Richard Lessells
Biographic Data
| ID | 6728540 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Richard Lessells |
| GIVEN NAMES | Richard |
| FAMILY NAME | Lessells |
| SIGNATURE | LESSELLS R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of KwaZulu-Natal |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0926-710X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 9 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Evaluating the acceptability, feasibility, and implementation fidelity of a multipurpose mobile health (mHealth) app used for Tuberculosis (TB) contact tracing by Ward-Based Outreach Teams (WBOTs) in …
Mobile health (mHealth) technologies are increasingly used to support community-based healthcare. However, their real-world impact often remains unclear. Understanding implementation factors is essential for advancing their use and achieving meaningful health outcomes. We evaluated an mHealth tool (AitaHealth) after customising its modules and workflows for household Tuberculosis (TB) contact tracing and other community-based data collection by c…
Feasibility and acceptability of unconditional cash transfers intervention among unemployed young adults with first-episode psychosis in South Africa
There is a lack of high-quality evidence on cash transfers as an intervention to support young people with first-episode psychosis (FEP) in Africa. To address this gap, we conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a 3-month follow-up period to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an unconditional cash transfer (UCT) intervention among FEP. We enrolled 60 unemployed young adults (18–29 years) with FEP from three public hospit…
Impact of increasing CD4 count threshold eligibility for antiretroviral therapy initiation on advanced HIV disease and tuberculosis prevalence and incidence in South Africa
INTRODUCTION: We investigated the impact of increasing CD4 count eligibility for antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation on advanced HIV disease (AHD) and tuberculosis (TB) prevalence and incidence among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in South Africa. METHODS: We conducted an interrupted time series analysis with de-identified data of PLHIV aged ≥15 years initiating ART between April 2012 and February 2020 at 65 primary healthcare clinics in KwaZ…
Geospatial and temporal mapping of detectable HIV-1 viral loads amid dolutegravir rollout in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
South Africa rolled out dolutegravir (DTG) as first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in December 2019 to overcome high rates of pretreatment non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor drug resistance. In the context of transition to DTG-based ART, this study spatiotemporally analysed detectable HIV viral loads (VLs) prior to- and following DTG rollout in public-sector healthcare facilities in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, the epicentre of th…
Genomic epidemiology of Sars-CoV-2 during the first four waves in Mozambique
Mozambique reported the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in March 2020 and it has since spread to all provinces in the country. To investigate the introductions and spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Mozambique, 1 142 whole genome sequences sampled within Mozambique were phylogenetically analyzed against a globally representative set, reflecting the first 25 months of the epidemic. The epidemic in the country was marked by four waves of inf…
A qualitative exploration into the presence of TB stigmatization across three districts in South Africa
TB stigma contributes to suboptimal case finding and care at the community level in South Africa. Interventions to combat stigma, such as community and individual education campaigns on TB treatment and transmission as well as the training of health care workers on stigma and stigmatization are needed to prevent discrimination and protect patient confidentiality
Using the Emanuel Framework to Explore the Ethical Issues Raised in a Participatory Visual Research Project in Rural South Africa
Participatory visual research can offer critical insight into the experiences of those most affected by health issues. As these methods are increasingly used to research sensitive topics, there is a need for a clear ethical framework to guide best practice on the part of researchers and research ethics committees. Here we reflect on a project where we used digital storytelling as a participatory visual methodology to explore HIV treatment adheren…
Lockdown measures in response to Covid-19 in nine sub-Saharan African countries
Lockdown measures have been introduced worldwide to contain the transmission of COVID-19. However, the term ‘lockdown’ is not well-defined. Indeed, WHO’s reference to ‘so-called lockdown measures’ indicates the absence of a clear and universally accepted definition of the term ‘lockdown’. We propose a definition of ‘lockdown’ based on a two-by-two matrix that categorises different communicable disease measures based on whether they are compulsory…
Community engagement with HIV drug adherence in rural South Africa
Digital storytelling (DST) is an emerging participatory visual method which combines storytelling traditions with computer and video production technology. In this project, at the heart of the HIV epidemic in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, we used DST to create a culturally grounded community engagement intervention. Our aim was to use narratives of people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) to stimulate dialogue among the wider communi…
Community engagement with HIV drug adherence in rural South Africa
Digital storytelling (DST) is an emerging participatory visual method which combines storytelling traditions with computer and video production technology. In this project, at the heart of the HIV epidemic in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, we used DST to create a culturally grounded community engagement intervention. Our aim was to use narratives of people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) to stimulate dialogue among the wider communi…
Community engagement with HIV drug adherence in rural South Africa
Digital storytelling (DST) is an emerging participatory visual method which combines storytelling traditions with computer and video production technology. In this project, at the heart of the HIV epidemic in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, we used DST to create a culturally grounded community engagement intervention. Our aim was to use narratives of people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) to stimulate dialogue among the wider communi…
Lockdown measures in response to Covid-19 in nine sub-Saharan African countries
Lockdown measures have been introduced worldwide to contain the transmission of COVID-19. However, the term ‘lockdown’ is not well-defined. Indeed, WHO’s reference to ‘so-called lockdown measures’ indicates the absence of a clear and universally accepted definition of the term ‘lockdown’. We propose a definition of ‘lockdown’ based on a two-by-two matrix that categorises different communicable disease measures based on whether they are compulsory…
Using the Emanuel Framework to Explore the Ethical Issues Raised in a Participatory Visual Research Project in Rural South Africa
Participatory visual research can offer critical insight into the experiences of those most affected by health issues. As these methods are increasingly used to research sensitive topics, there is a need for a clear ethical framework to guide best practice on the part of researchers and research ethics committees. Here we reflect on a project where we used digital storytelling as a participatory visual methodology to explore HIV treatment adheren…
Genomic epidemiology of Sars-CoV-2 during the first four waves in Mozambique
Mozambique reported the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in March 2020 and it has since spread to all provinces in the country. To investigate the introductions and spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Mozambique, 1 142 whole genome sequences sampled within Mozambique were phylogenetically analyzed against a globally representative set, reflecting the first 25 months of the epidemic. The epidemic in the country was marked by four waves of inf…
A qualitative exploration into the presence of TB stigmatization across three districts in South Africa
TB stigma contributes to suboptimal case finding and care at the community level in South Africa. Interventions to combat stigma, such as community and individual education campaigns on TB treatment and transmission as well as the training of health care workers on stigma and stigmatization are needed to prevent discrimination and protect patient confidentiality
Geospatial and temporal mapping of detectable HIV-1 viral loads amid dolutegravir rollout in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
South Africa rolled out dolutegravir (DTG) as first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in December 2019 to overcome high rates of pretreatment non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor drug resistance. In the context of transition to DTG-based ART, this study spatiotemporally analysed detectable HIV viral loads (VLs) prior to- and following DTG rollout in public-sector healthcare facilities in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, the epicentre of th…
Impact of increasing CD4 count threshold eligibility for antiretroviral therapy initiation on advanced HIV disease and tuberculosis prevalence and incidence in South Africa
INTRODUCTION: We investigated the impact of increasing CD4 count eligibility for antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation on advanced HIV disease (AHD) and tuberculosis (TB) prevalence and incidence among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in South Africa. METHODS: We conducted an interrupted time series analysis with de-identified data of PLHIV aged ≥15 years initiating ART between April 2012 and February 2020 at 65 primary healthcare clinics in KwaZ…
Evaluating the acceptability, feasibility, and implementation fidelity of a multipurpose mobile health (mHealth) app used for Tuberculosis (TB) contact tracing by Ward-Based Outreach Teams (WBOTs) in …
Mobile health (mHealth) technologies are increasingly used to support community-based healthcare. However, their real-world impact often remains unclear. Understanding implementation factors is essential for advancing their use and achieving meaningful health outcomes. We evaluated an mHealth tool (AitaHealth) after customising its modules and workflows for household Tuberculosis (TB) contact tracing and other community-based data collection by c…
Feasibility and acceptability of unconditional cash transfers intervention among unemployed young adults with first-episode psychosis in South Africa
There is a lack of high-quality evidence on cash transfers as an intervention to support young people with first-episode psychosis (FEP) in Africa. To address this gap, we conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a 3-month follow-up period to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an unconditional cash transfer (UCT) intervention among FEP. We enrolled 60 unemployed young adults (18–29 years) with FEP from three public hospit…
Medicine (6 works) · Demography (3 works) · Geography (3 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (3 works) · Antiretroviral therapy (2 works) · Citizen journalism (2 works) · Confidence interval (2 works) · Digital Storytelling and Education (2 works) · Disease (2 works) · Environmental health (2 works)