Search

Health policy and systems research (HPSR) is a multi-disciplinary, largely applied field of research aimed at understanding and strengthening the performance of health systems, often with an emphasis on power, policy and equity. The value of embedded and participatory HPSR specifically in facilitating the collection of rich data that is relevant to addressing real-world challenges is increasingly recognised. However, the potential contributions and challenges of HPSR in the context of shocks and crises are not well documented, with a particular gap in the literature being the experiences and coping strategies of the HPSR researchers who are embedded in health systems in resource constrained settings. In this paper, we draw on two sets of group discussions held among a group of approximately 15 HPSR researchers based in Nairobi, Kenya, who were conducting a range of embedded HPSR studies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers, including many of the authors, were employed by the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), which is a long-standing multi-disciplinary partnership between the Kenya Medical Research Institute and the Wellcome Trust with a central goal of contributing to national and international health policy and practice. We share our findings in relation to three inter-related themes: 1) Ensuring the continued social value of our HPSR work in the face of changing priorities; 2) Responding to shifting ethical procedures and processes at institutional and national levels; and 3) Protecting our own and front-line colleagues' well-being, including clinical colleagues. Our experiences highlight that in navigating research work and responsibilities to colleagues, patients and participants through the pandemic, many embedded HPSR staff faced difficult emotional and ethical challenges, including heightened forms of moral distress, which may have been better prevented and supported. We draw on our findings and the wider literature to discuss considerations for funders and research leads with an eye to strengthening support for embedded HPSR staff, not only in crises such as the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, but also more generally., Competing Interests: The authors have read the journal’s policy and have the following competing interests: JN is a member of the PLOS Editorial Board outside of the submitted work. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS policies on sharing data and materials., (Copyright: © 2023 Nzinga et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

This study explored factors that influence CHV performance in urban informal settlements (UIS) within Nairobi Kenya and ways in which CHVs can be supported to enhance their wellbeing and strengthen community strategies. The study was undertaken in two UIS within Nairobi County. Thirteen focus group discussions and three key informant interviews were conducted with a range of respondents. Various topics covering the design of the Community Health Strategy (CHS) and broader contextual factors that affect CHVs' performance, were discussed and data analysed using a framework analysis approach. The key programme design factors identified as influencing the performance of CHVs working in UIS included: CHV recruitment; training; availability of supplies and resources; and remuneration of CHVs. Health system factors that influenced CHVs performance included: nature of relationship between healthcare workers at local referral facilities and community members; availability of services and perceived corruption at referral facilities; and CHV referral outside of the local health facility. Whereas the broader contextual factors that affected CHV performance included: demand for material or financial support; perceived corruption in community programmes; and neighbourhood insecurity. These findings suggest that CHVs working in UIS in Kenya face a myriad of challenges that impact their wellbeing and performance. Therefore, to enhance CHVs' well-being and improve their performance, the following should be considered: adequate and timely remuneration for CHVs, appropriate holistic training, adequate supportive supervision, and ensuring a satisfactory supply of resources and supplies. Additionally, at the facility level, healthcare workers should be trained on appropriate and respectful relations with both the community and the CHVs, clarity of roles and scope of work, ensure availability of services, and safeguard against corrupt practices in public health facilities. Lastly, there's a need for improved and adequate security measures at the community level, to ensure safety of CHVs as they undertake their roles., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Ogutu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Intersectionality is a useful tool to address health inequalities, by helping us understand and respond to the individual and group effects of converging systems of power. Intersectionality rejects the notion of inequalities being the result of single, distinct factors, and instead focuses on the relationships between overlapping processes that create inequities. In this Series paper, we use an intersectional approach to highlight the intersections of racism, xenophobia, and discrimination with other systems of oppression, how this affects health, and what can be done about it. We present five case studies from different global locations that outline different dimensions of discrimination based on caste, ethnicity and migration status, Indigeneity, religion, and skin colour. Although experiences are diverse, the case studies show commonalities in how discrimination operates to affect health and wellbeing: how historical factors and coloniality shape contemporary experiences of race and racism; how racism leads to separation and hierarchies across shifting lines of identity and privilege; how racism and discrimination are institutionalised at a systems level and are embedded in laws, regulations, practices, and health systems; how discrimination, minoritisation, and exclusion are racialised processes, influenced by visible factors and tacit knowledge; and how racism is a form of structural violence. These insights allow us to begin to articulate starting points for justice-based action that addresses root causes, engages beyond the health sector, and encourages transnational solidarity., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests DD is the co-founder and lead of the Race & Health collective within UCL. DD is a recipient of the Wellcome Trust grant on climate and racial justice (grant number 24687/Z/21/Z). All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of interests DD is the co-founder and lead of the Race & Health collective within UCL. All other authors declare no competing interests.

Introduction: Post-hospital discharge mortality is high among undernourished children in many low and middle-income countries. Although a number of quantitative studies have highlighted a range of potential socio-cultural, economic and health system factors influencing paediatric post-discharge treatment-seeking and recovery, few studies have explored family and provider perspectives of the post-discharge period in-depth., Methods: This work was part of a large, multi-country prospective cohort study, the Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network. We conducted a qualitative sub-study to understand the post-discharge treatment-seeking and recovery experiences of families of undernourished children aged 2-23 months admitted in a rural and urban icddr,b (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) hospital. Methods included repeat in-depth interviews (73 interviews in total) with 29 family members of 17 purposively selected children. These data were supplemented by interviews with 33 health workers, and by observations in hospitals and homes., Results: Important drivers of treatment-seeking perceived to support recovery included advice provided to family members while in hospital, media campaigns on hygiene practice, availability of free treatment, and social and financial support from family members, relatives and neighbours. Key perceived challenges included low household incomes, mothers having to juggle multiple responsibilities in addition to caring for the sick child, lack of support (sometimes violence) from the child's father, and family members' preference for relatively accessible drug shops, physicians or healers over hospital admission., Conclusion: Development of interventions that address the challenges that families face is essential to support post-discharge adherence to medical advice and recovery. Potential interventions include strengthening information giving during hospitalization on what post-discharge care is needed and why, reducing direct and indirect costs associated with hospital visits, engaging fathers and other 'significant others' in post-discharge advice, and building mobile phone-based support for follow-up care., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Human resources are at the heart of health systems, playing a central role in their functionality globally. It is estimated that up to 70% of the health workforce are women, however, this pattern is not reflected in the leadership of health systems where women are under-represented., Methods: This systematized review explored the existing literature around women's progress towards leadership in the health sector in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) which has used intersectional analysis., Results: While there are studies that have looked at the inequities and barriers women face in progressing towards leadership positions in health systems within LMICs, none explicitly used an intersectionality framework in their approach. These studies did nevertheless show recurring barriers to health systems leadership created at the intersection of gender and social identities such as professional cadre, race/ethnicity, financial status, and culture. These barriers limit women's access to resources that improve career development, including mentorship and sponsorship opportunities, reduce value, recognition and respect at work for women, and increase the likelihood of women to take on dual burdens of professional work and childcare and domestic work, and, create biased views about effectiveness of men and women's leadership styles. An intersectional lens helps to better understand how gender intersects with other social identities which results in upholding these persisting barriers to career progression and leadership., Conclusion: As efforts to reduce gender inequity in health systems are gaining momentum, it is important to look beyond gender and take into account other intersecting social identities that create unique positionalities of privilege and/or disadvantage. This approach should be adopted across a diverse range of health systems programs and policies in an effort to strengthen gender equity in health and specifically human resources for health (HRH), and improve health system governance, functioning and outcomes., (© 2022 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.)

Background: There is limited information on community health volunteer (CHV) programmes in urban informal settlements in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This is despite such settings accounting for a high burden of disease. Many factors intersect to influence the performance of CHVs working in urban informal settlements in LMICs. This review was conducted to identify both the programme level and contextual factors influencing performance of CHVs working in urban informal settlements in LMICs., Methods: Four databases were searched for qualitative and mixed method studies focusing on CHVs working in urban and peri-urban informal settlements in LMICs. We focused on CHV programme outcome measures at CHV individual level. A total of 13 studies met the inclusion criteria and were double read to extract relevant data. Thematic coding was conducted, and data synthesized across ten categories of both programme and contextual factors influencing CHV performance. Quality was assessed using both the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and the Mixed Methods Assessment Tool (MMAST); and certainty of evidence evaluated using the Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (CERQual) approach., Results: Key programme-level factors reported to enhance CHV performance in urban informal settlements in LMICs included both financial and non-financial incentives, training, the availability of supplies and resources, health system linkage, family support, and supportive supervision. At the broad contextual level, factors found to negatively influence the performance of CHVs included insecurity in terms of personal safety and the demand for financial and material support by households within the community. These factors interacted to shape CHV performance and impacted on implementation of CHV programmes in urban informal settlements., Conclusion: This review identified the influence of both programme-level and contextual factors on CHVs working in both urban and peri-urban informal settlements in LMICs. The findings suggest that programmes working in such settings should consider adequate remuneration for CHVs, integrated and holistic training, adequate supplies and resources, adequate health system linkages, family support and supportive supervision. In addition, programmes should also consider CHV personal safety issues and the community expectations., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Undernourished children in low- and middle-income countries remain at elevated risk of death following hospital discharge, even when treated during hospitalisation using World Health Organisation recommended guidelines. The role of community health workers (CHWs) in supporting post-discharge recovery to improve outcomes has not been adequately explored., Methods: This paper draws on qualitative research conducted as part of the Childhood Acute Illnesses and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network in Bangladesh and Kenya. We interviewed family members of 64 acutely ill children admitted across four hospitals (a rural and urban hospital in each country). 27 children had severe wasting or kwashiorkor on admission. Family members were interviewed in their homes soon after discharge, and up to three further times over the following six to fourteen months. These data were supplemented by observations in facilities and homes, key informant interviews with CHWs and policy makers, and a review of relevant guidelines., Results: Guidelines suggest that CHWs could play a role in supporting recovery of undernourished children post-discharge, but the mechanisms to link CHWs into post-discharge support processes are not specified. Few families we interviewed reported any interactions with CHWs post-discharge, especially in Kenya, despite our data suggesting that opportunities for CHWs to assist families post-discharge include providing context sensitive information and education, identification of danger signs, and supporting linkages with community-based services and interventions. Although CHWs are generally present in communities, challenges they face in conducting their roles include unmanageable workloads, few incentives, lack of equipment and supplies and inadequate support from supervisors and some community members., Conclusion: A multi-pronged approach before or on discharge is needed to strengthen linkages between CHWs and children vulnerable to poor outcomes, supported by clear guidance. To encourage scale-ability and cost-effectiveness of interventions, the most vulnerable, high-risk children, should be targeted, including undernourished children. Intervention designs must also take into account existing health worker shortages and training levels, including for CHWs, and how any new tasks or personnel are incorporated into hospital and broader health system hierarchies and systems. Any such interventions will need to be evaluated in carefully designed studies, including tracking for unintended consequences., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Health research in low-resource settings often involves individuals and populations defined as 'vulnerable'. There is growing attention in the literature to the ethical dilemmas that frontline research staff face while conducting such research. However, there is little documented as to how research staff might support one another in identifying and handling these dilemmas in different contexts. Over the course of conducting empirical ethics research embedded in the Childhood Acute Illness & Nutrition Network, we developed an approach to examine and respond to the ethical issues and dilemmas faced by the study teams, particularly frontline staff. In this paper we describe the specific tools and approach we developed, which centred on regular cross-team ethics reflection sessions, and share lessons learnt. We suggest that all studies involving potentially vulnerable participants should incorporate activities and processes to support frontline staff in identifying, reflecting on and responding to ethical dilemmas, throughout studies. We outline the resources needed to do this and share piloted tools for further adaptation and evaluation. Such initiatives should complement and feed into-and certainly not in any way replace or substitute for-strong institutional ethics review, safeguarding and health and safety policies and processes, as well broader staff training and career support initiatives., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Seye Abimbola and co-authors argue for a transformation in global health research and practice in the post-COVID-19 world., Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: MP serves on the editorial board of PLOS Medicine. None of the other authors have competing interests to disclose.

Background: Post-hospital discharge mortality risk is high among young children in many low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The available literature suggests that child, caregiver and health care provider gender all play important roles in post-discharge adherence to medical advice, treatment-seeking and recovery for ill children in LMICs, including those with undernutrition., Methods: A qualitative study was embedded within a larger multi-country multi-disciplinary observational cohort study involving children aged less than 2 years conducted by the Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network. Primary data were collected from family members of 22 purposively selected cohort children. Family members were interviewed several times in their homes over the 6 months following hospital discharge (total n = 78 visits to homes). These in-depth interviews were complemented by semi-structured individual interviews with 6 community representatives, 11 community health workers and 12 facility-based health workers, and three group discussions with a total of 24 community representatives. Data were analysed using NVivo11 software, using both narrative and thematic approaches., Results: We identified gender-related influences at health service/system and household/community levels. These influences interplayed to family members' adherence to medical advice and treatment-seeking after hospital discharge, with potentially important implications for children's recovery. Health service/system level influences included: fewer female medical practitioners in healthcare facilities, which influenced mothers' interest and ability to consult them promptly for their child's illnesses; gender-related challenges for community health workers in supporting mothers with counselling and advice; and male caregivers' being largely absent from the paediatric wards where information sessions to support post-discharge care are offered. Gendered household/community level influences included: women's role as primary caretakers for children and available levels of support; male family members having a dominant role in decision-making related to food and treatment-seeking behaviour; and greater reluctance among parents to invest money and time in the treatment of female children, as compared to male children., Conclusions: A complex web of gender related influences at health systems/services and household/community levels have important implications for young children's recovery post-discharge. Immediate interventions with potential for positive impact include awareness-raising among all stakeholders - including male family members - on how gender influences child health and recovery, and how to reduce adverse consequences of gender-based discrimination. Specific interventions could include communication interventions in facilities and homes, and changes in routine practices such as who is present in facility interactions. To maximise and sustain the impact of immediate actions and interventions, the structural drivers of women's position in society and gender inequity must also be tackled. This requires interventions to ensure equal equitable opportunities for men and women in all aspects of life, including access to education and income generation activities. Given patriarchal norms locally and globally, men will likely need special targeting and support in achieving these objectives.

Background: In many African settings, gender strongly influences household treatment-seeking and decision-making for childhood illnesses. While mothers are often the primary engagers with health facilities, their independence in illness-related decisions is shaped by various factors. Drawing on a gender lens, we explored treatment-seeking pathways pre- and post-hospital admission for acutely ill young children living in low income settlements in Nairobi, Kenya; and the gendered impact of child illness both at the household and health system level., Methods: Household members of 22 children admitted to a public hospital were interviewed in their homes several times post hospital discharge. In-depth interviews covered the child's household situation, health and illness; and the family's treatment-seeking choices and experiences. Children were selected from an observational cohort established by the Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) Network., Results: Treatment-seeking pathways were often long and complex, with mothers playing the key role in caring for their children and in treatment decision-making. Facing many anxieties and dilemmas, mothers often consulted with significant influencers - primarily women - particularly where illnesses were prolonged or complex. In contrast to observations in rural African contexts, fathers were less prominent as influencers than (often female) neighbours, grandparents and other relatives. Mothers were sometimes blamed for their child's condition at home and at health facilities. Children's illness episode and associated treatment-seeking had significant gendered socio-economic consequences for households, including through mothers having to take substantial time off work, reduce their working hours and income, or even losing their jobs., Conclusion: Women in urban low-income settings are disproportionately impacted by acute child illness and the related treatment-seeking and recovery process. The range of interventions needed to support mothers as they navigate their way through children's illnesses and recovery include: deliberate engagement of men in child health to counteract the dominant perception of child health and care as a 'female-domain'; targeted economic strategies such as cash transfers to safeguard the most vulnerable women and households, combined with more robust labour policies to protect affected women; as well as implementing strategies at the health system level to improve interactions between health workers and community members.

Background: Child mortality rates during hospitalisation for acute illness and after discharge are unacceptably high in many under-resourced settings. Childhood vulnerability to recurrent illness, and death, is linked to their families' situations and ability to make choices and act (their agency). We examined vulnerability and agency across treatment-seeking journeys for acutely ill children and considered the implications for policy and practice., Method: A qualitative sub-study was embedded within the prospective CHAIN Network cohort study, which is investigating mechanisms of inpatient and post-hospital discharge mortality among acutely ill young children across a spectrum of nutritional status. Primary data were collected from household members of 20 purposively selected cohort children over 18 months through formal interviews (total n = 74), complemented by informal discussions and observations. Data were analysed using narrative and thematic approaches., Results: Treatment-seeking pathways were often long and complex, particularly for children diagnosed as severely malnourished. Family members' stories reveal that children's carers, usually mothers, navigate diverse challenges related to intersecting vulnerabilities at individual, household and facility levels. Specific challenges include the costs of treatment-seeking, confusing and conflicting messaging on appropriate care and nutrition, and poor continuity of care. Strong power inequities were observed between family members and health staff, with many mothers feeling blamed for their child's condition. Caregivers' agency, as demonstrated in decision-making and actions, often drew on the social support of others but was significantly constrained by their situation and broader structural drivers., Conclusion: To support children's care and recovery, health systems must be more responsive to the needs of families facing multiple and interacting vulnerabilities. Reducing incurred treatment costs, improving interpersonal quality of care, and strengthening continuity of care across facilities is essential. Promising interventions need to be co-designed with community representatives and health providers and carefully tested for unintended negative consequences and potential for sustainable scale-up.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have considerable potential for a wide range of clinical applications and regenerative medicine and cell therapy. As a consequence, there is considerable interest in developing robust culture methods for producing large number of MSCs for use in repair of injured tissues or treatment of diseases. In general, tissue culture plates or flasks that have been precoated with substrates derived from animal tissues are used in the production of MSCs. However, these substrates can potentially cause serious problems due to contamination of the MSCs with animal-derived components. In this study, we evaluated the use of a type I collagen-based recombinant peptide (RCP) for MSC culture in an attempt to avoid the problems associated with animal cell-derived substances. This RCP is xeno free, has an increased RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) sequence, and has high molecular weight uniformity. The effect of RCP on promotion of cellular adhesion and proliferation of MSCs was investigated in cultures in which RCP was included in the culture medium. The effects of RCP on promotion of cellular adhesion and proliferation of MSCs were investigated by comparing cultures in which the additive was present in the culture medium and those where the culture plates were coated with RCP. In addition, changes in gene expression profiles during cell culture were monitored by real time-polymerase chain reaction. Our analyses showed that RCP enhanced cellular adhesion and proliferation in cultures in which the additive was included in the culture medium. Our findings indicate that adding RCP to the culture medium could save time and cost in MSC culture. Our gene expression analysis indicated that RCP enhanced expression of genes encoding proteins associated with the extracellular matrix and cell adhesion., Competing Interests: No competing financial interests exist., (© Koji Muraya et al. 2019; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

There has been a welcome emphasis on gender issues in global health in recent years in the discourse around human resources for health. Although it is estimated that up to 75% of health workers are female (World Health Organization, Global strategy on human resources for health: Workforce 2030, 2016), this gender ratio is not reflected in the top levels of leadership in international or national health systems and global health organizations (Global Health 50/50, The Global Health 50/50 report: how gender responsive are the world's leading global health organizations, 2018; Clark, Lancet, 391:918-20, 2018). This imbalance has led to a deeper exploration of the role of women in leadership and the barriers they face through initiatives such as the WHO Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030, the UN High Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth, the Global Health 50/50 Reports, Women in Global Health, and #LancetWomen. These movements focus on advocating for increasing women's participation in leadership. While efforts to reduce gender imbalance in global health leadership are critical and gaining momentum, it is imperative that we look beyond parity and recognize that women are a heterogeneous group and that the privileges and disadvantages that hinder and enable women's career progression cannot be reduced to a shared universal experience, explained only by gender. Hence, we must take into account the ways in which gender intersects with other social identities and stratifiers to create unique experiences of marginalization and disadvantage.

The tripeptide Z-GlyPheLeuNH2 was continuously synthesized in a high yield from three amino acid derivatives, Z-Gly, PheOMe, and LeuNH2, by immobilized thermolysin (IMT) and immobilized alpha-chymotrypsin (IMC) in an organic solvent, ethyl acetate. The optimal conditions for the synthesis of Z-GlyPheOMe were established theoretically. The yield of Z-GlyPheOMe with IMT in ethyl acetate saturated with buffer was more than 88% after continuous synthesis for 116 hr. The optimal conditions for the synthesis of Z-GlyPheLeuNH2 from Z-GlyPheOMe and LeuNH2 by IMC through transesterification was established in batch reaction experiments. When the concentration of water in the reaction solution was 17-20 microliters/ml, the activity of IMC was highest. The equilibrium between the water concentration in the reaction solution and that in the resin used for enzyme immobilization depended on the resin and was not affected by the presence of the enzyme immobilized. Z-GlyPheLeuNH2 was synthesized from Z-GlyPheOMe and LeuNH2 with a yield of 100%, by continuous reaction for 160 hr. The reactor for synthesis of this tripeptide was efficient and stable because of the use of transesterification and the choice of an appropriate organic solvent. The series plug-flow reactor was successfully operated for 220 hr with a yield of more than 80%. The residual activity of IMT was 94% and that of IMC was 100%.