Introduction Home-based records (HBRs) are widely used for recording health information including child immunisations. We studied levels and inequalities in HBR ownership in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) using data from national surveys conducted since 2010.Methods We used data from national household surveys (Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS)) from 82 LMICs. 465 060 children aged 6–35 months were classified into four categories: HBR seen by the interviewer; mother/caregiver never had an HBR; mother/caregiver had an HBR that was lost; and reportedly have an HBR that was not seen by the interviewer. Inequalities according to age, sex, household wealth, maternal education, antenatal care and giving birth in an institutional setting were studied, as were associations between HBR ownership and vaccine coverage. Pooled analyses were carried out using country weights based on child populations.Results An HBR was seen for 67.8%

Introduction Despite recommendations from the WHO, antenatal care (ANC) coverage remains low in many low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Community health workers (CHWs) can play an important role in expanding ANC coverage through pregnancy identification, provision of health education, screening for complications, delivery of therapeutic care and referral to higher levels of care. However, despite the success of CHW programmes in various countries, WHO has called for additional research to develop evidence-based models that optimise CHW service delivery and that can be replicated across geographies.Methods The ProCCM Trial was a cluster-randomised controlled trial to compare proactive home visits by CHWs (intervention, 69 village clusters) to the provision of CHW care at community fixed sites only (control, 68 village clusters) in the Bankass health district in Central Mali. In this study, we conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of proactive CHW home visits in improving

Introduction Long COVID (LC), an often-debilitating infection-associated chronic condition (IACC), affects millions of people globally. Globally, LC patients struggle to access timely, appropriate care, often experiencing disbelief, misunderstandings or being diverted from healthcare. Few studies have examined health system factors influencing LC healthcare access, especially in the Global South. Drawing on the concept of candidacy, we examine health system factors influencing access to LC care in Brazil’s public healthcare system ( Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS) and theorise implications for equitable access to public healthcare for IACCs globally.Methods We conducted a patient-engaged, qualitative study in the city of Rio de Janeiro. 29 individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with SUS professionals from administrative leaders to multidisciplinary primary and specialist care staff (November 2022 to July 2023). Verbatim transcripts were analysed using a pragmatic thematic an

Background Surgical diseases contribute substantially to death and disability in Cameroon. Strategic planning for surgical, obstetric and anaesthesia (SOA) care in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) requires consideration of the policy environment in addition to the issue severity. We aimed at the current landscape of SOA care in Cameroon, incorporating a framework for political prioritisation.Methods A scoping review of published and grey literature was performed. Literature specific to Cameroon, published between 2010 and 2020 and written in either English or French, was included. Abstracts and full texts were screened for discussion of SOA policy context, care and delivery conditions, and issue characteristics. Data extraction and analysis were performed using the Shiffman and Smith framework for political prioritisation accounting for actors, ideas, political context and issue characteristics.Results 121 articles were included. By specialty, 83 articles were specific to