ArticleBMC pediatrics2020
"The right time is just after birth": acceptability of point-of-care birth testing in Eswatini: qualitative results from infant caregivers, health care workers, and policymakers.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors influencing implementation of point-of-care tests for maternal and newborn screening and diagnosis in low-resource settings: a systematic review.BMC global and public health · 2026Pooled it
- Factors influencing the delivery and uptake of early infant diagnosis of HIV services in Greater Accra, Ghana: A qualitative study.PloS one · 2021Trial
- Facilitators and barriers of the implementation of point-of-care devices for cardiometabolic diseases: a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- 'The baby will have the right beginning': a qualitative study on mother and health worker views on point-of-care HIV birth testing across 10 sites in Zimbabwe.BMC pediatrics · 2022Article
- "Testing Can Be Done Anywhere": A Qualitative Assessment of Targeted Community-Based Point-of-Care Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV in Lusaka, Zambia.Global health, science and practice · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTesting for HIV at birth has the potential to identify infants infected in utero, and allows for the possibility of beginning treatment immediately after birth; point of care (POC) testing allows rapid return of results and faster initiation on treatment for positive infants. Eswatini piloted birth testing in three public maternities for over 2 years.
methodsIn order to assess the acceptability of POC birth testing in the pilot sites in Eswatini, interviews were held with caregivers of HIV-exposed infants who were offered birth testing (N = 28), health care workers (N = 14), and policymakers (N = 10). Participants were purposively sampled. Interviews were held in English or SiSwati, and transcribed in English. Transcripts were coded by line, and content analysis and constant comparison were used to identify key themes for each respondent type.
resultsResponses were categorized into: knowledge, experience, opinions, barriers and challenges, facilitators, and suggestions to improve POC birth testing. Preliminary findings reveal that point of care birth testing has been very well received but challenges were raised. Most caregivers appreciated testing the newborns at birth and getting results quickly, since it reduced anxiety of waiting for several weeks. However, having a favorable experience with testing was linked to having supportive and informed family members and receiving a negative result. Caregivers did not fully understand the need for blood draws as opposed to tests with saliva, and expressed the fears of seeing their newborns in pain. They were specifically grateful for supportive nursing staff who respected their confidentiality. Health care workers expressed strong support for the program but commented on the high demand for testing, increased workload, difficulty with errors in the testing machine itself, and struggles to implement the program without sufficient staffing, especially on evenings and weekends when phlebotomists were not available. Policymakers noted that there have been challenges within the program of losing mothers to follow up after they leave hospital, and recommended stronger linkages to community groups.
conclusionsThere is strong support for scale-up of POC birth testing, but countries should consider ways to optimize staffing and manage demand.
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