Publications
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Bennett J, Rashid T, Zolfaghari A, et al., 2023, Changes in life expectancy and house prices in London from 2002 to 2019: Hyper-resolution spatiotemporal analysis of death registration and real estate data, The Lancet Regional Health Europe, ISSN: 2666-7762
Background:London has outperformed smaller towns and rural areas in terms of life expectancy increase. Our aim was to investigate life expectancy change at very-small-area level, and its relationship with house prices and their change.Methods:We performed a hyper-resolution spatiotemporal analysis from 2002 to 2019 for 4835 London Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs). We used population and death counts in a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate age- and sex-specific death rates for each LSOA, converted to life expectancy at birth using life table methods. We used data from the Land Registry via the real estate website Rightmove (www.rightmove.co.uk), with information on property size, type and land tenure in a hierarchical model to estimate house prices at LSOA level. We used linear regressions to summarise how much life expectancy changed in relation to the combination of house prices in 2002 and their change from 2002 to 2019. We calculated the correlation between change in price and change in sociodemographic characteristics of the resident population of LSOAs and population turnover.Findings:In 134 (2.8%) of London's LSOAs for women and 32 (0.7%) for men, life expectancy may have declined from 2002 to 2019, with a posterior probability of a decline >80% in 41 (0.8%, women) and 14 (0.3%, men) LSOAs. The life expectancy increase in other LSOAs ranged from <2 years in 537 (11.1%) LSOAs for women and 214 (4.4%) for men to >10 years in 220 (4.6%) for women and 211 (4.4%) for men. The 2.5th-97.5th-percentile life expectancy difference across LSOAs increased from 11.1 (10.7–11.5) years in 2002 to 19.1 (18.4–19.7) years for women in 2019, and from 11.6 (11.3–12.0) years to 17.2 (16.7–17.8) years for men. In the 20% (men) and 30% (women) of LSOAs where house prices had been lowest in 2002, mainly in east and outer west London, life expectancy increased only in proportion to the rise in house prices. In contrast, in the 30% (men) and
Jefferson E, Cole C, Mumtaz S, et al., 2022, A Hybrid Architecture (CO-CONNECT) to Facilitate Rapid Discovery and Access to Data Across the United Kingdom in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Development Study., J Med Internet Res, Vol: 24
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 data have been generated across the United Kingdom as a by-product of clinical care and public health provision, as well as numerous bespoke and repurposed research endeavors. Analysis of these data has underpinned the United Kingdom's response to the pandemic, and informed public health policies and clinical guidelines. However, these data are held by different organizations, and this fragmented landscape has presented challenges for public health agencies and researchers as they struggle to find relevant data to access and interrogate the data they need to inform the pandemic response at pace. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to transform UK COVID-19 diagnostic data sets to be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). METHODS: A federated infrastructure model (COVID - Curated and Open Analysis and Research Platform [CO-CONNECT]) was rapidly built to enable the automated and reproducible mapping of health data partners' pseudonymized data to the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model without the need for any data to leave the data controllers' secure environments, and to support federated cohort discovery queries and meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 56 data sets from 19 organizations are being connected to the federated network. The data include research cohorts and COVID-19 data collected through routine health care provision linked to longitudinal health care records and demographics. The infrastructure is live, supporting aggregate-level querying of data across the United Kingdom. CONCLUSIONS: CO-CONNECT was developed by a multidisciplinary team. It enables rapid COVID-19 data discovery and instantaneous meta-analysis across data sources, and it is researching streamlined data extraction for use in a Trusted Research Environment for research and public health analysis. CO-CONNECT has the potential to make UK health data more interconnected and better able to answer national-level research questions while maintainin
Chamberlain RC, Fecht D, Davies B, et al., 2022, Effects of low emission zones and congestion charging zones on physical health outcomes: a systematic review.
BACKGROUND: Road traffic impacts human health through air pollution and road safety issues. Low emission zones (LEZs) and congestion charging zones (CCZs) have therefore been implemented in several cities globally. We systematically reviewed the evidence on the effects of these pollution or congestion reduction schemes on specific physical health outcomes associated with air pollution or traffic exposure. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, IDEAS, Greenfile, and TRID databases from database inception to Feb 22, 2022, using search terms such as "low emission/congestion charge/zone" and "cardiovascular/respiratory/injury". Searches were limited to English-language records. We included studies that evaluated the effect of a LEZ or CCZ on air pollution-related outcomes (ie, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, birth outcomes, dementia, lung cancer, diabetes) or road traffic injuries, using longitudinal study designs. We excluded studies without empirical health data. Two authors independently assessed papers for inclusion. Results were narratively synthesised and summarised using harvest plots. Risk of bias was assessed using the Graphic Appraisal Tool for Epidemiological studies for correlation studies. This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42022311453. FINDINGS: Of 2068 post-deduplication records screened, fifteen studies were included, with two further studies included from references of eligible studies. Nine (53%) of 17 studies assessed LEZs in London, Milan, Tokyo, and several German cities, seven (41%) assessed the London CCZ, and one (6%) assessed the Stockholm CCZ. Each predefined health outcome was considered by at least one study. Six (75%) of eight LEZ studies considering pollution-related outcomes identified reductions in at least one outcome, with all five on cardiovascular disease identifying reductions for at least one disease subcategory. Of seven London CCZ studies, six (86%) report
Chamberlain RC, Fecht D, Davies B, et al., 2022, Effects of low emission zones and congestion charging zones on physical health outcomes: a systematic review., Lancet, Vol: 400 Suppl 1
BACKGROUND: Road traffic impacts human health through air pollution and road safety issues. Low emission zones (LEZs) and congestion charging zones (CCZs) have therefore been implemented in several cities globally. We systematically reviewed the evidence on the effects of these pollution or congestion reduction schemes on specific physical health outcomes associated with air pollution or traffic exposure. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, IDEAS, Greenfile, and TRID databases from database inception to Feb 22, 2022, using search terms such as "low emission/congestion charge/zone" and "cardiovascular/respiratory/injury". Searches were limited to English-language records. We included studies that evaluated the effect of a LEZ or CCZ on air pollution-related outcomes (ie, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, birth outcomes, dementia, lung cancer, diabetes) or road traffic injuries, using longitudinal study designs. We excluded studies without empirical health data. Two authors independently assessed papers for inclusion. Results were narratively synthesised and summarised using harvest plots. Risk of bias was assessed using the Graphic Appraisal Tool for Epidemiological studies for correlation studies. This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42022311453. FINDINGS: Of 2068 post-deduplication records screened, fifteen studies were included, with two further studies included from references of eligible studies. Nine (53%) of 17 studies assessed LEZs in London, Milan, Tokyo, and several German cities, seven (41%) assessed the London CCZ, and one (6%) assessed the Stockholm CCZ. Each predefined health outcome was considered by at least one study. Six (75%) of eight LEZ studies considering pollution-related outcomes identified reductions in at least one outcome, with all five on cardiovascular disease identifying reductions for at least one disease subcategory. Of seven London CCZ studies, six (86%) report
Papageorgiou V, Crittendon E, Coukan F, et al., 2022, Impact of daily, oral pre-exposure prophylaxis on the risk of bacterial sexually transmitted infections among cisgender women: a systematic review and narrative synthesis [version 2; peer review: 2 approved], Wellcome Open Research, Vol: 7, Pages: 1-21, ISSN: 2398-502X
Background: There are concerns that the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) may result in an increased incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Evidence for this is mixed and has mostly been based on reviews focussed on gay and bisexual men and transgender women, while none have summarised evidence in cisgender women.Methods: We conducted a systematic review to explore whether daily, oral PrEP use is associated with changes in bacterial STI occurrence (diagnoses or self-reported) and/or risk among HIV seronegative cisgender women (ciswomen). The quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) tool.Results: We included 11 full text articles in a narrative synthesis, with the studies published between 2012 and 2021. The studies were mostly based in Africa (n=7, 63.6%) and reported on 3168 ciswomen using PrEP aged 16–56 years. Studies had marked differences in variables, including measurements and definitions (e.g., STI type) and limited data available looking specifically at ciswomen, principally in studies with both male and female participants. The limited evidence suggests that PrEP use is not associated with increased STI rates in ciswomen generally; however, adolescent girls and young women in Sub Saharan Africa have a higher prevalence of bacterial STIs prior to PrEP initiation, compared to adult ciswomen and female sex workers.Conclusions: We suggest future PrEP research make efforts to include ciswomen as study participants and report stratified results by gender identity to provide adequate data to inform guidelines for PrEP implementation.PROSPERO registration: CRD42019130438
Papageorgiou V, Davies B, Cooper E, et al., 2022, Influence of material deprivation on clinical outcomes among people living with HIV in high-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis, AIDS and Behavior, Vol: 26, Pages: 2026-2054, ISSN: 1090-7165
Despite developments in HIV treatment and care, disparities persist with some not fully benefiting from improvements in the HIV care continuum. We conducted a systematic review to explore associations between social determinants and HIV treatment outcomes (viral suppression and treatment adherence) in high-income countries. A random effects meta-analysis was performed where there were consistent measurements of exposures. We identified 83 observational studies eligible for inclusion. Social determinants linked to material deprivation were identified as education, employment, food security, housing, income, poverty/deprivation, socioeconomic status/position, and social class; however, their measurement and definition varied across studies. Our review suggests a social gradient of health persists in the HIV care continuum; people living with HIV who reported material deprivation were less likely to be virologically suppressed or adherent to antiretrovirals. Future research should use an ecosocial approach to explore these interactions across the lifecourse to help propose a causal pathway.
Chamberlain R, Fecht D, Davies B, et al., 2022, PROSPERO registration: Impacts of Low Emission and Congestion Charging Zones on physical health outcomes: a systematic review.
Georgiou Delisle T, D'Souza N, Davies B, et al., 2022, Faecal immunochemical test for suspected colorectal cancer symptoms: patient survey of usability and acceptability., BJGP Open, Vol: 6
BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) can rule out colorectal cancer (CRC) in symptomatic patients. To date, there is no research on usability and perception of FIT for these patients. AIM: To measure variation in attitudes and perception of FIT in patients with suspected CRC symptoms. DESIGN & SETTING: A cross-sectional survey of a subset of participants of the NICE FIT study. METHOD: A questionnaire was co-developed with patients covering four themes on a Likert scale: FIT feasibility, faecal aversion, patient knowledge, and future intentions. Questionnaire and FIT kits were sent to patients with suspected CRC symptoms participating in the NICE FIT study. Logistic regression explored differences in patients' test perception by ethnic group, language, age, location, deprivation, FIT use, and previous experience. RESULTS: A total of 1151 questionnaires were analysed; 90.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 88.3% to 91.8%) of patients found faecal collection straightforward, 76.3% (95% CI = 73.7% to 78.6%) disagreed FIT was unhygienic, and 78.1% (95% CI = 75.6% to 80.4%) preferred FIT to colonoscopy. Preference for FIT over colonoscopy was weaker in patients aged 40-64 years than those >65 years (odds ratio [OR] 0.60; 95% CI = 0.43 to 0.84). Intention to use FIT again was stronger in patients who successfully used FIT than those unsuccessful (OR 11.08; 95% CI = 2.74 to 44.75), and white compared with non-white patients assessed (OR 3.20; 95% CI = 1.32 to 7.75). CONCLUSION: While most patients found FIT practical and hygienic, perception differences were found. Strategies to engage patients with more negative FIT perception should underpin symptomatic FIT pathways.
Wilson J, Wallace H, Loftus-Keeling M, et al., 2021, Swab-yourself trial with economic monitoring and testing for infections collectively (SYSTEMATIC): Part 1. A diagnostic accuracy, and cost-effectiveness, study comparing clinician-taken versus self-taken rectal and pharyngeal samples for the diagnosis of gonorrhoea and chlamydia, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Vol: 73, Pages: e3172-e3180, ISSN: 1058-4838
BackgroundUrogenital testing misses extragenital Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT). Extragenital self-sampling is frequently undertaken despite no robust RCT evidence of efficacy. We compared clinician-taken rectal and pharyngeal samples with self-taken samples for diagnostic accuracy and cost in MSM and females.MethodsProspective, convenience, sample in UK sexual health clinic. Randomised order of clinician and self-samples from pharynx and rectum, plus first catch urine (MSM) and vulvovaginal swabs (females), for NG/CT detection.ResultsOf 1793 participants (1284 females, 509 MSM), 116 had NG detected (75 urogenital site, 83 rectum, 72 pharynx); 9.4% infected females and 67.3% MSM were urogenital negative. 276 had CT detected (217 urogenital site, 249 rectum, 63 pharynx); 13.1% infected females and 71.8% MSM were urogenital negative. Sexual history did not identify those with rectal infections. Clinician-rectal and self-rectal positive percent agreements (PPA) for NG detection were 92.8% and 97.6%; clinician-rectal, and self-rectal PPA for CT detection were 95.6% and 97.2%. There was no difference in diagnostic accuracy between clinician and self-taken samples.Clinicians performed swabs quicker than participants so costs were lower. However, in asymptomatic people, non-qualified clinicians would oversee self-swabbing and these costs would be lower than clinician’s.ConclusionsThere was no difference in diagnostic accuracy of clinician compared with self-taken extragenital samples. Sexual history did not identify those with rectal infections so individuals should have extragenital clinician, or self-taken, samples. Clinician swabs cost less than self-swabs but in asymptomatic people, or doing home testing, their costs would be lower than clinician swabs.
Rashid T, Bennett J, Paciorek C, et al., 2021, Life expectancy and risk of death in 6,791 English communities from 2002 to 2019: high-resolution spatiotemporal analysis of civil registration data, The Lancet Public Health, Vol: 6, Pages: e805-e816, ISSN: 2468-2667
Background: There is limited data with high spatial granularity on how mortality and longevity have changed in English communities. We estimated trends from 2002 to 2019 in life expectancy and probabilities of death at different ages for all 6,791 English middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs).Methods: We used de-identified data for all deaths in England from 2002 to 2019 with information on age, sex and MSOA of residence, and population counts by age, sex and MSOA. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to obtain estimates of age-specific death rates by sharing information across age groups, MSOAs and years. We used life table methods to calculate life expectancy at birth and probabilities of death in different ages by sex and MSOA.Results: In 2002-2006 and 2006-2010, the vast majority of MSOAs experienced a life expectancy increase for both sexes. In 2010-2014, female life expectancy decreased in 351 (5%) of MSOAs. By 2014-2019, the number of MSOAs with declining life expectancy was 1,270 (19%) for women and 784 (12%) for men. The life expectancy increase from 2002 to 2019 was smaller where life expectancy had been lower in 2002, mostly northern urban MSOAs, and larger where life expectancy had been higher in 2002, mostly MSOAs in and around London. As a result of these trends, the gap between the 1st and 99th percentiles of MSOA life expectancy for women increased from 10.7 (95% credible interval 10.4-10.9) in 2002 to reach 14.2 (13.9-14.5) years in 2019, and from 11.5 (11.3-11.7) years to 13.6 (13.4-13.9) years for men. Interpretation: In many English communities, life expectancy declined in the years prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. To ensure that this trend does not continue there is a need for pro-equity economic and social policies, and greater investment on public health and healthcare.
Davies B, Araghi M, Moshe M, et al., 2021, Acceptability, usability and performance of lateral flow immunoassay tests for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies: REACT-2 study of self-testing in non-healthcare key workers, Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Vol: 8, ISSN: 2328-8957
Background Seroprevalence studies are essential to understand the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. Various technologies, including laboratory assays and point-of-care self-tests, are available for antibody testing. The interpretation of seroprevalence studies requires comparative data on the performance of antibody tests. Methods In June 2020, current and former members of the UK Police forces and Fire service performed a self-test lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA), had a nurse-performed LFIA and provided a venous blood sample for ELISA . We present the prevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2; the acceptability and usability of self-test LFIAs; and determine the sensitivity and specificity of LFIAs compared to laboratory ELISA. Results In this cohort of 5189 current and former members of the Police service and 263 members of the Fire service, 7.4% (396/5,348; 95% CI, 6.7-8.1) were antibody positive. Seroprevalence was 8.9% (6.9-11.4) in those under 40 years, 11.5% (8.8-15.0) in those of non-white ethnicity and 7.8% (7.1-8.7) in those currently working. Self-test LFIA had an acceptability of 97.7% and a usability of 90.0%. There was substantial agreement between within-participant LFIA results (kappa 0.80; 0.77-0.83). The LFIAs had a similar performance: compared to ELISA, sensitivity was 82.1% (77.7-86.0) self-test and 76.4% (71.9-80.5) nurse-performed with specificity of 97.8% (97.3-98.2) and 98.5% (98.1-98.8) respectively. Conclusion A greater proportion of this non-healthcare key worker cohort showed evidence of previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 than the general population at 6.0% (5.8-6.1) following the first wave in England. The high acceptability and usability reported by participants and similar performance of self-test and nurse-performed LFIAs indicate that the self-test LFIA is fit for purpose for home-testing in occupational and community prevalence studies.
Davies B, Parkes B, Bennett J, et al., 2021, Community factors and excess mortality in first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in England, Nature Communications, ISSN: 2041-1723
Risk factors for increased risk of death from Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) have been identified but less is known on characteristics that make communities resilient or vulnerable to the mortality impacts of the pandemic. We applied a two-stage Bayesian spatial model to quantify inequalities in excess mortality at the community level during the first wave of the pandemic in England. We used geocoded data on all deaths in people aged 40 years and older during March-May 2020 compared with 2015-2019 in 6,791 local communities. Here we show that communities with an increased risk of excess mortality had a high density of care homes, and/or high proportion of residents on income support, living in overcrowded homes and/or high percent of people with a non-White ethnicity (including Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups). Conversely, after accounting for other community characteristics, we found no association between population density or air pollution and excess mortality. Overall, the social and environmental variables accounted for around 15% of the variation in mortality at community level. Effective and timely public health and healthcare measures that target the communities at greatest risk are urgently needed if England and other industrialised countries are to avoid further widening of inequalities in mortality patterns as the pandemic progresses.
Konstantinoudis G, Padellini T, Bennett J, et al., 2021, Response to "re: long-term exposure to air-pollution and COVID-19 mortality in England: a hierarchical spatial analysis", Environment International, Vol: 150, ISSN: 0160-4120
Konstantinoudis G, Padellini T, Bennett J, et al., 2021, Long-term exposure to air-pollution and COVID-19 mortality in England: a hierarchical spatial analysis, Environment International, Vol: 146, ISSN: 0160-4120
Recent studies suggested a link between long-term exposure to air-pollution and COVID-19 mortality. However, due to their ecological design based on large spatial units, they neglect the strong localised air-pollution patterns, and potentially lead to inadequate confounding adjustment. We investigated the effect of long-term exposure to NO2 and PM2.5 on COVID-19 mortality in England using high geographical resolution. In this nationwide cross-sectional study in England, we included 38,573 COVID-19 deaths up to June 30, 2020 at the Lower Layer Super Output Area level (n = 32,844 small areas). We retrieved averaged NO2 and PM2.5 concentration during 2014–2018 from the Pollution Climate Mapping. We used Bayesian hierarchical models to quantify the effect of air-pollution while adjusting for a series of confounding and spatial autocorrelation. We find a 0.5% (95% credible interval: −0.2%, 1.2%) and 1.4% (95% CrI: −2.1%, 5.1%) increase in COVID-19 mortality risk for every 1 μg/m3 increase in NO2 and PM2.5 respectively, after adjusting for confounding and spatial autocorrelation. This corresponds to a posterior probability of a positive effect equal to 0.93 and 0.78 respectively. The spatial relative risk at LSOA level revealed strong patterns, similar for the different pollutants. This potentially captures the spread of the disease during the first wave of the epidemic. Our study provides some evidence of an effect of long-term NO2 exposure on COVID-19 mortality, while the effect of PM2.5 remains more uncertain.
Matthews NR, Davies B, Ward H, 2020, Global health education in UK medical schools: a review of undergraduate university curricula, BMJ Global Health, Vol: 5, Pages: 1-12, ISSN: 2059-7908
IntroductionIn recognition of our increasingly globalised world, global health is now arequired component of the medical school curriculum in the UK. We reviewthe current provision of global health education (GHE) in UK medical schoolsto identify gaps in compulsory teaching.MethodsWe conducted a review of the literature to inform a two-part electronic surveyof global health compulsory teaching, optional teaching and pre-electivetraining. Surveys were sent to all 33 UK medical schools for completion by thefaculty lead on global health and the nominated final year studentrepresentative.ResultsSurveys were returned by 29 (88%) medical school faculty and 15 (45%)medical student representatives; 24 (83%) faculty and 10 (67%) studentsreported including GHE in the core curriculum, however, there was widevariation in learning outcomes covered. On average 75% of faculty and 82%of students reported covering recommended global health themes ‘Globalburden of disease’, ‘Socioeconomic and environmental determinants ofhealth’, Human rights and ethics’, and ‘Cultural diversity and health’, whilstonly 48% of faculty and 33% of students reported teaching on ‘Healthsystems’ and ‘Global health governance’. Almost all institutions offeredoptional global health programmes and most offered some form of preelective training, although content and delivery were variable.ConclusionOver the last decade, the inclusion of global health in the core curriculum ofUK medical schools has increased dramatically. Yet, despite interest amongststudents, significant gaps are apparent in current GHE. Governing bodies inmedical education should establish a comprehensive national strategy to helpimprove access to fundamental GHE for all medical students.
Wilson JD, Wallace HE, Loftus-Keeling M, et al., 2020, Swab-yourself trial with economic monitoring and testing for infections collectively (SYSTEMATIC): Part 2. A diagnostic accuracy, and cost-effectiveness, study comparing rectal, pharyngeal and urogenital samples analysed individually, versus as a pooled specimen, for the diagnosis of gonorrhoea and chlamydia., Clin Infect Dis
BACKGROUND: Sexual history does not accurately identify those with extragenital Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) so universal extragenital sampling is recommended. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are expensive. If urogenital, plus rectal and pharyngeal, samples are analysed the diagnostic cost is trebled. Pooling samples into one NAAT container would cost the same as urogenital samples alone. We compared clinician triple samples analysed individually with self-taken pooled samples for diagnostic accuracy, and cost, in MSM and females. METHODS: Prospective, convenience, sample in UK sexual health clinic. Randomised order of clinician and self-samples from pharynx, rectum, plus first catch urine (FCU) in MSM and vulvovaginal swabs (VVS) in females, for NG and CT detection. RESULTS: Of 1793 participants (1284 females, 509 MSM), 116 had NG detected (75 urogenital, 83 rectum, 72 pharynx). 276 had CT detected (217 urogenital, 249 rectum, 63 pharynx).There was no difference in sensitivities between clinician triple samples and self-pooled specimens for NG (99.1%, 98.3%) but clinician samples analysed individually identified 3% more chlamydia infections than pooled (99.3%, 96.0%; p=0.027). However, pooled specimens identified more infections than VVS/FCU alone. Pooled specimens missed 2 NG and 11 CT infections, whereas VVS/FCU missed 41 NG and 58 CT infections. Self-taken pooled specimens were the most cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS: Just FCU/VVS testing missed many infections. Self-taken pooled samples were as sensitive as clinician triple samples for identifying NG, but clinician samples analysed individually identified 3% more CT infections than pooled. The extragenital sampling was achievable at no additional diagnostic cost to the FCU/VVS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02371109.
Bruton J, Jones K, Jenkins R, et al., 2020, Enabling participation of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) and seldom-heard communities in health research: A case study from the SCAMP adolescent cohort study, Research for All, Vol: 4, Pages: 207-219, ISSN: 2399-8121
Aim: To investigate barriers and facilitators to BME parental consent for children’s involvement in data-sharing aspects of study on mobile phone and wireless device use (SCAMP). To co-produce solutions to increase participation. Methods: Focus groups, telephone interviews, community event, PPI Café; symposium with public, participants and researchers. Results: Barriers were concerns about the research, practical constraints, poor communication. Facilitators were value of research, benefits to others. Solutions to increase participation were community support and clear, simple communication. Overall, trust in the research and the researchers was a key focus of enabling participation.Sharing recommendations: Symposium generated ideas about improving participation including tailoring participant information, engaging with local advocates, involving people in research design and delivery.Key words: Seldom heard, BME, research participation, co-production, PPI, parental consent
Papageorgiou V, Singer A, Cooper E, et al., 2020, PROSPERO Registration: A systematic review of social determinants and HIV treatment outcomes among people living with HIV in high-income countries, PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews
Luna Puerta L, Kendall W, Davies B, et al., 2020, The reported impact of public involvement in biobanks: a scoping review, Health Expectations, Vol: 23, ISSN: 1369-6513
BackgroundBiobanks increasingly employ public involvement and engagement strategies, though few studies have explored their impact. This review aims to (a) investigate how the impact of public involvement in biobanks is reported and conceptualized by study authors; in order to (b) suggest how the research community might re‐conceptualize the impact of public involvement in biobanks.MethodsA systematic literature search of three electronic databases and the INVOLVE Evidence Library in January 2019. Studies commenting on the impact of public involvement in a biobank were included, and a narrative review was conducted.Results and discussionForty‐one studies covering thirty‐one biobanks were included, with varying degrees of public involvement. Impact was categorized according to where it was seen: ‘the biobank’, ‘people involved’ and ‘the wider research community’. Most studies reported involvement in a ‘functional’ way, in relation to improved rates of participation in the biobank. Broader forms of impact were reported but were vaguely defined and measured. This review highlights a lack of clarity of purpose and varied researcher conceptualizations of involvement. We pose three areas for further research and consideration by biobank researchers and public involvement practitioners.ConclusionsFunctional approaches to public involvement in biobanking limit impact. This conceptualization of involvement emerges from an entrenched technical understanding that ignores its political nature, complicated by long‐standing disagreement about the values of public involvement. This study urges a re‐imagination of impact, re‐conceptualized as a two‐way learning process. More support will help researchers and members of the public to undergo such reflective exercises.
Ensor S, Davies B, Rai T, et al., 2019, The effectiveness of demand creation interventions for voluntary male medical circumcision for HIV prevention in Sub-Saharan Africa; a mixed methods systematic review, Journal of the International AIDS Society, Vol: 22, Pages: 40-53, ISSN: 1758-2652
IntroductionUNAIDS has recommended that in 14 countries across sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA), 90% of men aged 10 to 29 years should be circumcised by 2021 to help reduce transmission of HIV. To achieve this target demand creation programmes have been widely implemented to increase demand for Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC). This review explores the effectiveness of demand creation interventions and factors affecting programme implementation.MethodsWe completed a mixed methods systematic review searching Medline, Embase, Global health, psycINFO and CINAHL databases in August 2018 with no time restrictions. Demand creation interventions conducted in SSA were categorized and quantitative data about VMMC uptake was used to compare relative and absolute effectiveness of interventions. Qualitative data were summarized into themes relevant to the delivery and impact of programmes.Results and discussionEighteen of the 904 titles were included in the review. Effective interventions were identified in each demand creation category: financial incentives, counselling or education, involvement of influencers and novel information delivery. Of the 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the greatest absolute impact on VMMC prevalence was seen with a complex intervention including VMMC promotion training for religious leaders (compared to control: 23% (95% CI 22.8 to 23.8) absolute increase; odds ratio (OR) 3.2 (1.4 to 7.3)). Financial incentives generally produced the largest relative effects with men up to seven‐times more likely to undergo VMMC in the intervention arm compared to control (adjusted OR 7.1 (95% CI 2.4 to 20.8), 7.1% (3.7 to 10.5) absolute increase). Qualitative findings suggest that interventions are more impactful when they are judged appropriate and acceptable by the target population; delivered by people with relevant personal experience; and addressing broader social and cultural influences through partnership with and education of community leaders.Con
Papageorgiou V, Crittendon E, Davies B, et al., 2019, PROSPERO registration: Impact of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) on the risk of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among cisgender women: a systematic review, PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews
Ronn M, Mc Grath-Lone L, Davies B, et al., 2019, Evaluation of the performance of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) in detection of chlamydia and gonorrhoea infection in vaginal specimens relative to patient infection status: a systematic review, BMJ Open, Vol: 9, ISSN: 2044-6055
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the performance of NAATs using vaginal specimens in comparison to other urogenital specimens in their ability to detect chlamydia and gonorrhea infection in women.DESIGN: Systematic review.DATA SOURCES: EMBASE and Ovid MEDLINE databases through 3 October 2017.ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: We included studies that tested samples from the vagina and ≥1 other site (cervix and/or urine) with ≥2 NAATs for chlamydia and ≥2 NAATs or 1 NAAT and culture for gonorrhoea for each site.DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: We compared the performance of NAATs on specimens taken from the vagina to those from the cervix or urine in diagnosing chlamydia and gonorrhoea infection in women based on patient infection status (PIS). We analysed the performance using vaginal specimens compared to PIS. Performance is defined as the sensitivity of a NAAT using a specimen site and PIS status of the patient. We assessed risk of bias using modified QUADAS-2.RESULTS: Nine publications met the inclusion criteria (eight for chlamydia; six for gonorrhoea) and were narratively reviewed. Pooled summary estimates were not calculated due to the variable methodology and PIS definitions. Tests performed on vaginal specimens accomplished similar performance to cervical and urine specimens for chlamydia (range of performance estimates: vaginal 65-100%, cervical 59-97%, urine 57-100%) and gonorrhoea (vaginal 64-100%, cervical 85-100%, urine 67-94%). Vaginal specimens were estimated to have a performance >80% for chlamydia and gonorrhoea infections in all but one study.CONCLUSIONS: Performance of the NAATs for chlamydia and gonorrhea detection using vaginal specimens was similar to that of cervical and urine specimens relativeto PIS. As vaginal samples have a higher acceptability and lower cost, the study can support clinical testing guidelines by providing evidence that vaginal samples are a suitable alternative to traditional test sites.
Beardon S, Patel K, Davies B, et al., 2018, Informal Carers' Perspectives on the Delivery of Acute Hospital Care for Patients with Dementia: A Systematic Review, BMC Geriatrics, Vol: 23, ISSN: 1471-2318
Background: Providing high quality acute hospital care for patients with dementia is an increasing challenge asthe prevalence of the disease rises. Informal carers of people with dementia are a critical resource for improvinginpatient care, due to their insights into patients’ needs and preferences. We summarise informal carers’ perspectives ofacute hospital care to inform best practice service delivery.Methods: We conducted a systematic search of bibliographic databases and sought relevant grey literature. We usedthematic synthesis analysis to assimilate results of the studies and describe components of care that influence perceivedquality.Results: Twenty papers met the inclusion criteria. Findings identified four overarching components of care thatinfluenced carer experience and their perceptions of care quality: ‘Patient care’, ‘Staff interactions’, ‘Carer’s situation’ and‘Hospital environment’. Need for improvement was identified in staff training, provision of help with personal careneeds, and dignified treatment of patients. Carers need to be informed, involved and supported during hospitaladmission in order to promote the most positive experience.Conclusion: This review identifies common perspectives of informal carers of people with dementia in the acutehospital setting and highlights important areas to address to improve the experience of an admission for both carerand patient.
Davies B, Turner KME, Frolund M, et al., 2018, Pelvic inflammatory disease risk following negative results from chlamydia nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) versus non-NAATs in Denmark: A retrospective cohort study, PLoS Medicine, Vol: 15, ISSN: 1549-1277
BackgroundNucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs) are the recommended test type for diagnosing Chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia). However, less sensitive diagnostic methods—including direct immunofluorescence (IF) and enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA)—remain in use in lower resourced settings. We estimate the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) following undiagnosed infection in women tested with non-NAATs and estimate the health gain from using accurate diagnostic tests.Methods and findingsWe used Denmark’s national Chlamydia Study dataset to extract all chlamydia tests performed in women aged 15–34 years (1998–2001). Tests were categorised as non-NAAT (IF/ELISA) or NAAT and limited to each woman’s first test in the study period. We linked test data to hospital presentations for PID within 12 months from the Danish National Patient Register. The study included 272,105 women with a chlamydia test, just under half (44.78%, n = 121,857) were tested using NAATs. Overall, 6.38% (n = 17,353) tested positive for chlamydia and 0.64% (n = 1,732) were diagnosed with PID within 12 months. The risk of PID following a positive chlamydia test did not differ by test type (NAAT 0.81% [95% CI 0.61–1.00], non-NAAT 0.78% [0.59–0.96]). The risk of PID following a negative test was significantly lower in women tested with NAATs compared to non-NAATs (0.55% [0.51–0.59] compared to 0.69% [0.64–0.73]; adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.83 [0.75–0.93]). We estimate that 18% of chlamydia infections in women tested with a non-NAAT were undiagnosed and that the risk of progression from undiagnosed chlamydia infection to PID within 12 months was 9.52% (9.30–9.68). Using non-NAATs could lead to an excess 120 cases of PID per 100,000 women tested compared to using NAATs. The key limitations of this study are under ascertainment of PID cases, misclassification bias in chlamydia and PID exposure status, bias to the association
Davies B, turner KME, Leung S, et al., 2017, Comparison of the population excess fraction of chlamydia trachomatis infection on pelvic inflammatory disease at 12-months in the presence and absence of chlamydia testing and treatment: systematic review and retrospective cohort analysis, PLOS One, Vol: 12, ISSN: 1932-6203
Background: The impact of Chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia) control on the incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is theoretically limited by the proportion of PID caused by chlamydia. We estimate the population excess fraction (PEF) of treated chlamydia infection on PID at 12-months in settings with widespread chlamydia control (testing and treatment) and compare this to the estimated PEF of untreated chlamydia. Methods: We used two large retrospective population-based cohorts of women of reproductive age from settings with widespread chlamydia control to calculate the PEF of treated chlamydia on PID at 12-months. We undertook a systematic review to identify further studies that reported the risk of PID in women who were tested for chlamydia (infected and uninfected). We used the same method to calculate the PEF in eligible studies then compared all estimates of PEF. Results: The systematic review identified a single study, a randomised controlled trial of chlamydia screening (POPI-RCT). In the presence of testing and treatment <10% of PID at 12-months was attributable to treated (baseline) chlamydia infections (Manitoba: 8.86%(95%CI 7.15-10.75); Denmark: 3.84%(3.26-4.45); screened-arm POPI-RCT: 0.99%(0.00-29.06)). In the absence of active chlamydia treatment 26.44% (11.57-46.32) of PID at 12-months was attributable to untreated (baseline) chlamydia infections (deferred-arm POPI-RCT). The PEFs suggest that eradicating baseline chlamydia infections could prevent 484 cases of PID at 12-months per 100,000 women in the untreated setting and 13-184 cases of PID per 100,000 tested women in the presence of testing and treatment. Conclusion: Testing and treating chlamydia reduced the PEF of chlamydia on PID by 65% compared to the untreated setting. But in the presence of testing and treatment over 90% of PID could not be attributed to a baseline chlamydia infection. More information is needed about the aetiology of PID to develop effective strategies for impro
Chandrasekaran L, Davies B, Eaton J, et al., 2016, Chlamydia diagnosis rate in England in 2012: an ecological study of local authorities, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Vol: 93, Pages: 226-228, ISSN: 1472-3263
Objectives Local authorities (LAs) in England commission chlamydia screening as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme. It is recommended that LAs achieve a chlamydia diagnosis rate of ≥2300 cases per 100 000 population aged 15–24. We describe national patterns in attainment of the chlamydia diagnosis rate recommendation and possible implications of using it to measure LA-level performance.Methods We used publicly available data sets from England (2012) to explore the association between LAs attaining the recommended chlamydia diagnosis rate and population size, socioeconomic deprivation, test setting and sex.Results We used data from 1 197 121 recorded chlamydia tests in females and 564 117 in males. The chlamydia diagnosis rate recommendation was achieved by 22% (72/324) of LAs overall (43% female population; 8% male population). LAs in the highest deprivation quintile were more likely to reach the recommendation than those in the least-deprived quintile for both sexes (women: unadjusted prevalence ratio (UPR) 7.43, 95% CI 3.65 to 15.11; men: UPR 7.00, 95% CI 1.66 to 29.58). The proportion of tests performed in genitourinary medicine clinics was negatively associated with attainment of the recommended diagnosis rate (UPR 0.95, 0.93 to 0.97).Conclusions Chlamydia diagnosis rate recommendations that reflect local area deprivation (as a proxy for disease burden) may be more appropriate than a single national target if the aim is to reduce health inequalities nationally. We suggest LAs monitor their chlamydia diagnosis rate, test coverage and test positivity across a range of measures (including setting and sex) and pre/post changes to commissioned services. Critical evaluation of performance against the recommendation should be reflected in local commissioning decisions.
Davies B, Turner K, Frolund M, et al., 2016, Risk of reproductive complications following chlamydia testing: a population-based retrospective cohort study in Denmark, Lancet Infectious Diseases, Vol: 16, Pages: 1057-1064, ISSN: 1473-3099
Background: Uncertainty in the risk of reproductive complications (pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy (EP) and tubal factor infertility (TFI)) following chlamydia infection and repeat infection hampers the design of evidence-based chlamydia control programmes. We estimate the association between diagnosed chlamydia and episodes of hospital healthcare (in-patient, out-patient and emergency department) for a reproductive complication.Methods: We constructed and analysed a retrospective population-based cohort of women aged 15-44 years from administrative records in Denmark (1995-2012). Findings: The 516,720 women (103,344 positive, 182,879 negative, 230,497 never-tested) had a mean follow-up of 7.96 years. Compared to women with only negative tests, the risk of each complication was 30% higher in women with ≥1 positive test (adjusted hazard ratios (AHRs) PID 1·50(1·43-1·57); EP 1·31(1·25-1·38); TFI 1·37(1·24-1·52)) and 60% lower in women who were never-tested (AHRs PID 0·33(0·31-0·35); EP 0·42(0·39-0·44); TFI 0·29(0·25-0·33)). A positive test had a minor absolute impact on health as the difference in the lifetime incidence of complications was small between women who tested positive and those who tested negative (PID 0.6%; EP 0.2%; TFI 0·1%). Repeat infections increased the risk of PID by a further 20% (AHR 1·20(1·11-1·31)). Interpretation: A single diagnosed chlamydia infection increased the risk of all complications and a repeat diagnosed infection further increased the risk of PID. Therefore control programmes must prevent first and repeat infections to improve women’s reproductive health.
Davies B, Ward H, 2016, A pathway to chlamydia control: updated ECDC guidance, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Vol: 92, Pages: 483-484, ISSN: 1472-3263
In 2009, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published guidance on chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis) control in Europe.1 In it we recommended that EU/EEA member states ensure the provision of basic resources and systems (for diagnosis, case and partner management) before embarking on any expanded screening programme. This guidance was based on evidence first that there was a huge variation in availability of clinical services for chlamydia across member states, and second that the evidence for population level programmes was missing.1 ,2 This month ECDC has released updated guidance that we developed with the support of ECDC experts following a programme of work to update the evidence, including an extensive review of the epidemiology and natural history of chlamydia and the clinical and cost-effectiveness of screening programmes.3 The team also repeated the survey of member states, and assessed the impact of the original guidance.4 ,5The survey showed that more countries had established essential diagnostic and management facilities and guidelines;6 it was hard to attribute this …
Davies B, Ward H, 2016, Guidance on chlamydia control in Europe 2015, Stockholm, Sweden, Publisher: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, TQ-01-16-029-EN-N
Executive summaryThis evidence-based guidance updates the 2009 ECDC Chlamydia control in Europe guidance [5]. It was developed by a technical expert group using evidence gathered by the Chlamydia control in Europe programme of work, which ECDC commissioned in 2011 and presented in three accompanying technical reports in 2014 and 2015. The work included a critical review and update of the scientific evidence on the epidemiology and natural history of chlamydia and the clinical and cost-effectiveness of screening programmes, an update of information aboutchlamydia prevention and control activities in EU/EEA Member States, and a review of the impact of the 2009 ECDC chlamydia control guidance. In 2014, an expert consultation provided in-depth information about the use of the 2009 guidance within countries and made suggestions for the revision of the guidance.The aim of this guidance is to support Member States to develop, implement or improve national or local strategies for chlamydia control. This guidance sets out the current evidence base behind the proposed options, highlights key gaps in knowledge, and suggests effective options for national chlamydia control strategies. It is directedprimarily at policy advisors but should be useful for programme managers and experts in sexual health, especially those at the European or national levels.The evidence-based options presented here should be interpreted and applied according to clinical, epidemiological, healthcare and resource environments: there is marked variation in current chlamydia controlstrategies across EU/EEA Member States which reflects differences in available resources, health priorities and uncertainties in the evidence-base for chlamydia control interventions. The evidence base for primary prevention activities is still deficient but expert opinion is that it is prudent to offer these interventions to all at-risk individuals.Diagnosing and treating cases of chlamydia can improve the health of the affect
Ward H, Davies B, Ronn M, 2015, Chlamydia control in Europe: Qualitative evaluation of the impact of the2009 ECDC guidance document Chlamydia control in Europe, Stockholm, Sweden, Publisher: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, TQ-02-15-038-EN-N
In 2011, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) commissioned a programme of work to improve knowledge about the impact of chlamydia and chlamydia control in Europe. The aim of this project was to critically review and update the scientific evidence on the epidemiology and natural history of chlamydia and the clinical and cost-effectiveness of screening, update information about chlamydia prevention and control activities in EU/EEA Member States, and review the impact of the 2009 ECDC chlamydia control guidance. This technical report describes the evaluation of the impact of the 2009 guidance document on policymaking in Member States and presents recommendations for a revised version of the guidance. It includes an overview of the responses collected during the 2012 survey on chlamydia control activities in EU/EEA Member States. Different user types – with regard to the guideline document – were identified and described in this report. In addition, a qualitative analysis of the discussions at the March 2014 meeting was conducted. The meeting had brought together experts from Member States who discussed their experiences with the guidance document.This report concludes with evidence-based recommendations for the revision of the 2009 guidance document.
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