer-reviewed publications and grey literature on the timeliness of routine childhood vaccination in low-and middle-income countries published between January 1978 through to 2021. A three-step search strategy that involves an initial search of two databases to refine the keywords, a full search of all included electronic databases, and screening of references of previous studies for relevant articles missing from our full search will be employed. The search will be conducted in five electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, CINAHL and Web of Science. Google search will also be conducted to identify relevant grey literature on vaccination timeliness. All retrieved titles from the search will be imported into Endnote X9.3.3 (Clarivate Analytics) and deduplicated. Two reviewers will screen the titles, abstracts and full texts of publications for eligibility using Rayyan–the web based application for screening articles for systematic reviews. Using a tailored data extraction template, we will extract relevant information from eligible studies. The study team will analyse the extracted data using descriptive statistical methods and thematic analysis. The results will be presented using tables, while charts and maps will be used to aid the visualisation of the key findings and themes. The proposed review will generate evidence on key methodological gaps in the literature on timeliness of childhood vaccination. Such evidence would shape the direction of future research, and assist immunisation programme managers and country-level stakeholders to address the needs of their national immunisation system.

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Barriers to the implementation of sexual and reproductive health education programmes in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review protocol

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030814 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. e030814

Author(s):

Moreblessing Chipo Mashora ◽

Tafadzwa Dzinamarira ◽

Claude Mambo Muvunyi

Keyword(s):

Health Education ◽

Reproductive Health ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Low Income ◽

Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽

Emotional Health ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Effective Implementation

IntroductionHealth education programmes (HEPs) have been associated with a number of benefits. These include providing individuals with information on matters related to their mental, social, physical as well as emotional health. HEPs also play a major role in preventing diseases and reducing the level of engagement of individuals in risky behaviours. While this is the case, there are barriers to the effective implementation of HEPs, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) where resources are scarce. Available evidence has revealed socioeconomic challenges ranging from literacy issues, discomfort about issues of sexuality, and cultural barriers to financial constraints as key barriers to the implementation of sexual and reproductive health HEPs in LMICs. We will focus on HEPs related to sexual and reproductive health; all age groups will be considered with no restrictions on geographical setting nor model of HEP delivery. This review will map literature on the barriers to the effective implementation of HEPs in LMICs to guide future implementation research.MethodsArksey and O’Malley’s 2005 scoping methodological framework will act as the guide for this review. We will search the following electronic databases: EBSCOhost (Academic search complete, PsycINFO, Health Sources, CINAHL and MEDLINE with full text), Google Scholar, PubMed, SCOPUS, Science Direct and Web of Science. Grey literature from Mount Kenya University theses and dissertations, governments’ as well as international organisations’ reports, such as WHO, and reference lists of included studies will be searched for eligible studies. We will limit our search to publications from 1 January 2000 to 30 September 2019. Using thematic content analysis, we will employ NVivo V.12 to extract the relevant outcomes from the included articles. We will conduct a quality appraisal of the included articles using the mixed methods appraisal tool (MMAT) version 2018.Ethics and disseminationNo ethical approval is needed for the study as it will not include animal nor human participants. The results of the proposed scoping review will be disseminated electronically, in print and through conference presentation as well as at key stakeholder meetings.

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Burden of disease: A scoping review of HIV/AIDS and TB in occupational noise-induced hearing loss

South African Journal of Communication Disorders ◽

10.4102/sajcd.v67i2.669 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Katijah Khoza-Shangase

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

South African ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Burden Of Disease ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Hiv And Aids ◽

Bibliographic Databases ◽

Noise Induced Hearing Loss ◽

Occupational Noise ◽

The South

Background: Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) does not occur in isolation from other influencing factors such as health conditions and illnesses like human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV and AIDS), as well as tuberculosis (TB). How the burden of disease influences the occurrence and/or management of ONIHL becomes a key if the goal of hearing conservation programmes (HCPs) is to be achieved within these contexts.Objectives: The purpose of this scoping review was to conduct an investigation on how the burden of disease’s influence on ONIHL is reported in literature, with a specific focus on the most prevalent diseases in South African mines – HIV and AIDS and TB.Method: A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. A search was conducted in five electronic bibliographic databases and the grey literature.Results: The search procured 10 publications, with two specific to ONIHL within the South African context. In addition to the two publications specific to TB and ONIHL, findings revealed a serious gap in the evidence around the scoping review question globally. This obvious lack of investigations into the influence of these two conditions in the South African mining context raises serious implications about the responsiveness, and proactive nature of HCPs within this population.Conclusion: Considering the burden of diseases on otology and audiology is critical as certain diseases cause hearing impairment either as a primary effect, as a secondary/opportunistic effect or as a side effect of treatment options for that disease. An employee suffering from any such disease with concomitant exposure to hazardous noise levels presents an even bigger challenge to HCPs if such is not taken into consideration in the conception, implementation and monitoring of HCPs.

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