ArticleBMJ open2022
Enablers and barriers to newborn screening for sickle cell disease in Africa: results from a qualitative study involving programmes in six countries.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- A qualitative evidence synthesis on perinatal screening for sickle cell disease in high-burden countries.BMC global and public health · 2026Pooled it
- Sustainability of newborn screening for sickle cell disease in resource-poor countries: A systematic review.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- A national spatial prioritisation framework for the targeted expansion of essential sickle cell disease services across health-facility catchments in Uganda.BMC global and public health · 2026Article
- Renal care readiness and gaps in early detection of sickle cell nephropathy in children in North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo: an exploratory cross-sectional study.BMC nephrology · 2026Article
- Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Newborn Screening in Africa: A Scoping Review.International journal of neonatal screening · 2026Review
- Creative and Adaptive Solutions for Early Diagnosis of Sickle Cell Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa.American journal of hematology · 2026Review
- The Epidemiology of Sickle Cell Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa: Current Knowledge and Gaps to be Filled.American journal of hematology · 2026Review
- Birth Prevalence of Sickle Cell Disease in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of neonatal screening · 2026Review
- Newborn Screening for Hemoglobinopathies and Thalassemias: Brief History, Recent Activities, and Global Status-2026.International journal of neonatal screening · 2026Review
- Sickle cell disease screening: Experiences of parents with positive newborns at Korle Bu TeachingHospital.PloS one · 2026Article
- Article
- Barriers, facilitators and recommendations for the implementation of newborn sickle cell screening program in tribal communities: findings from a qualitative multicentric study in India.The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2025Article
- Genetic self-counselors in Tunisia: the role of health education in hemoglobinopathies prevention among high school students.Orphanet journal of rare diseases · 2025Article
- Screening for sickle cell disease by point-of-care tests in Italy: pilot study on 1000 at risk children.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- Article
- Findings supporting neonatal screening for sickle cell disease: an observational study in Senegal.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
- Newborn screening for sickle cell disease in Caluquembe, southwestern Angola, 2024-2025.PloS one · 2025Article
- The status of newborn screening in Africa: Situation analysis, future plans and call to action.African journal of laboratory medicine · 2025Article
- Neurocognitive Profile and Associated Factors Among Children Affected by Sickle Cell Disease in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: A Cross-Sectional Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Newborn screening initiatives for sickle cell disease in Africa.Hematology. American Society of Hematology. Education Program · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesGiven the fundamental role of newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) to enable prompt diagnosis and optimal clinical management of individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD), we sought to systematically assess enablers and barriers to implementation of NBS programmes for SCD in Africa using established qualitative research methods.
settingChildbirth centres and NBS laboratories from six countries in East, West and Southern Africa.
participantsEight programme leaders involved with establishing and operating NBS programmes for SCD in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Data obtained through a structured, phased interview approach were analysed using a combination of inductive and deductive codes and used to determine primary themes related to the implementation and sustainability of SCD NBS programmes.
resultsFour primary themes emerged from the analysis relating to governance (eg, pragmatic considerations when deploying overcommitted clinical staff to perform NBS), technical (eg, design and execution of operational processes), cultural (eg, variability of knowledge and perceptions of community-based staff) and financial (eg, issues that can arise when external funding may effectively preclude government inputs) aspects. Key learnings included perceived factors that contribute to long-term NBS programme sustainability.
conclusionsThe establishment of enduring NBS programmes is a proven approach to improving the health of populations with SCD. Organising such programmes in Africa is feasible, but initial implementation does not assure sustainability. Our analysis suggests that future programmes should prioritise government partner participation and funding from the earliest stages of programme development.
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