WebAs of 2022, PLOS publishes 12 academic journals, including 7 journals indexed within the Science Citation Index Expanded, and consequently 7 journals ranked with an impact factor. A peer-reviewed, open access journal in & public health. Contextual factors including prevailing sociocultural practices are broad and varied. Up to three attempts were made to survey each household. This is consistent with findings from the household survey. Our study highlighted on the barriers and facilitating factors affecting healthcare accessibility for Nepalese migrants in Japan during the crisis. For general inquiries, email globalpubhealth@plos.org. Concerns regarding livelihood challenges due to COVID-19 had a significant impact on womens reporting of symptoms of poor mental health, which resonates with studies across the globe that link economic stress to increases in overall stress and the need to look for work outside the home despite the fear of infection [29,30]. Check Out IF Ranking, Prediction, Trend & Key Factor Analysis. Frequency: Monthly Type of resource: Periodical Language: English Country: United States Note: 01 Feb 2022 (viewed February 1, 2022). A peer-reviewed, open access journal in & public health. Investigation, WebRT @YusufHassanW: New study alert: In our new study published on @PLOSGPH, we performed a secondary analysis of the nationally representative 2018 NDHS data to assess the prevalence and factors associated with Caesarean Section (CS) utilisation in Nigeria. Yes This suggests that engaging with the Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone to advocate for the adoption of similar legislation would help target the barriers to care that persist in the country. Conceptualization, The survey tools elicited information about acute illness from the three individual respondents randomly selected from the household roster. Polygamous and multi-household structures were distinguished by separate eating and cooking facilities. Respondent age and sex were comparable between sites, though larger discrepancies were observed in terms of working status. During a global-scale pandemic like COVID-19, migrating populations are likely to face increased burden. All factors remained significant in the multivariate model controlling for those factors that were also significant in the univariate analysis. Mind the gap: Data availability, accessibility, transparency However, such statistics are generally reported at the national level and provide little insight into within-country variation or reasons for levels of performance at local levels [79]. Notably, 84% of respondents who did not seek care when experiencing acute illness in Sierra Leone cited an inability to afford their visit as a barrier to care, while this proportion is much lower in Liberia at 23%. Partners In Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Roles There is a multitude of possible barriers on both demand and supply sides that can prevent patients from receiving timely and affordable care, as such, no UHC program can be one size fits all. Monitoring and surveillance are therefore required to identify UHC barriers and appropriately design interventions to improve access to and use of health care delivery systems [6]. Investigation, The team implemented the household and individual surveys from November 2019 March 2020 in Sierra Leone and March 2020 and AprilMay 2021 in Liberia. These are meant to be short, opinionated pieces. Public Health Yes There are several limitations that need to be considered in this study. PIH provides additional health care workers for direct patient care, clinical and community health worker training, supply chain support, innovative clinical interventions bringing modern technology/science closer to those who need it the most, and financial support for food, housing, and transportation to support patients and their families to foster access to care and improve health outcomes. Both site teams acknowledge that the proportion of respondents who cited receiving care from a traditional healer is likely underreported, given the social desirability bias that frequently accompanies care seeking in Kono District and Maryland County (individuals are more likely to report being visited by a trained provider when being surveyed). These should also adhere to theutility, availability and validation criteria in theguidelines for specific study types. Box 6953, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, ethics@nimr.or.tz, referencing IRB Approval No. Though the research team acknowledges the difficultly of completely removing barriers to care in rural Liberia and Sierra Leone, we do not view any of these challenges as insurmountable. Previous evidence has illustrated that stockouts of essential medicines often present a barrier to UHC in low-income settings. COVID-19 not only came with a high death toll and long-term consequences for many people, it was also accompanied by a wave of hidden pandemics caused by the unprecedented containment strategies to rein in its spread, such as lockdowns or physical distancing measures [1]. Women were interviewed via phone from July to September 2020 about the impact of COVID-19 in the previous three months and from January to March 2021 about the previous months since restrictions were lifted. Upon arrival at each facility, informed consent was obtained, GPS coordinates were collected, and the survey was administered to the most knowledgeable person at the facility for each section of the questionnaire. In particular, attention needs to be given to the triple burden that women face in respect to reduced income generating activities, relationship pressures and increased childcaring responsibilities. Two indicators were developed to monitor progress towards this goal: SDG 3.8.1, which looks at the coverage of essential services, and SDG 3.8.2, which looks at the proportion of households with large health expenditures as related to total household budget [24]. Opinionarticles provide experts with a forum to comment on topical or controversial issues of broad interest. Research Articles typically consist of the following headings: Submitted Research Articles are evaluated against the PLOS Global Public Health criteria for publication and should also adhere to the author submission guidelines. All analyses were conducted at the catchment level. In our Liberia sample population, these healthcare expenditure figures were 32% and 14%, respectively. The research team strategically chose the survey tools to ensure their focus areas complemented one another, given that one set of tools collects household-level data and the other tool aggregates facility-level information. For instance, the median number of outpatient visits for all people in countries that are members of the OECD was six to seven visits per person-year [29]. Higher spending households appeared to have lower probability of BCG. Formal Comments are invited byPLOS Global Public Healtheditors to promote scientific discourse aboutPLOS Global Public Healtharticles. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002045.t003. Conceptualization, This paper reports on the results of a longitudinal study on COVID-19, that consisted of an existing longitudinal study that incorporated a nested COVID-19 study. Methodology, The clusters were randomly sampled to ensure that they were well spread out across the district. 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. Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, Mwanza, Tanzania, Roles Further, this research underscores the critical need to increase current health expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP); in countries with low GDPs, even high current health expenditure is inadequate. No, Is the Subject Area "Mental health and psychiatry" applicable to this article? For patients who had sought care in the previous 12 months, we estimated the proportion who experienced a range of problems with the care provided, such as poor-quality services, patient experience, and lack of services or supplies. For the second stage, all households in sampled clusters were then enumerated and included in the study (sometimes referred to as compact segment sampling when used by UNICEF MICS and other surveys) [1518]. In terms of service availability, 100% of facilities in Sierra Leone and Liberia offered basic obstetric and newborn care, antenatal care, routine immunization services, and one or more child preventative or curative services. For respondents not reporting care-seeking we asked about the last time they had sought care. Look up their open access statement and their license terms. The global median in 2020 was 0.06% (95% CI: 0.02%, 0.13%), while the global median in 2021 was 0.4% (95% CI: 0.1%, 1.0%), corresponding to a 7 fold increase. Third, our interpretation of the results and proposal of solutions is based on expert opinion rather than confirmatory studies. The use of available health services results from the confluence of both demand (patient) and supply (health service) side factors [5]. PLOS Global Public Health Impact Factor: scientometric External evidence suggests that, given the choice, patients may be willing to pay more to receive higher quality or more accessible care; a 2021 study in slum settings estimated a positive willingness to pay for 15 minutes less of travel time to a health facility [36]. They all serve relatively large catchment areas and support smaller primary health units (PHUs) within their catchment areas. Firstly, the household and SARA surveys were conducted in rural areas of Liberia and Sierra Leone, and findings are not nationally representative (by stating this, we mean that our sample sizes are not sufficiently powered to imply that these findings would be replicated throughout all of Sierra Leone and Liberia, though this does not preclude us from suggesting policy solutions based on the findings documented in this paper). Table 2 therefore displays all variables used in this study, the questions they are based on and how they were coded. Conceptualization, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002045.g005. We utilize this cascade of health seeking behavior to contextualize how patients seek and receive treatment: those categorized as seeking treatment received care from a provider in some capacity, even if that capacity was outside the formal healthcare system and was provided by an untrained practitioner or at a mobile clinic or outreach event. Writing review & editing, Affiliation Yes The prevalence estimates of mental health symptoms were significantly different between the time during COVID-19 restrictions (Wave 2) and after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted (Wave 3), and after life resumed to pre-COVID-19 times (Wave 4) using McNemars Exact Chi-square test (p<0.05). Changes in COVID-19 behaviour included avoiding crowded places, hospitals or going out. Roles Specifically, PIH facilities could benefit from right-sizing forecasting efforts and focusing on improving procurement systems to ensure timely delivery of essential medications in order to prevent medication stockouts. Global Public Health, Volume 18, Issue 1 (2023) See all volumes and issues. Data curation, In Liberia, enumerators were administered pre and post tests to assess the impact of their training on their survey-related knowledge and competencies (individuals who scored 80% or higher were cleared to participate in fieldwork). This studys findings should be interpreted alongside considerations of its limitations. Learn more about DOAJs privacy policy. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002045.s001, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002045.s002, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002045.s003, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002045.s004, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002045.s005, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002045.s006. Writing review & editing, Affiliations While the impact of lockdowns on the emerging mental health crisis has been documented in high income countries, little is known whether and how the COVID-19 pandemic also effected mental health in settings with few or no COVID-19 restrictions in place. If they reported yes to all three of them, they were considered to have changed their behaviour. The U.S. health care sector is highly interconnected with industrial activities that emit much of the nations pollution to air, water, and soils. The field teams implemented the household and individual surveys concurrently and conducted the health facility assessment separately. Medium: Online Indexed by: ROAD Indexed by: DOAJ Indexed by: CROSSREF Indexed Within each country, we determined the household per person monthly expenditure and estimated the association between one third of expenditure and consultation rates, number of ANC visits among pregnant women, and receipt of BCG vaccine. Intimate partner violence has long been established as a key cause of womens poor mental health [5,26,27], and numerous studies worldwide showed that it increased globally during the COVID-19 pandemic [28]. PLOS Global Public Health is a global forum for public health research that reaches across disciplines and regional boundaries to address some of the biggest health challenges and inequities facing our society today. This study aimed to identify barriers to achieving universal health coverage in health facility catchment areas in Liberia and Sierra Leone. WebBMC Public Health 2022-2023 Journal's Impact IF is 4.135. COVID-19 knowledge was assessed through four questions, such as whether treatment is available or whether one can have COVID-19 without showing any symptoms. Linkages between womens empowerment, religion, marriage Lastly, those categorized as receiving care from a trained healthcare provider saw a doctor, nurse, community health officer, or dentist once they arrived at a facility (as opposed to visiting a facility for care and being treated by an untrained provider or not being seen at all). In terms of demand for health care, 83% of patients reported any acute illness across implementation sites in the preceding month, and 49% reported experiencing severe acute illness. No, PLOS is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, #C2354500, based in San Francisco, California, US, Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002045, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/universal-health-coverage-(uhc), https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(17)30472-2/fulltext, https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/indicator-groups/indicator-group-details/GHO/sdg-target-3.8-achieve-universal-health-coverage-(uhc)-including-financial-risk-protection, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X%2819%2930463-2/fulltext, https://www.who.int/data/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent-ageing/indicator-explorer-new/mca/uhc-service-coverage-index-(sdg-3.8.1), https://doi.org/10.1080/02664763.2021.1941807, https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/33/3/469/716634, https://www.unicef.org/nepal/reports/multiple-indicator-cluster-survey-final-report-2019, https://www.who.int/data/data-collection-tools/service-availability-and-readiness-assessment-(sara), https://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.UHC?lang=en, http://moh.gov.lr/documents/policy/2019/national-health-policy-and-plan-2007-2011/. PLoS Pathogens - Impact Factor, Overall Ranking, Rating, h National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania. Post-natal depression is estimated to impact approximately 17% of mothers globally, however there are estimates of 20% among women in LMIC [ 10, 14 17 ]. The household survey captured data on demographic and socioeconomic status of household residents, as well as the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) wealth index and household expenditure. No, Is the Subject Area "Sierra Leone" applicable to this article? Across all four time points, women were significantly more likely to report symptoms of poor mental health if they were older (OR: 3.9.CI:1.0;15.2 if 4049 vs <30 and OR:3.8. However, it decided against the implementation of a lockdown to avoid restricting health service access and to allow citizens to continue working to meet their households needs [14]. Yes Data curation, Overall, the general service readiness index mean score for all health centers was around 70%. Advancing oncology drug therapies for sub-Saharan Africa Second, in March 2020 the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic halted survey work in Liberia and so only approximately half of the intended households were surveyed limiting our inferences in these areas. In Liberia, the University of Liberia-Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation Institutional Review Board (UL-PIRE IRB) granted ethical approval for this study (protocol #: 19-10-183). More than 30% of women worried many times about their financial situation, with 14% suffering from food insecurity at least once during the last month. Global Public Health - Scimago Journal & Country Rank e0001781. Conceptualization, Sexual Violence Research Initiative, Pretoria, South Africa, Roles Despite Tanzania imposing only low levels of restrictions to control the pandemic, we have still seen in this study that COVID-19 and its restrictions led to an increase in womens reports of symptoms of poor mental health from 17% before COVID-19 to 20% during COVID-19 restrictions, which significantly decreased a few months after the restrictions were lifted (15%) and fell even further once life resumed to pre-COVID-19 times (11%). WebPLoS Pathogens 2022-2023 Journal's Impact IF is 7.464. Look up the Library of Congress Classification Outline, Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license, CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0) Public Domain Dedication. Data curation, PLOS Medicine WebTrends and factors associated with initiation of HIV treatment among PLHIV in Jamaica, 20152019 Development and evaluation of an extra-curricular programme focussing Existing evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on societies in low- and middle-income countries has focused on countries that imposed lockdowns or severe restrictions [11,12], and less on countries that only imposed low levels of restrictions or none. These peer-reviewed articles are compelling narrative reviews that discuss current developments in a particular field within the journals scope and draw meaningful conclusions adding to knowledge in the field. PLOS Global Public Health DOAJ Introduction Increased use of nanoparticles (NP) as additives in consumer products may cause frequent human exposures to A similar study of people who live in slums reports a rate of 0.5 visits per person-year for the urban poor in Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria, and a rate of 1.5 visits for those in slums in Nairobi, Kenya [10]. Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom, WebAims and scope. Advancing oncology drug therapies for sub-Saharan Africa https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002045.g001. Contextually, it is worth reporting the income levels reported by households in our sample. In Liberia, user fees were suspended at the primary care level for all services included in the Basic Package of Health Services in 2007 [35]. Acute illness indicates that a respondent experienced any of the following minor, non-chronic illnesses within the month preceding the survey date: diarrhea, fever, difficulty breathing, injury, pain, skin problems, anxiety/depression/difficulty sleeping, nausea/dizziness, appetite problems, fatigue, or other. They also participated in a face-to-face interview for the original longitudinal study three months later. The survey covered the following service areas: general facility status, basic equipment, human resource for health, drugs and supplies, standard infection prevention practices, diagnostic services and some specialized services including their location and functional status and components of support systems (e.g., logistics, maintenance, and management). Postnatal depression and its social-cultural influences among Supervision, Affiliations These interventions would help to reduce the financial burden of healthcare expenses and ensure the availability of essential medicines and equipment. Alternatively, for approval to access the data for this study without participation of the original authors, please write to the Medical Research Coordinating Committee, National Institute for Medical research, P.O. While the responsibility for seeking treatment when ill ultimately lies with households and community members, it is imperative that the Liberian and Sierra Leonean governments provide quality services in order to incentivize care seeking. Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, Mwanza, Tanzania, Roles In both settings, children under five reported more visits per year overall. The most frequently cited other response were pharmacists/drug peddlers, who often fill gaps in care in both Maryland County and Kono District. Funding acquisition, Investigation, WebRT @YusufHassanW: New study alert: In our new study published on @PLOSGPH, we performed a secondary analysis of the nationally representative 2018 NDHS data to assess the prevalence and factors associated with Caesarean Section (CS) utilisation in Nigeria. Additionally, the observed drop-off when analyzing the cascade of respondents who express symptoms, to those who seek facility-based care, to those who are treated by a trained healthcare provider, is also observed in similar research contexts [3032]. The longitudinal study integrated a nested phone survey with two time points into an existing longitudinal study in Mwanza, Tanzania. PLOS Global Public Health WebJournal Office PLOS Global Public Health is based in San Francisco, California, and Cambridge, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001781, Editor: Rakesh Singh, Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal / KIST Medical College, NEPAL, Received: December 21, 2022; Accepted: May 16, 2023; Published: June 26, 2023. PLOS Global Public Health is a global forum for public health research that reaches across disciplines and regional boundaries to address some of the biggest The global median in 2020 was 0.06% (95% CI: 0.02%, 0.13%), while the global median in 2021 was 0.4% (95% CI: 0.1%, 1.0%), corresponding to a 7 fold increase. WebPLOS Global Public Health considers Research Articles and Clinical Trials in areas including but not limited to global health delivery; infectious diseases; non CI:2.4;5.9) and were worried about their financial situation (OR: 2.9. Researchers consider a number of factors in deciding where to publish their research, such as journal reputation, readership and community, speed of publication, and citations. The COVID-19 outbreak had a profound impact on all countries in the world, leading governments to impose various forms of restrictions on social interactions and mobility, including complete lockdowns. The research team anticipates that direct investments in NCD services across facilities will incentivize increased healthcare utilization among our survey respondents and increase average readiness scores in future SARA assessments.