Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Guy Frija, Ivana Blazic, Donald P. Frush, Monika Hierath, Michael Kawooya, Lluis Donoso-Bach, Boris Brkljacic
Summary: Imaging plays a key role in the care pathway of communicable and non-communicable diseases, but there are shortages of equipment and workforce in low-and middle-income countries. The International Society of Radiology proposes a plan to enhance the role of imaging in global health agenda and suggests organizing imaging services through regional Centers of Reference. Emphasis is placed on utilizing IT and artificial intelligence for imaging diagnostics in LMICs.
Review
Forestry
Ngolia Kimanzu, Bjorn Schulte-Herbruggen, Jessica Clendenning, Linley Chiwona-Karltun, Kyla Krogseng, Gillian Petrokofsky
Summary: Gender plays a significant role in access to and use of forest resources, which are vital for people's livelihoods. Studies have shown strong gender specialisation in commercial access and household consumption of forest resources. However, limitations in the evidence base, including methodological heterogeneity and unequal geographical representation, make it challenging to generalize about the overall importance of gender in access to and use of forests in developing countries.
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Esti Charlotte de Graaff, Susannah Hopkins Leisher, Hannah Blencowe, Harriet Lawford, Jillian Cassidy, Paul Richard Cassidy, Elizabeth S. Draper, Alexander E. P. Heazell, Mary Kinney, Paula Quigley, Claudia Ravaldi, Claire Storey, Alfredo Vannacci, Vicki Flenady
Summary: Wide disparities in stillbirth rates exist between and within high- and upper-middle income countries, indicating that further reduction in stillbirth rates is possible. Numerous disparate national stillbirth definitions are used in these countries, limiting comparisons necessary to drive change. Data on key risk factors and equity in stillbirth rates are limited, however, underline the need for increased focus on the most affected communities.
BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Mark J. Siedner, Christopher Alba, Kieran P. Fitzmaurice, Rebecca F. Gilbert, Justine A. Scott, Fatma M. Shebl, Andrea Ciaranello, Krishna P. Reddy, Kenneth A. Freedberg
Summary: In the presence of circulating Omicron-like variants, increasing vaccination rates for COVID-19 to 30% or 45% in low- and middle-income countries would be cost-effective in terms of saving lives. Increasing vaccination coverage to 60% would further prevent more infections and deaths, but at a higher cost.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Education & Educational Research
Wen Li, Robyn M. M. Gillies, Chang Liu, Changhao Wu, Jiayi Chen, Xiaoning Zhang, Bin Cheng, Jing Dai, Ning Fu, Lin Li, Shenjun Liu, Hong Sun
Summary: This study examined the specialty preferences of China-educated international medical students, who primarily come from low- and middle-income countries, and their intentions to migrate and how it influence their specialty choices.
BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION
(2023)
Correction
Surgery
Eric S. Nagengast, Naikhoba C. O. Munabi, Meredith Xepoleas, Allyn Auslander, William P. Magee, David Chong
Summary: The article discusses how to improve access to surgical care in middle-income countries and presents some opinions of the authors.
WORLD JOURNAL OF SURGERY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Brenice Duroseau, Nodar Kipshidze, Rupali Jayant Limaye
Summary: Despite the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, most low-income and lower-middle-income countries failed to achieve a population coverage of at least 10% during initial vaccine rollouts. Delayed access to vaccines was associated with increased cumulative cases and mortality, with smaller economies experiencing longer delays. This emphasizes the importance of equitable and timely access to vaccines for all countries, regardless of economic size.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Xiaofei Wang, Hayley M. Sanders, Yuchen Liu, Kennarey Seang, Bach Xuan Tran, Atanas G. Atanasov, Yue Qiu, Shenglan Tang, Josip Car, Ya Xing Wang, Tien Yin Wong, Yih-Chung Tham, Kevin C. Chung
Summary: This article discusses the potential use of ChatGPT as a tool to aid public health efforts in low- and middle-income countries. It highlights the benefits of ChatGPT in various domains such as health literacy, screening, remote healthcare support, and provides a balanced discussion on the opportunities and challenges.
LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH-WESTERN PACIFIC
(2023)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Phyllis Ocran Mattila, Rabbiya Ahmad, Syed Shahzad Hasan, Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar
Summary: In low- and middle-income countries, there are significant disparities in pricing, availability, and affordability of anti-cancer medicines, leading to treatment abandonment due to low patient purchasing power. Multiple stakeholders need to implement multi-pronged policy and program approaches to ensure access to cancer medicines.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Uwe May, Cosima Bauer, Anissa Schneider-Ziebe, Chiara Giulini-Limbach
Summary: This study aims to develop a structured framework to capture the beneficial effects and determine the value of self-care for individuals and society in low- and middle-income countries, with a special focus on self-medication with non-prescription medicines.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Guy Frija, Dina H. Salama, Michael G. Kawooya, Bibb Allen
Summary: The concept of primary healthcare is crucial in LMICs for enhancing access to healthcare services. Technological and infrastructure advancements are making POCI more feasible in LMICs. A POCI model is often the only way to provide timely access to imaging care in LMICs. Bringing advanced imaging tools to the POCI will be necessary to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Tailored strategies for training, safety, and quality will be of utmost importance.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Katia Devorha Menacho, Sara Ramirez, Aylen Perez, Laura Dragonetti, Diego Perez de Arenaza, Diana Katekaru, Violeta Illatopa, Sara Munive, Bertha Rodriguez, Ana Shimabukuro, Kelly Cupe, Rajiv Bansal, Vivek Bhargava, Ivonne Rodriguez, Andreas Seraphim, Kris Knott, Amna Abdel-Gadir, Salomon Guerrero, Marco Lazo, David Uscamaita, Marco Rivero, Neil Amaya, Sanjiv Sharma, Amelia Peix, Thomas Treibel, Charlotte Manisty, Sam Mohiddin, Harold Litt, Yuchi Han, Juliano Fernandes, Ron Jacob, Mark Westwood, Ntobeko Ntusi, Anna Herrey, John Malcolm Walker, James Moon
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of a simplified, rapid cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) protocol on the management of cardiomyopathy (CMP) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The results showed that rapid CMR of diagnostic quality can be delivered with lower costs and improved patient care when embedded in care and supported by a partner education programme. The findings suggest that CMR can be an effective tool for managing CMP in LMICs with available technology.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
So O'Neil, Sydney Taylor, Anitha Sivasankaran
Summary: The study found that better data may improve health service delivery, but further research is needed to determine if improvements in data actually lead to improvements in health outcomes in LMICs. The conceptual framework of data equity for health and health equity developed through this scoping review helps identify key components to assess improvements in LMICs' data capabilities.
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ateeb Ahmad Parray, Uday Narayan Yadav, Anupam Das, A. R. M. Mehrab Ali, Shemana Mollick, Senjuti Saha, Sabuj Kanti Mistry
Summary: Lockdowns and COVID-19 containment measures have had a significant impact on global growth, with greater consequences for low- and middle-income countries. Vaccine apartheid has emerged due to disproportionate access to vaccines between wealthy and poor countries. A Universal Vaccine Access Strategy is recommended to address this issue, including local vaccine production, timely donation of unused vaccines, and addressing vaccine hesitancy.
GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Christopher J. Waterworth, Manjula Marella, James O'Donovan, Tess Bright, Richard Dowell, Mahmood F. Bhutta
Summary: People in low- and middle- income countries face significant challenges in accessing ear and hearing care services. The barriers include supply-side constraints and demand-side challenges. Developing healthcare policies and programs, improving workforce and resources, and enhancing public health measures are important for improving access to ear and hearing care services in these countries.
GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Y. Y. Brandon Chen
Summary: International migration poses risks to people's sexual and reproductive health (SRH), especially for women and children. However, many international migrants are denied access to SRH care due to government and/or service provider barriers. This article reviews international human rights treaties and argues that these barriers violate international law. Migrants have a right to SRH care as part of their right to health, and hindering their access is seen as a threat to their rights to life and equality.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GYNECOLOGY & OBSTETRICS
(2022)