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Critiquing the response to the Ebola epidemic through a Primary Health Care Approach

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Public Health, May 2016
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About this Attention Score

  • In the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (98th percentile)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (97th percentile)

Mentioned by

news
13 news outlets
blogs
2 blogs
policy
2 policy sources
twitter
24 X users

Citations

dimensions_citation
39 Dimensions

Readers on

mendeley
265 Mendeley
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Title
Critiquing the response to the Ebola epidemic through a Primary Health Care Approach
Published in
BMC Public Health, May 2016
DOI 10.1186/s12889-016-3071-4
Pubmed ID
Authors

Vera Scott, Sarah Crawford-Browne, David Sanders

Abstract

The 2014/2015 West Africa Ebola epidemic has caused the global public health community to engage in difficult self-reflection. First, it must consider the part it played in relation to an important public health question: why did this epidemic take hold and spread in this unprecedented manner? Second, it must use the lessons learnt to answer the subsequent question: what can be done now to prevent further such outbreaks in the future? These questions remain relevant, even as scientists announce that the Guinea Phase III efficacy vaccine trial shows that rVSV-EBOV (Merck, Sharp & Dohme) is highly efficacious in individuals. This is a major breakthrough in the fight against Ebola virus disease (EVD). It does not replace but may be a powerful adjunct to current strategies of EVD management and control. We contribute to the current self-reflection by presenting an analysis using a Primary Health Care (PHC) approach. This approach is appropriate as African countries in the region affected by EVD have recommitted themselves to PHC as a framework for organising health systems and the delivery of health services. The approach suggests that, in an epidemic made complex by weak pre-existing health systems, lack of trust in authorities and mobile populations, a broader approach is required to engage affected communities. In the medium-term health system development with attention to primary level services and community-based programmes to address the major disease burden of malaria, diarrhoeal disease, meningitis, tuberculosis and malnutrition is needed. This requires the development of local management and an investment in human resources for health. Crucially this has to be developed ahead of, and not in parallel with, future outbreaks. In the longer-term a commitment is required to address the underlying social determinants which make these countries so vulnerable, and limit their capacity to respond effectively to, epidemics such as EVD. The PHC approach offers an insightful critique of the global and regional factors which have compromised the response of health systems in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone as well as suggesting what a strengthened EVD response might involve in the short, medium and long-term.

X Demographics

X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 24 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 265 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
United Kingdom 1 <1%
Kenya 1 <1%
Unknown 263 99%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 59 22%
Student > Bachelor 32 12%
Researcher 22 8%
Student > Ph. D. Student 21 8%
Other 17 6%
Other 39 15%
Unknown 75 28%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Medicine and Dentistry 66 25%
Nursing and Health Professions 38 14%
Social Sciences 31 12%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 13 5%
Economics, Econometrics and Finance 9 3%
Other 31 12%
Unknown 77 29%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 135. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 08 November 2023.
All research outputs
#304,761
of 25,345,468 outputs
Outputs from BMC Public Health
#267
of 16,998 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#5,796
of 335,176 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Public Health
#6
of 175 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,345,468 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 98th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 16,998 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 14.6. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 335,176 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 175 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 97% of its contemporaries.