Background: Since the roll-out of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) in the early 2000s, the life expectancy of people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has increased. However, the gains made in reducing mortality from HIV-related complications have been mitigated by the emergence of age-related chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as hypertension. Protease inhibitors (PIs), and prolonged exposure to highly active ART (HAART) have been implicated in the development of hypertension in HIV-positive people.Aim: To investigate the prevalence of hypertension and its associated risk factors among HIV-positive patients receiving ART.Setting: The study was carried out at an urban-based clinic that provides HAART and primary care to HIV-positive people in Harare, Zimbabwe.Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among non-pregnant adults on HAART attending the clinic between July and August 2018.Results: We studied 600 HIV-positive adult patients, of which 56% were women. The prevalence rate of hypertension was 29.9%. Of the participants in the hypertensive group, 11.2% were not previously diagnosed or on treatment. Factors associated with hypertension were advanced age, use of HAART for longer than 10 years, being overweight, a family history of hypertension and smoking. There was a 68.8% prevalence of body mass index greater than 25 kg/m2 among all participants.Conclusion: High hypertension prevalence was recorded. Hypertension was not associated with gender or use of PI regimens but being overweight was highly prevalent. Greater vigilance and integration of resources is required in the overall treatment and monitoring of HIV-positive patients for co-morbidities.

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There is an ever-growing need for clinically focused, culturally relevant research on which nurses can base their practice. However, there may not be a concurrent rise in efforts to strengthen infrastructure needed to promote research in developing and low-income countries. In such cases, nurse researchers must find innovative ways to address and overcome barriers to research. This article presents five exemplars of nurses conducting high-quality nursing research in resource-poor settings in southern and eastern Africa. Furthermore, it suggests strategies to address these barriers, such as piggybacking on larger studies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and partnership with influential stakeholders. These tactics may be used to increase research productivity elsewhere.

The factors considered by women in choosing the infant-feeding option were ability to implement the options without interference from significant others, affordability, and sociocultural acceptability. Knowledge of the selected option, its advantages and disadvantages, safety, and feasibility were also important factors. Nurses and midwives have to educate clients and support them in their choice of infant-feeding methods.

Aim To test the feasibility of a remote writing programme, Writing to Improve Nursing Science (WINS), for nursing scholars in low‐ and middle‐income countries and assess its impact on scholarly writing and dissemination. Background The ability to write and publish scholarly manuscripts is critical for successful nursing research careers. Yet, there is a lack of resources to appropriately mentor nurse scholars in this area. This is especially true for low‐ and middle‐income countries with fewer resources and a dearth of doctorally prepared nursing faculty. Introduction We adapted an existing university‐based writing class to mentor 10 nurse scientists through the writing and publication process utilizing three components: online didactic training, remote one‐to‐one mentorship and an in‐person peer‐reviewed writing workshop. Methods Ten nurse faculty from 10 countries selected via competitive application developed manuscripts with remote mentorship and online training for 6 months. Then, an in‐person workshop was held to conduct peer reviews of manuscripts. Mentorship continued for an additional year until the manuscript was either published or the participant no longer wished to pursue publication. Results All participants prepared a manuscript and were trained in manuscript writing, editing, and the peer review and submission process. To date, four manuscripts have been published. Discussion The Writing to Improve Nursing Science Program is a feasible model to increase publications among nursing faculty or students globally and allow the sharing of resources across countries. Conclusion and implications for nursing policy Innovative solutions for sharing of intellectual resources, such as this program may contribute to improving the evidence base globally. Nursing research policies should include a mentorship component to increase publications to improve nursing practice and related patient outcomes.

Background Southern Africa, like other parts of the world, has always strived to deliver quality health professions education. These efforts have been influenced to a larger extent by the socio-economic and cultural context of the region, but also by what happens globally. The global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the implementation of emergency remote teaching (ERT) to continue delivering on the mandate of educating future health professionals in 2020. The purpose of this research was to describe the change process through which selected health professions education institutions (HPEIs) in the Southern African region adjusted their academic programmes for remote learning and teaching during the COVID-19 related pandemic. Methods A mixed methods study with a case study design was applied using the ADKAR model as a conceptual framework for data interpretation. The study population consisted of educators, students, and administrators in undergraduate medical and nursing programmes from six institutions in five countries. Results A total of 1,307 respondents provided data for the study. Many of the institutions were caught off-guard when most educators and almost all students were required to leave their universities and go into isolation at home. Stakeholders immediately became aware of the need to adopt online approaches as an emergency measure. In all programmes, educators, students, and administrators agreed that they should change and wanted to change, and some students realised that they had to take charge of their own learning independently. Overall educators reported confidence with the use of standard Microsoft software, while knowledge of learning management systems proved more challenging for both educators and students. Many stakeholders, especially students and administrators, reported uncertainty about their ability to function in the new reality. Conducive family dynamics, a quiet space to study, good connectivity, a reliable electricity supply and appropriate devices were reported to reinforce learning and teaching. Conclusions The findings highlight the need to scale up educational infrastructure, prioritise strategic directives, drive continuous professional development of educators and foster co-constructivist approaches towards student centered education, including formal online learning.

Background Africa, like other parts of the world, continuously strives to deliver quality health professions education. These efforts are influenced to a larger extent by the socio-economic and cultural context of the region, but also by what happens globally. The global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 necessitated the implementation of emergency remote teaching to continue delivering on the mandate of educating future health professionals. The purpose of this research was to describe the response of selected health professions education institutions in Southern Africa to the impact of COVID-19 and their preparedness for remote learning and teaching. Methods A case study design was applied using an adapted ADKAR model as a conceptual framework for data interpretation. The purposively selected study population consisted of educators, students, and administrators in undergraduate medical and nursing programmes from six institutions in five countries. Results A total of 1307 respondents provided data for the study. Many of the institutions were caught off-guard when most educators and almost all students were required to leave their universities and go home. Stakeholders immediately became aware of the need to adopt online approaches as an emergency measure. In all programmes, educators, students, and administrators agreed that change was desired, and students realised that they had to take charge of their own learning independently. Overall educators reported confidence in the ability to use of standard Microsoft software, while knowledge of learning management systems proved more challenging for both educators and students. Many stakeholders, especially students and administrators, reported uncertainty about their ability to function in the new reality. Conducive family dynamics, a quiet space to study, good connectivity, a reliable electricity supply and appropriate devices were reported to reinforce learning and teaching. Conclusions The findings highlight the need for higher education institutions to prepare for alternative modes to face-to-face learning and teaching approaches with the ultimate aim of transitioning to full online learning more expeditiously. This requires scaling up educational infrastructure, prioritising strategic directives driving continuous professional development of educators and fostering co-constructivist approaches towards student centered education.