Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41153510›Full record

ReviewChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Invisible Pursuit: A Scoping Review of Global Policy for Continuity of Care of Vulnerable Infants Under 6 Months and Their Mothers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Marie McGrath, Hedwig Deconinck, Stephanie V Wrottesley, Marko Kerac, Tracey Smythe

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Marie McGrathFaculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0660-1873
Hedwig DeconinckEmergency Nutrition Network, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 2DN, UK.
Stephanie V WrottesleyEmergency Nutrition Network, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 2DN, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5419-2920
Marko KeracFaculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3745-7317
Tracey SmytheFaculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3408-7362

Funding

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade HQPCR/2023, 2024/ENNEleanor Crook Foundation EPPHZR37Gates Foundation INV-042778Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesWorldwide, millions of infants under 6 months are at increased risk of poor growth and development, illness, and death. We investigated the coherence of global policy characteristics, vulnerability, and continuity of care, which guides the care of vulnerable infants under 6 months and their mothers.

methodsWe conducted a scoping review according to PRISMA-ScR guidance. We included English publications with no time limit, applicable to low- and middle-income countries, sourced through Google Scholar, contacts, WHO and UNICEF databases, global networks, and agency websites. The search was conducted from August 2023 to February 2024. We identified 34 documents for review. We categorised policies into guidelines, namely, WHO evidence-based recommendations and multi-source guidance documents with implementation details. We consolidated 49 vulnerability descriptors into 28 vulnerability factors and four sub-groups. We did not assess policy quality.

resultsWe found rich but fragmented global policy guidance. Multiple terminologies create superficial differences and mask important ones. Growth appraisal was mostly limited to nutrition-oriented guidance and was lacking in health-centric documents. Continuity of care lacked scope and depth. WHO policies are out of sync with each other and the latest evidence on mortality risk markers. WHO procedures need to accommodate non-UN documents to leverage existing guidance potential. A living policy system to manage evidence-to-policy processes and policy interactions is needed. The WHO-INTEGRATE evidence for decision frameworks could help country-led adaptations, system-sensitive global support, and WHO methodological development.

conclusionsThere are immediate opportunities for interdisciplinary policy cooperation. Action is urgently needed to secure coherent evidence-based policies for equitable and effective care.

Indexed as

continuityinfantsmalnutritionnewbornpaediatricpolicyscopingsmallunderweightvulnerable

Identifiers

PMID41153510
PMCPMC12563175

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.