Browsing by Author "Mukinda, Fidele K."

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    A comparative evaluation of PDQ-Evidence
    (BioMed Central, 2018) Johansen, Marit; Rada, Gabriel; Rosenbaum, Sarah; Paulsen, Elizabeth; Motaze, Nkengafac Villyen; Opiyo, Newton; Wiysonge, Charles S.; Ding, Yunpeng; Mukinda, Fidele K.; Oxman, Andrew D.
    BACKGROUND: A strategy for minimising the time and obstacles to accessing systematic reviews of health system evidence is to collect them in a freely available database and make them easy to find through a simple ‘Google-style’ search interface. PDQ-Evidence was developed in this way. The objective of this study was to compare PDQ-Evidence to six other databases, namely Cochrane Library, EVIPNet VHL, Google Scholar, Health Systems Evidence, PubMed and Trip. METHODS: We recruited healthcare policy-makers, managers and health researchers in low-, middle- and highincome countries. Participants selected one of six pre-determined questions. They searched for a systematic review that addressed the chosen question and one question of their own in PDQ-Evidence and in two of the other six databases which they would normally have searched. We randomly allocated participants to search PDQ-Evidence first or to search the two other databases first. The primary outcomes were whether a systematic review was found and the time taken to find it. Secondary outcomes were perceived ease of use and perceived time spent searching. We asked open-ended questions about PDQ-Evidence, including likes, dislikes, challenges and suggestions for improvements. RESULTS: A total of 89 people from 21 countries completed the study; 83 were included in the primary analyses and 6 were excluded because of data errors that could not be corrected. Most participants chose PubMed and Cochrane Library as the other two databases. Participants were more likely to find a systematic review using PDQ-Evidence than using Cochrane Library or PubMed for the pre-defined questions. For their own questions, this difference was not found. Overall, it took slightly less time to find a systematic review using PDQ-Evidence. Participants perceived that it took less time, and most participants perceived PDQ-Evidence to be slightly easier to use than the two other databases. However, there were conflicting views about the design of PDQ-Evidence. CONCLUSIONS: PDQ-Evidence is at least as efficient as other databases for finding health system evidence. However, using PDQ-Evidence is not intuitive for some people.
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    How clinicians experience a simulated antiretroviral therapy adherence exercise: A qualitative study
    (AOSIS, 2018) Engelbrecht, Justin G.; Mukinda, Fidele K.; Green, Beryl; Skinner, Donald
    BACKGROUND: With the shift of paediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART) from tertiary to primary health care, there has been a need to train clinicians working in primary health care facilities to support adherence to treatment. An adherence simulation exercise was included in a course on paediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) to stimulate health care providers’ awareness and generate empathy of complex paediatric adherence practices. AIM: The aim of this study was to describe the experience of clinicians completing the simulation exercise and to assess whether enhancing their empathy with patients and treatment supporters would improve their perceived clinical and counselling skills. SETTING: The study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, and a guesthouse in Cape Town. Methods: The adherence module used blended learning methodology consisting of face-to-face contact sessions and distance learning. A qualitative thematic approach was used to understand the participant experiences through focus-group discussions and semi-structured interviews. RESULTS: Three thematic clusters emerged, namely, experiences of the simulated exercise, patient–provider relationships and adherence strategies. Their experiences were both positive and challenging, especially when a ‘caregiver and/or treatment supporter’ scenario encouraged participants to reflect on their own relationships with their patients. Clinicians had also considered how empathy fits into their scope of responsibilities. Text messaging and adherence counselling strategies were identified. CONCLUSION: Simulated learning activities have the potential to create awareness of relationships between clinicians and their patients and generate ideas and discussion that could lead to improvements in clinical practice, and adherence promotion strategies.