scholarly journals Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in Mid‐Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe: Implementation challenges and practices

Author(s):  
Blessing Kavhu ◽  
Kudzai Shaun Mpakairi
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (17) ◽  
pp. 63-72
Author(s):  
Suzanna Bright ◽  
Chisomo Selemani

Functional approaches to disability measurement in Zambia reveals an overall disability prevalence rate of 13.4%, 4% of whom are recorded as having “speech impairment” (Zambia Federation of the Disabled [ZAFOD], 2006). Further, multidimensional poverty assessments indicate that 48.6% of Zambia's approximately 16 million citizens are impoverished. Currently, there are three internationally qualified speech-language pathologists (SLPs) providing services within Zambia's capital city, Lusaka. Given these statistics, it follows that a significant number of Zambian's, experiencing communication disability, are unable to access specialist assessment and support. Over the past decade, Zambia has seen two very different approaches to address this service gap—firstly, a larger scale top-down approach through the implementation of a formal master's degree program and more recently a smaller scale, bottom-up approach, building the capacity of existing professionals working in the field of communication disability. This article provides an overview of both programs and the context, unique to Zambia, in which they have developed. Authors describe the implementation challenges encountered and program successes leading to a discussion of the weakness and merits to both programs, in an attempt to draw lessons from which future efforts to support communication disability and SLP service development in Majority World contexts may benefit.


2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X697205
Author(s):  
Elise Tessier ◽  
Richard Pebody ◽  
Nicki Boddington ◽  
Michael Edelstein ◽  
Joanne White ◽  
...  

BackgroundVaccine uptake data is automatically extracted from all GP practices in England via the web-based reporting system, ImmForm, on behalf of Public Health England. In 2016/17, an Uptake Summary Tool was introduced on ImmForm for practice managers, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and screening and immunisation teams (SCRIMMS) to help facilitate local and regional management of the influenza programme. The tool allows practices to view and evaluate influenza uptake rates by target cohorts, comparing them against the previous season and CCG average/overall national uptake each week.AimTo assess how many practices use the Uptake Summary Tool and whether there is a difference in vaccine uptake among practices that use the tool compared with those that don’t during the 2016/17 and 2017/18 influenza seasons.MethodPractice level use of the Uptake Summary Tool was examined for the 2016/17 influenza season and vaccine uptake compared between practices that used the tool and those that did not.ResultsAn average of 1272 practices used the tool each week during the 2016/17. Vaccine uptake was on average 2.9% greater for targeted cohorts in practices that used the tool than practices that did not during the 2016/17 season.ConclusionWhen used on a regular basis the Uptake Summary Tool can help GP practices, CCGs and SCRIMMS monitor vaccine and may be associated with increased vaccine uptake. Uptake for the 2017/18 season will be monitored and assessed throughout the current season. We aim to expand the tool to other vaccine collections in the near future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Jamie Matteson ◽  
Stanley Sciortino ◽  
Lisa Feuchtbaum ◽  
Tracey Bishop ◽  
Richard S. Olney ◽  
...  

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a recent addition to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel, prompting many states to begin screening newborns for the disorder. We provide California’s experience with ALD newborn screening, highlighting the clinical and epidemiological outcomes observed as well as program implementation challenges. In this retrospective cohort study, we examine ALD newborn screening results and clinical outcomes for 1,854,631 newborns whose specimens were received by the California Genetic Disease Screening Program from 16 February 2016 through 15 February 2020. In the first four years of ALD newborn screening in California, 355 newborns screened positive for ALD, including 147 (41%) with an ABCD1 variant of uncertain significance (VUS) and 95 males diagnosed with ALD. After modifying cutoffs, we observed an ALD birth prevalence of 1 in 14,397 males. Long-term follow-up identified 14 males with signs of adrenal involvement. This study adds to a growing body of literature reporting on outcomes of newborn screening for ALD and offering a glimpse of what other large newborn screening programs can expect when adding ALD to their screening panel.


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