Ferdinand C Mukumbang
Biographic Data
| ID | 197748 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ferdinand C Mukumbang |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ferdinand C |
| FAMILY NAME | Mukumbang |
| SIGNATURE | MUKUMBANG F C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Washington |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1441-2172 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 56 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 76 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 42 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 14 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Improving experiences of neglected tropical diseases of the skin
Integrated approaches to managing co-endemic neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) of the skin within primary healthcare services are complex and require tailoring to local contexts. We describe formative research in Atwima Mponua District in Ghana’s Ashanti Region designed to inform the development of a sustainable intervention to improve access to skin NTD care. We employed a convergent, parallel, mixed-methods design, collecting data from Februar…
Do HIV provider and client perspectives align on person-centered care? Lessons learned from implementation of the Person-Centered Care Assessment Tool (PCC-AT) in HIV treatment settings in Ghana
Person-centered care (PCC) is foundational to improve client’s experiences in care while advancing HIV-related outcomes. However, information is scarce on how to assess PCC in HIV treatment settings. This study team developed the PCC assessment tool (PCC-AT) to assess the performance in HIV clinics in Ghana. The objectives of this study were to: (1) pilot the PCC-AT and assess scoring consistency and reliability among clients and providers; and (…
Experiences and perceptions of migrant populations in South Africa on Covid-19 immunization
COVID-19 vaccine inclusiveness, awareness, and uptake should be enhanced through migrant-aware policies and actions such as community mobilization, healthcare professional training, and mass media campaigns
‘I feel that I should decide on my own….’
INTRODUCTION: Efforts to improve health outcomes among adolescents and young adults living with HIV (ALHs) are hampered by limited adolescent engagement in HIV-related research. We sought to understand the views of adolescents, caregivers and healthcare workers (HCWs) about who should make decisions regarding ALHs' research participation. METHODS: We conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) with ALHs (aged 14-24 yea…
Two-year retention in care for adolescents on antiretroviral therapy in Ehlanzeni district, South Africa
Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) struggle to remain engaged in HIV-related care and adhere to antiretroviral treatment (ART) due to a myriad of physical, psychological and cognitive-developmental challenges. We report on the profile of ALHIV aged 10-19 years on ART and the clinical factors associated with their retention in care. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted with 16,108 ALHIV, aged 10-19 years, who were enrolled in 136 ART cli…
The contributions of scientific realism and critical realism to realist evaluation
Realist evaluation has gained prominence in the field of evaluation in recent years. Its theory-driven approach to explaining how and why programmes work or not makes it attractive to many novices, early career researchers, and organizations implementing various programmes globally and relevant to policymakers and programme implementers. While realist evaluation seeks to be pragmatic, adopting principles and methods that can be used to help focus…
Unpacking the design, implementation and uptake of community-integrated health care services
INTRODUCTION: Community-integrated care initiatives are increasingly being used for social and health service delivery and show promising outcomes. Nevertheless, it is unclear what structures and underlining causal agents (generative mechanisms) are responsible for explaining how and why they work or not. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Critical realist synthesis, a theory-driven approach to reviewing and synthesising literature based on the critical reali…
Psychosocial Support Programme Improves Adherence and Health Systems Experiences for Adolescents on Antiretroviral Therapy in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
(1) Background: Psychosocial support (PSS) plays a significant role in persistent adherence to and retention in antiretroviral therapy (ART) for adolescents living with the human immunodeficiency virus (ALHIV). This paper qualitatively explores the experiences of ALHIV on ART, who participated in a PSS programme in five public primary healthcare facilities in Mpumalanga Province in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: Data were…
Linkage to HIV Care and Early Retention in Care Rates in the Universal Test-and-Treat Era
HIV linkage, and retention are key weaknesses in South Africa's national antiretroviral therapy (ART) program, with the greatest loss of patients in the HIV treatment pathway occurring before ART initiation. This study investigated linkage-to and early-retention-in-care (LTRIC) rates among adults newly diagnosed with HIV in a high-HIV prevalent rural district. We conducted an observational prospective cohort study to investigate LTRIC rates for a…
Formulating Initial Programme Theories of the Healthy Homes and Neighbourhoods Integrated Care Initiative
The programme theories unveil that integrated care initiatives should foster positive relationships at all levels to ensure favourable consumer outcomes
Understanding for whom, how and why Sydney Local Health District’s integrated response was effective in addressing Covid-19
The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021
Understanding for whom, how and why Sydney Local Health District’s Integrated Response was Effective in Addressing Covid-19
The SLHD's progress towards a 'whole of health' approach, empowered and enabled the district to effectively work within and across sectors to address the pandemic in a people-centred manner. Sustaining the contextual conditions and mechanisms, that facilitated effective integration, will be beneficial beyond the pandemic
Comparing Patients' Experiences in Three Differentiated Service Delivery Models for HIV Treatment in South Africa
Differentiated service delivery for HIV treatment seeks to enhance medication adherence while respecting the preferences of people living with HIV. Nevertheless, patients' experiences of using these differentiated service delivery models or approaches have not been qualitatively compared. Underpinned by the tenets of descriptive phenomenology, we explored and compared the experiences of patients in three differentiated service delivery models usi…
Policy Requirements for the Prevention and Management of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in South Africa
This policy brief is aimed to guide policymakers in developing a comprehensive and multi-sectoral policy for the prevention and management of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD is a leading source of non-genetic developmental and intellectual disability globally and is usually associated with primary and secondary disabilities. South Africa has been identified to have the highest reported prevalence of FASD in the world. Nevertheless, e…
Perspectives of Policymakers and Service Providers on Why Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Remain Unabated in South Africa
Is the routine health information system ready to support the planned national health insurance scheme in South Africa
Implementation of a National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Africa requires a reliable, standardized health information system that supports Diagnosis-Related Groupers for reimbursements and resource management. We assessed the quality of inpatient health records, the availability of standard discharge summaries and coded clinical data and the congruence between inpatient health records and discharge summaries in public-sector hospitals to suppo…
Retroductive Theorizing
Mixed methods studies in social sciences are predominantly employed to explore broad, complex, and multifaceted issues and to evaluate policies and interventions. The integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in social sciences most often follows the Peircean pragmatic approach—abductive hypothesis formation followed by deductive and inductive testing/confirmation—with limited theorizing properties. This paper contributes to the field o…
Examining the Application of Retroductive Theorizing in Realist-Informed Studies
Introduction: Transcendental realism, the philosophical perspective dealing with the existence of causal powers governed by universal laws of nature, provides a useful framework for research conducted in the social sciences, including the field of health policy and systems research. Transcendental realism has been criticized, however, for offering weak methodological guidance for conducting research. Consequently, realist-informed studies are dee…
You Have to Withstand That Because You Have Come for What You Have Come for
Nationwide rollout of antiretroviral treatment (ART) is increasing the number of older persons living with HIV (OPLWH) in South Africa. Yet, little is known about how the sociological aspects of ageing - stigma, finances and family dynamics - impact access to ART. Qualitative interviews with 23 persons aged 50-plus living near Cape Town highlight the barriers and facilitators to the acceptability, affordability and availability of ART access amon…
Unspoken inequality
An estimated 2 million foreign-born migrants of working age (15–64) were living in South Africa (SA) in 2017. Structural and practical xenophobia has driven asylum-seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants in SA to abject poverty and misery. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) containment measures adopted by the SA government through the lockdown of the nation have tremendously deepened the unequal treatment of asylum-seekers and refugees …
Are asylum seekers, refugees and foreign migrants considered in the Covid-19 vaccine discourse
There is a propitious belief that a potent \nvaccine against the SARS-COV-2 virus is a \npanacea for the COVID-19 pandemic. The \nneed for a potent vaccine is heightened as \nmany nations are finding it counterproductive to sustain national lockdowns and individuals are becoming complacent with their \nhygiene and social (physical) distancing \npractices. Currently, there are more than 100 \nCOVID-19 vaccine candidates under development, with a n…
Applying Qualitative Methods to Investigate Social Actions for Justice Using Social Media
Social media is becoming a valuable resource for hosting activism as illustrated in the rise of the hashtag movements, such as #MeToo and #Endrapeculture, used to speak out against rape culture. In this article, we discuss the use of social media as the source and object of research, using the case of the 2016 South African #nakedprotest. We used naturalistic observation on Facebook comment threads and followed these up with online Facebook focus…
Leveraging the Photovoice Methodology for Critical Realist Theorizing
Photovoice is a visual research methodology that integrates images and words to encourage the exploration of the experiences, perceptions, and meaning-making processes of individuals on various social phenomena. As a participatory qualitative methodology, Photovoice has been used within the interpretivist paradigm to explore various [public] health and social phenomena to enhance participants' (co-investigators') engagement and to lobby for polic…
Using the realist interview approach to maintain theoretical awareness in realist studies
Realist evaluation submits that theories and models of how, why, for whom and under what circumstances programs work could be formulated by conceptualizing the relational links between the context within which programs are implemented, the generative mechanisms the programs trigger, and the outcomes of interest. Qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis allow for the description of the relevant context, the generative mechanisms, …
When you take pills you must eat’
South Africa has increasing numbers of persons living with HIV on antiretroviral treatment (ART). There is evidence for a relationship between food, food security and HIV. Despite increasing rates of people older than 50 living with HIV coinciding with greater levels of co-morbidity, the existing research is largely limited to those aged 15-49 years. In this paper, we therefore explore how older people living with HIV (OPLWH) in two urban communi…
Retroductive Theorizing
Mixed methods studies in social sciences are predominantly employed to explore broad, complex, and multifaceted issues and to evaluate policies and interventions. The integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in social sciences most often follows the Peircean pragmatic approach—abductive hypothesis formation followed by deductive and inductive testing/confirmation—with limited theorizing properties. This paper contributes to the field o…
Examining the Application of Retroductive Theorizing in Realist-Informed Studies
Introduction: Transcendental realism, the philosophical perspective dealing with the existence of causal powers governed by universal laws of nature, provides a useful framework for research conducted in the social sciences, including the field of health policy and systems research. Transcendental realism has been criticized, however, for offering weak methodological guidance for conducting research. Consequently, realist-informed studies are dee…
Using the realist interview approach to maintain theoretical awareness in realist studies
Realist evaluation submits that theories and models of how, why, for whom and under what circumstances programs work could be formulated by conceptualizing the relational links between the context within which programs are implemented, the generative mechanisms the programs trigger, and the outcomes of interest. Qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis allow for the description of the relevant context, the generative mechanisms, …
Leveraging the Photovoice Methodology for Critical Realist Theorizing
Photovoice is a visual research methodology that integrates images and words to encourage the exploration of the experiences, perceptions, and meaning-making processes of individuals on various social phenomena. As a participatory qualitative methodology, Photovoice has been used within the interpretivist paradigm to explore various [public] health and social phenomena to enhance participants' (co-investigators') engagement and to lobby for polic…
The contributions of scientific realism and critical realism to realist evaluation
Realist evaluation has gained prominence in the field of evaluation in recent years. Its theory-driven approach to explaining how and why programmes work or not makes it attractive to many novices, early career researchers, and organizations implementing various programmes globally and relevant to policymakers and programme implementers. While realist evaluation seeks to be pragmatic, adopting principles and methods that can be used to help focus…
Understanding for whom, how and why Sydney Local Health District’s Integrated Response was Effective in Addressing Covid-19
The SLHD's progress towards a 'whole of health' approach, empowered and enabled the district to effectively work within and across sectors to address the pandemic in a people-centred manner. Sustaining the contextual conditions and mechanisms, that facilitated effective integration, will be beneficial beyond the pandemic
Patients Are Not Following the [Adherence] Club Rules Anymore
There is growing evidence that differentiated care models employed to manage treatment-experienced patients on antiretroviral therapy could improve adherence to medication and retention in care. We conducted a realist evaluation to determine how, why, for whom, and under what health system context the adherence club intervention works (or not) in real-life implementation. In the first phase, we developed an initial program theory of the adherence…
Mechanism-Based Middle-Range Theories
Realist synthesis is a recognized methodological approach to evidence synthesis to inform evidence-based health policy and practice. The implicit assumption behind research synthesis is that the evidence it generates should be generalizable--drawing broad inferences from specific observations. While this understanding is generally shared among social scientists, tensions exist between having generalizable evidence and how this evidence can be use…
Advancing the Decolonisation Agenda Through an Indigenous Realist Evaluation Approach
Background: Evaluation theory and practice have great potential in catalysing transformative change and furthering decoloniality in [global] health research in Indigenous or formerly colonised societies. Realist evaluation approach can be a good fit for promoting decolonisation due to its strong focus on context and causal mechanisms. Methods: Drawing on the authors' work on strengthening health research capacity and using the 'African Research I…
Formulating Initial Programme Theories of the Healthy Homes and Neighbourhoods Integrated Care Initiative
The programme theories unveil that integrated care initiatives should foster positive relationships at all levels to ensure favourable consumer outcomes
You Have to Withstand That Because You Have Come for What You Have Come for
Nationwide rollout of antiretroviral treatment (ART) is increasing the number of older persons living with HIV (OPLWH) in South Africa. Yet, little is known about how the sociological aspects of ageing - stigma, finances and family dynamics - impact access to ART. Qualitative interviews with 23 persons aged 50-plus living near Cape Town highlight the barriers and facilitators to the acceptability, affordability and availability of ART access amon…
Applying Qualitative Methods to Investigate Social Actions for Justice Using Social Media
Social media is becoming a valuable resource for hosting activism as illustrated in the rise of the hashtag movements, such as #MeToo and #Endrapeculture, used to speak out against rape culture. In this article, we discuss the use of social media as the source and object of research, using the case of the 2016 South African #nakedprotest. We used naturalistic observation on Facebook comment threads and followed these up with online Facebook focus…
Perceptions of body size, obesity threat and the willingness to lose weight among black South African adults
Low perception of threat of obesity to health particularly among overweight women in this community indicates a considerable challenge to obesity control. Community health education and promotion programmes that increase awareness about the risk associated with overweight, and improve the motivation for physical activity and maintenance of optimal body weight are needed
I attend at Vanguard and I attend here as well”
The population living with HIV is aging increasing the likelihood that those living with HIV will also be living with other chronic conditions including NCDs. Thus, it is essential that health policy address this basic need to integrate HIV and NCD care
Exploring service providers’ perspectives on the prevention and management of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in South Africa
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is among the leading causes of developmental and intellectual disabilities in individuals. Although efforts are being made toward the prevention and management of FASD in South Africa, the prevalence remains high. The sustained high prevalence could be attributed to several factors, including the lack of policy for a coordinated effort to prevent, diagnose and manage FASD nationally. In this study, our aim w…
Patients Are Not Following the [Adherence] Club Rules Anymore
There is growing evidence that differentiated care models employed to manage treatment-experienced patients on antiretroviral therapy could improve adherence to medication and retention in care. We conducted a realist evaluation to determine how, why, for whom, and under what health system context the adherence club intervention works (or not) in real-life implementation. In the first phase, we developed an initial program theory of the adherence…
When you take pills you must eat’
South Africa has increasing numbers of persons living with HIV on antiretroviral treatment (ART). There is evidence for a relationship between food, food security and HIV. Despite increasing rates of people older than 50 living with HIV coinciding with greater levels of co-morbidity, the existing research is largely limited to those aged 15-49 years. In this paper, we therefore explore how older people living with HIV (OPLWH) in two urban communi…
Policymakers’ Perspectives Towards Developing a Guideline to Inform Policy on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) has a high prevalence in South Africa, especially among the poor socioeconomic communities. However, there is no specific policy to address FASD. Using a qualitative study design, we explored the perspectives of policymakers on guidelines/policies for FASD, current practices and interventions, and what practices and interventions could be included in a policy for FASD. The data analysis was done using the Fr…
Understanding factors influencing linkage to HIV care in a rural setting, Mbeya, Tanzania
Linkage to HIV care is an important step towards proper management of HIV. We found that access and linkage to care are influenced positively and negatively at all levels, however, the individual-level and health system-level factors were most prominent in this setting. Interventions must address issues around stigma, denial and inadequate awareness of the value of early linkage to care, and improve the capacity of HIV treatment/care clinics to i…
Unspoken inequality
An estimated 2 million foreign-born migrants of working age (15–64) were living in South Africa (SA) in 2017. Structural and practical xenophobia has driven asylum-seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants in SA to abject poverty and misery. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) containment measures adopted by the SA government through the lockdown of the nation have tremendously deepened the unequal treatment of asylum-seekers and refugees …
Are asylum seekers, refugees and foreign migrants considered in the Covid-19 vaccine discourse
There is a propitious belief that a potent \nvaccine against the SARS-COV-2 virus is a \npanacea for the COVID-19 pandemic. The \nneed for a potent vaccine is heightened as \nmany nations are finding it counterproductive to sustain national lockdowns and individuals are becoming complacent with their \nhygiene and social (physical) distancing \npractices. Currently, there are more than 100 \nCOVID-19 vaccine candidates under development, with a n…
Applying Qualitative Methods to Investigate Social Actions for Justice Using Social Media
Social media is becoming a valuable resource for hosting activism as illustrated in the rise of the hashtag movements, such as #MeToo and #Endrapeculture, used to speak out against rape culture. In this article, we discuss the use of social media as the source and object of research, using the case of the 2016 South African #nakedprotest. We used naturalistic observation on Facebook comment threads and followed these up with online Facebook focus…
Leveraging the Photovoice Methodology for Critical Realist Theorizing
Photovoice is a visual research methodology that integrates images and words to encourage the exploration of the experiences, perceptions, and meaning-making processes of individuals on various social phenomena. As a participatory qualitative methodology, Photovoice has been used within the interpretivist paradigm to explore various [public] health and social phenomena to enhance participants' (co-investigators') engagement and to lobby for polic…
Using the realist interview approach to maintain theoretical awareness in realist studies
Realist evaluation submits that theories and models of how, why, for whom and under what circumstances programs work could be formulated by conceptualizing the relational links between the context within which programs are implemented, the generative mechanisms the programs trigger, and the outcomes of interest. Qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis allow for the description of the relevant context, the generative mechanisms, …
Policy Requirements for the Prevention and Management of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in South Africa
This policy brief is aimed to guide policymakers in developing a comprehensive and multi-sectoral policy for the prevention and management of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD is a leading source of non-genetic developmental and intellectual disability globally and is usually associated with primary and secondary disabilities. South Africa has been identified to have the highest reported prevalence of FASD in the world. Nevertheless, e…
Perspectives of Policymakers and Service Providers on Why Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Remain Unabated in South Africa
Is the routine health information system ready to support the planned national health insurance scheme in South Africa
Implementation of a National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Africa requires a reliable, standardized health information system that supports Diagnosis-Related Groupers for reimbursements and resource management. We assessed the quality of inpatient health records, the availability of standard discharge summaries and coded clinical data and the congruence between inpatient health records and discharge summaries in public-sector hospitals to suppo…
Retroductive Theorizing
Mixed methods studies in social sciences are predominantly employed to explore broad, complex, and multifaceted issues and to evaluate policies and interventions. The integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in social sciences most often follows the Peircean pragmatic approach—abductive hypothesis formation followed by deductive and inductive testing/confirmation—with limited theorizing properties. This paper contributes to the field o…
Examining the Application of Retroductive Theorizing in Realist-Informed Studies
Introduction: Transcendental realism, the philosophical perspective dealing with the existence of causal powers governed by universal laws of nature, provides a useful framework for research conducted in the social sciences, including the field of health policy and systems research. Transcendental realism has been criticized, however, for offering weak methodological guidance for conducting research. Consequently, realist-informed studies are dee…
You Have to Withstand That Because You Have Come for What You Have Come for
Nationwide rollout of antiretroviral treatment (ART) is increasing the number of older persons living with HIV (OPLWH) in South Africa. Yet, little is known about how the sociological aspects of ageing - stigma, finances and family dynamics - impact access to ART. Qualitative interviews with 23 persons aged 50-plus living near Cape Town highlight the barriers and facilitators to the acceptability, affordability and availability of ART access amon…
Unpacking the design, implementation and uptake of community-integrated health care services
INTRODUCTION: Community-integrated care initiatives are increasingly being used for social and health service delivery and show promising outcomes. Nevertheless, it is unclear what structures and underlining causal agents (generative mechanisms) are responsible for explaining how and why they work or not. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Critical realist synthesis, a theory-driven approach to reviewing and synthesising literature based on the critical reali…
Psychosocial Support Programme Improves Adherence and Health Systems Experiences for Adolescents on Antiretroviral Therapy in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
(1) Background: Psychosocial support (PSS) plays a significant role in persistent adherence to and retention in antiretroviral therapy (ART) for adolescents living with the human immunodeficiency virus (ALHIV). This paper qualitatively explores the experiences of ALHIV on ART, who participated in a PSS programme in five public primary healthcare facilities in Mpumalanga Province in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: Data were…
Linkage to HIV Care and Early Retention in Care Rates in the Universal Test-and-Treat Era
HIV linkage, and retention are key weaknesses in South Africa's national antiretroviral therapy (ART) program, with the greatest loss of patients in the HIV treatment pathway occurring before ART initiation. This study investigated linkage-to and early-retention-in-care (LTRIC) rates among adults newly diagnosed with HIV in a high-HIV prevalent rural district. We conducted an observational prospective cohort study to investigate LTRIC rates for a…
Formulating Initial Programme Theories of the Healthy Homes and Neighbourhoods Integrated Care Initiative
The programme theories unveil that integrated care initiatives should foster positive relationships at all levels to ensure favourable consumer outcomes
Understanding for whom, how and why Sydney Local Health District’s integrated response was effective in addressing Covid-19
The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021
Understanding for whom, how and why Sydney Local Health District’s Integrated Response was Effective in Addressing Covid-19
The SLHD's progress towards a 'whole of health' approach, empowered and enabled the district to effectively work within and across sectors to address the pandemic in a people-centred manner. Sustaining the contextual conditions and mechanisms, that facilitated effective integration, will be beneficial beyond the pandemic
Comparing Patients' Experiences in Three Differentiated Service Delivery Models for HIV Treatment in South Africa
Differentiated service delivery for HIV treatment seeks to enhance medication adherence while respecting the preferences of people living with HIV. Nevertheless, patients' experiences of using these differentiated service delivery models or approaches have not been qualitatively compared. Underpinned by the tenets of descriptive phenomenology, we explored and compared the experiences of patients in three differentiated service delivery models usi…
Medicine (34 works) · Qualitative research (26 works) · Sociology (26 works) · Political science (21 works) · Health care (19 works) · Psychology (18 works) · Family medicine (17 works) · Nursing (16 works) · Environmental health (14 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (14 works)