Benjamin Palafox
Biographic Data
| ID | 247112 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Benjamin Palafox |
| GIVEN NAMES | Benjamin |
| FAMILY NAME | Palafox |
| SIGNATURE | PALAFOX B |
| AFFILIATIONS | London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3775-4415 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 17 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
The good, the bad, and the ugly: Compliance of e-pharmacies serving India and Kenya with regulatory requirements and best practices
As with most technology-driven change, e-pharmacy markets have expanded faster than the pace of regulation, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We developed and applied a checklist to assess compliance with best practices and regulations by e-pharmacies serving clients in India and Kenya, two countries with contrasting regulatory environments. We defined e-pharmacies as businesses selling prescription-only medicines directly to cons…
Study on health seeking behaviour and determinants of undiagnosed hypertension in poor households in the Philippines, part of the Respond study (SHARP-Respond)
Hypertension is one of the leading preventable causes of premature death. Although it can be effectively managed with relatively simple interventions, up to 50% of individuals with hypertension in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain undiagnosed. Key factors influencing the health-seeking behaviour of patients with hypertension include household wealth, knowledge about hypertension, perceptions of treatment effectiveness, and access to…
Predictors of unmet needs among people with diabetes mellitus type 2 in Gampaha district of Sri Lanka
Diabetes mellitus is a significant contributor to the disease burden in Sri Lanka. Despite government efforts to improve access to care for those with chronic illness, major gaps remain. We assessed the prevalence and correlates of unmet needs among persons with diabetes mellitus type 2 to inform policies on improving healthcare access in a predominantly tax-funded public healthcare system. A descriptive cross-sectional study identified 401 perso…
Comparing estimates of household expenditures between pictorial diaries and surveys in three low- and middle-income countries
In most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), household out-of-pocket (OOP) health spending constitutes a major source of healthcare financing. Household surveys are commonly used to monitor OOP health spending, but are prone to recall bias and unable to capture seasonal variation, and may underestimate expenditure–particularly among households with long-term chronic health conditions. Household expenditure diaries have been developed as an a…
Strong structuration analysis of patterns of adherence to hypertension medication
Achieving blood pressure control is among the highest priorities for reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases globally. Control is poor in the Philippines, especially in socioeconomically marginalised communities. This paper explores long-term adherence to anti-hypertensive medication in these communities, identifying 4 distinct medication adherence patterns. We draw on Strong Structuration Theory to explore motivations of action for those …
Factors associated with the availability and affordability of essential cardiovascular disease medicines in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
Despite their potential to prevent or delay the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD), medicines for CVD remain unavailable and unaffordable to many in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We systematically reviewed the literature to identify factors associated with availability and affordability of CVD medicines in LMICs. A protocol for this study was registered on the PROSPERO register of systematic reviews (CRD42019135393)…
(De)constructing 'therapeutic itineraries' of hypertension care: A qualitative study in the Philippines
Hypertension, a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases, remains poorly controlled in many countries. In the Philippines, it is still one of the leading causes of preventable deaths despite the accessibility and availability of essential technologies and medicine to detect and treat hypertension. This paper characterizes the 'therapeutic itineraries' of people with hypertension from poor communities in rural and urban settings in the Phil…
Participant Use of Digital Diaries in Qualitative Research: A Strong Structuration Analysis
Lived experiences of chronic conditions are marked by fluidity and change, which should be considered if care is to be truly patient-centered. Seeking to capture this fluidity, we used digital diaries via mobile phones to communicate with hypertensive patients in the Philippines over approximately 12 months. This paper draws on Strong Structuration Theory to conceptualize the complex array of factors shaping participants' usage (and non-usage) of…
Doing' hypertension: Experiential knowledge and practice in the self-management of 'high blood' in the Philippines
Patients' embodied experiences do not always correspond to the biomedical concepts of particular diseases. Drawing from year-long fieldwork in the Philippines that involved semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and digital diaries, we examine how individuals 'do' hypertension through their embodied experiences and the knowledge and practice that emerge from them. Drawing inspiration from Annemarie Mol's work on the notion of 'multip…
Strengths and Weaknesses of Digital Diaries as a Means to Study Patient Pathways: Experiences With a Study of Hypertension in the Philippines
The rise of digital mobile communications has made possible novel research methods that can provide a better understanding of patients' experience of non-communicable diseases. This study explores the opportunities and challenges in employing 'digital diaries' via mobile phones to track the lived experiences of people with hypertension in the Philippines. Following in-depth interviews, 40 hypertensive adults were invited to submit digital diaries…
Enhancing the use of stakeholder analysis for policy implementation research: Towards a novel framing and operationalised measures
BACKGROUND: Policy is shaped and influenced by a diverse set of stakeholders at the global, national and local levels. While stakeholder analysis is a recognised practical tool to assess the positions and engagement of actors relevant to policy, few empirical studies provide details of how complex concepts such as power, interest and position are operationalised and assessed in these types of analyses. This study aims to address this gap by revie…
Systematic review of frameworks used to conceptualise health pathways of individuals diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases
The treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is managed inadequately globally. Theoretically informed frameworks have the potential to account for the multiple elements which constitute the CVD patient pathway, and capture their inter-relationships and processes of change. However, a review and critique of such frameworks is currently lacking. This systematic review aims to identify and critically assess frameworks of access to and utilisation o…
Nasa dugo (‘It’s in the blood’): Lay conceptions of hypertension in the Philippines
INTRODUCTION: Understanding explanatory models is important for hypertension, a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke. This article aims to determine what adult patients with hypertension in the Philippines attribute their condition to, how these views might be explained and what the implications are for hypertension management. METHODS: This is a qualitative study drawing on 71 semistructured interviews (40 initial and 31 fol…
The household economic burden of non-communicable diseases in 18 countries
Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally. In 2014, the United Nations committed to reducing premature mortality from NCDs, including by reducing the burden of healthcare costs. Since 2014, the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) Study has been collecting health expenditure data from households with NCDs in 18 countries. Methods: Using data from the PURE Study, we estimated risk of catastroph…
Malaria, medicines and miles: A novel approach to measuring access to treatment from a household perspective
Nearly a decade after the adoption of confirmed diagnosis and artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria, a large treatment gap persists. We describe a novel approach of combining data from households and the universe of treatment sources in their vicinities to produce nationally representative indicators of physical and financial access to malaria care from the household's perspective in Benin, Ni…
Wealth and cardiovascular health: A cross-sectional study of wealth-related inequalities in the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in high-, middle- and low-income countries
Inequality in hypertension management outcomes decreased as countries became richer, but the considerable variation in patterns of wealth-related inequality - even among countries at similar levels of economic development - underscores the importance of health systems in improving hypertension management for all. These findings show that some, but not all, countries, including those with limited resources, have been able to achieve more equitable…
Prices and mark-ups on antimalarials: Evidence from nationally representative studies in six malaria-endemic countries
The private for-profit sector is an important source of treatment for malaria. However, private patients face high prices for the recommended treatment for uncomplicated malaria, artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs), which makes them more likely to receive cheaper, less effective non-artemisinin therapies (nATs). This study seeks to better understand consumer antimalarial prices by documenting and exploring the pricing behaviour of retailers …
Good Health at Low Cost 25 years on: Lessons for the future of health systems strengthening
Strengths and Weaknesses of Digital Diaries as a Means to Study Patient Pathways: Experiences With a Study of Hypertension in the Philippines
The rise of digital mobile communications has made possible novel research methods that can provide a better understanding of patients' experience of non-communicable diseases. This study explores the opportunities and challenges in employing 'digital diaries' via mobile phones to track the lived experiences of people with hypertension in the Philippines. Following in-depth interviews, 40 hypertensive adults were invited to submit digital diaries…
(De)constructing 'therapeutic itineraries' of hypertension care: A qualitative study in the Philippines
Hypertension, a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases, remains poorly controlled in many countries. In the Philippines, it is still one of the leading causes of preventable deaths despite the accessibility and availability of essential technologies and medicine to detect and treat hypertension. This paper characterizes the 'therapeutic itineraries' of people with hypertension from poor communities in rural and urban settings in the Phil…
Participant Use of Digital Diaries in Qualitative Research: A Strong Structuration Analysis
Lived experiences of chronic conditions are marked by fluidity and change, which should be considered if care is to be truly patient-centered. Seeking to capture this fluidity, we used digital diaries via mobile phones to communicate with hypertensive patients in the Philippines over approximately 12 months. This paper draws on Strong Structuration Theory to conceptualize the complex array of factors shaping participants' usage (and non-usage) of…
Doing' hypertension: Experiential knowledge and practice in the self-management of 'high blood' in the Philippines
Patients' embodied experiences do not always correspond to the biomedical concepts of particular diseases. Drawing from year-long fieldwork in the Philippines that involved semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and digital diaries, we examine how individuals 'do' hypertension through their embodied experiences and the knowledge and practice that emerge from them. Drawing inspiration from Annemarie Mol's work on the notion of 'multip…
Prices and mark-ups on antimalarials: Evidence from nationally representative studies in six malaria-endemic countries
The private for-profit sector is an important source of treatment for malaria. However, private patients face high prices for the recommended treatment for uncomplicated malaria, artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs), which makes them more likely to receive cheaper, less effective non-artemisinin therapies (nATs). This study seeks to better understand consumer antimalarial prices by documenting and exploring the pricing behaviour of retailers …
Good Health at Low Cost 25 years on: Lessons for the future of health systems strengthening
Wealth and cardiovascular health: A cross-sectional study of wealth-related inequalities in the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in high-, middle- and low-income countries
Inequality in hypertension management outcomes decreased as countries became richer, but the considerable variation in patterns of wealth-related inequality - even among countries at similar levels of economic development - underscores the importance of health systems in improving hypertension management for all. These findings show that some, but not all, countries, including those with limited resources, have been able to achieve more equitable…
Prices and mark-ups on antimalarials: Evidence from nationally representative studies in six malaria-endemic countries
The private for-profit sector is an important source of treatment for malaria. However, private patients face high prices for the recommended treatment for uncomplicated malaria, artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs), which makes them more likely to receive cheaper, less effective non-artemisinin therapies (nATs). This study seeks to better understand consumer antimalarial prices by documenting and exploring the pricing behaviour of retailers …
Malaria, medicines and miles: A novel approach to measuring access to treatment from a household perspective
Nearly a decade after the adoption of confirmed diagnosis and artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria, a large treatment gap persists. We describe a novel approach of combining data from households and the universe of treatment sources in their vicinities to produce nationally representative indicators of physical and financial access to malaria care from the household's perspective in Benin, Ni…
Enhancing the use of stakeholder analysis for policy implementation research: Towards a novel framing and operationalised measures
BACKGROUND: Policy is shaped and influenced by a diverse set of stakeholders at the global, national and local levels. While stakeholder analysis is a recognised practical tool to assess the positions and engagement of actors relevant to policy, few empirical studies provide details of how complex concepts such as power, interest and position are operationalised and assessed in these types of analyses. This study aims to address this gap by revie…
Systematic review of frameworks used to conceptualise health pathways of individuals diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases
The treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is managed inadequately globally. Theoretically informed frameworks have the potential to account for the multiple elements which constitute the CVD patient pathway, and capture their inter-relationships and processes of change. However, a review and critique of such frameworks is currently lacking. This systematic review aims to identify and critically assess frameworks of access to and utilisation o…
Nasa dugo (‘It’s in the blood’): Lay conceptions of hypertension in the Philippines
INTRODUCTION: Understanding explanatory models is important for hypertension, a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke. This article aims to determine what adult patients with hypertension in the Philippines attribute their condition to, how these views might be explained and what the implications are for hypertension management. METHODS: This is a qualitative study drawing on 71 semistructured interviews (40 initial and 31 fol…
The household economic burden of non-communicable diseases in 18 countries
Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally. In 2014, the United Nations committed to reducing premature mortality from NCDs, including by reducing the burden of healthcare costs. Since 2014, the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) Study has been collecting health expenditure data from households with NCDs in 18 countries. Methods: Using data from the PURE Study, we estimated risk of catastroph…
Strengths and Weaknesses of Digital Diaries as a Means to Study Patient Pathways: Experiences With a Study of Hypertension in the Philippines
The rise of digital mobile communications has made possible novel research methods that can provide a better understanding of patients' experience of non-communicable diseases. This study explores the opportunities and challenges in employing 'digital diaries' via mobile phones to track the lived experiences of people with hypertension in the Philippines. Following in-depth interviews, 40 hypertensive adults were invited to submit digital diaries…
Strong structuration analysis of patterns of adherence to hypertension medication
Achieving blood pressure control is among the highest priorities for reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases globally. Control is poor in the Philippines, especially in socioeconomically marginalised communities. This paper explores long-term adherence to anti-hypertensive medication in these communities, identifying 4 distinct medication adherence patterns. We draw on Strong Structuration Theory to explore motivations of action for those …
Factors associated with the availability and affordability of essential cardiovascular disease medicines in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
Despite their potential to prevent or delay the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD), medicines for CVD remain unavailable and unaffordable to many in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We systematically reviewed the literature to identify factors associated with availability and affordability of CVD medicines in LMICs. A protocol for this study was registered on the PROSPERO register of systematic reviews (CRD42019135393)…
(De)constructing 'therapeutic itineraries' of hypertension care: A qualitative study in the Philippines
Hypertension, a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases, remains poorly controlled in many countries. In the Philippines, it is still one of the leading causes of preventable deaths despite the accessibility and availability of essential technologies and medicine to detect and treat hypertension. This paper characterizes the 'therapeutic itineraries' of people with hypertension from poor communities in rural and urban settings in the Phil…
Participant Use of Digital Diaries in Qualitative Research: A Strong Structuration Analysis
Lived experiences of chronic conditions are marked by fluidity and change, which should be considered if care is to be truly patient-centered. Seeking to capture this fluidity, we used digital diaries via mobile phones to communicate with hypertensive patients in the Philippines over approximately 12 months. This paper draws on Strong Structuration Theory to conceptualize the complex array of factors shaping participants' usage (and non-usage) of…
Doing' hypertension: Experiential knowledge and practice in the self-management of 'high blood' in the Philippines
Patients' embodied experiences do not always correspond to the biomedical concepts of particular diseases. Drawing from year-long fieldwork in the Philippines that involved semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and digital diaries, we examine how individuals 'do' hypertension through their embodied experiences and the knowledge and practice that emerge from them. Drawing inspiration from Annemarie Mol's work on the notion of 'multip…
Comparing estimates of household expenditures between pictorial diaries and surveys in three low- and middle-income countries
In most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), household out-of-pocket (OOP) health spending constitutes a major source of healthcare financing. Household surveys are commonly used to monitor OOP health spending, but are prone to recall bias and unable to capture seasonal variation, and may underestimate expenditure–particularly among households with long-term chronic health conditions. Household expenditure diaries have been developed as an a…
Predictors of unmet needs among people with diabetes mellitus type 2 in Gampaha district of Sri Lanka
Diabetes mellitus is a significant contributor to the disease burden in Sri Lanka. Despite government efforts to improve access to care for those with chronic illness, major gaps remain. We assessed the prevalence and correlates of unmet needs among persons with diabetes mellitus type 2 to inform policies on improving healthcare access in a predominantly tax-funded public healthcare system. A descriptive cross-sectional study identified 401 perso…
The good, the bad, and the ugly: Compliance of e-pharmacies serving India and Kenya with regulatory requirements and best practices
As with most technology-driven change, e-pharmacy markets have expanded faster than the pace of regulation, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We developed and applied a checklist to assess compliance with best practices and regulations by e-pharmacies serving clients in India and Kenya, two countries with contrasting regulatory environments. We defined e-pharmacies as businesses selling prescription-only medicines directly to cons…
Study on health seeking behaviour and determinants of undiagnosed hypertension in poor households in the Philippines, part of the Respond study (SHARP-Respond)
Hypertension is one of the leading preventable causes of premature death. Although it can be effectively managed with relatively simple interventions, up to 50% of individuals with hypertension in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain undiagnosed. Key factors influencing the health-seeking behaviour of patients with hypertension include household wealth, knowledge about hypertension, perceptions of treatment effectiveness, and access to…
Medicine (15 works) · Economic growth (6 works) · Economics (6 works) · Environmental health (6 works) · Psychology (6 works) · Political science (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Blood Pressure and Hypertension Studies (4 works) · Developing country (4 works) · Geography (4 works)