ArticlePloS one2018
Perceptions of the "Fabric" - An exploratory study of a novel multi-purpose technology among women in Sub Saharan Africa.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- HIV Prevention Product Acceptability and Preference Among Women in Sub-Saharan Africa to Inform Novel Biomedical Options in Development: A Systematic Review.AIDS and behavior · 2025Pooled it
- "It's already in your body and it's preventing": a qualitative study of African female adolescent's acceptability and preferences for proxy HIV prevention methods in Cape Town, South Africa.BMC public health · 2023Trial
- Efficacy is Not Everything: Eliciting Women's Preferences for a Vaginal HIV Prevention Product Using a Discrete-Choice Experiment.AIDS and behavior · 2020Trial
- Nanomedicine in the Topical Management of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis: An Overview of In Vivo Data.Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The Know-how of Polymeric Nanocarrier Based Vaginal Drug Delivery System: Pitfalls, Challenges and Trends.Pharmaceutical nanotechnology · 2025Review
- Innovative Multilayered Electrospun Fiber Systems for Dual-Action HIV Prophylaxis and Nonhormonal Contraception.Advances in pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences · 2025Article
- Synthesis of end-user research to inform future multipurpose prevention technologies in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2023Article
- Article
- Making the Case for Joint Decision-Making in Future Multipurpose Prevention Technology (MPT) Choice: Qualitative Findings on MPT Attribute Preferences from the CUPID Study (MTN-045).Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2022Article
- Medical Applications of Porous Biomaterials: Features of Porosity and Tissue-Specific Implications for Biocompatibility.Advanced healthcare materials · 2022Review
- Preferences and Acceptability of Vaginal Delivery Forms for HIV Prevention Among Women, Male Partners and Key Informants in South Africa and Zimbabwe: Qualitative Findings.AIDS and behavior · 2021Article
- Pharmaceutical Vehicles for Vaginal and Rectal Administration of Anti-HIV Microbicide Nanosystems.Pharmaceutics · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHIV and pregnancy prevention are dual health priorities for women, and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Drug-eluting fibers offer a dosage form that combines HIV prevention and contraception, but early understanding of end-user perspectives is critical to avoid misalignment between products being developed and preferred product attributes.
methodsFocus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe, among 55 women who had used vaginal products in previous trials. Participants were given the opportunity to feel a sample of electrospun nanofiber (the fabric), see how it dissolves, and give feedback on shape, size and other attributes. Women were also asked to compare the fabric to vaginal gel and film.
resultsThree key themes regarding the acceptability of the fabric emerged: 1) look and feel of the product undissolved vs. undissolved, 2) expected effect on sex, and 3) convenience and ease of use. Upon being presented with the fabric, women were initially distrustful, seeing it as undesirable for vaginal insertion. Women generally approved of the product once they saw it dissolve. However, they stressed the importance of the product not interfering with sex by altering the vaginal environment. Women also reacted favorably to the perceived convenience of the fabric, particularly with regards to storage and transport, perceived ease of insertion and use, and dosing regimen.
conclusionMultipurpose prevention technologies, and nanofibers in particular, should be developed with an eye to minimizing impact on sex while maximizing convenience, and presented in such a way as to emphasize non-abrasiveness and ease of dissolution.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.