Laston Gonah
Biographic Data
| ID | 7918353 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Laston Gonah |
| GIVEN NAMES | Laston |
| FAMILY NAME | Gonah |
| SIGNATURE | GONAH L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Walter Sisulu University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6070-2176 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 8 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Towards medical pedagogical pragmatism
BACKGROUND: Community-oriented medical education seeks to align medical training with priority community health needs and their lived realities. While longitudinal community-based clerkships are increasingly adopted to promote socially accountable graduates, there is limited qualitative insights into how these experiences can transform students’ understanding of community health needs, particularly in resource-constrained settings. OBJECTIVE: Thi…
Developing a Naïve Bayes risk classification machine learning algorithm to predict high viral load in a low-resource setting
Access to routine viral load (VL) testing for people living with HIV (PLHIV) remains limited in many low-resource settings. There is a need for pragmatic, data-driven tools that can proactively identify individuals at increased risk of virological failure. This study aimed to identify predictors of high viral load among PLHIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and to evaluate the performance of a Naïve Bayes classification algorithm using routinely …
Appraising the HIV prevention cascade methodology to improve HIV prevention targets
Multiple HIV Prevention Cascades (HPC) formulations have been proposed to assist advocacy, monitoring of HIV prevention implementation and research to identify ways to increase use of HIV prevention methods. Schaefer and colleagues proposed a unifying formulation suitable for widespread use across different populations which could be used for routine monitoring or advocacy. Robust methods for defining and interpreting this HPC formulation using r…
Mapping global evidence on compassion fatigue among healthcare workers during Covid-19
Background: Compassion fatigue (CF) is a critical occupational hazard for healthcare workers (HCWs), intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, with implications for well-being, retention, and quality of care. We aimed to map the global evidence on CF prevalence, risk factors, effects, interventions, and research gaps among HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A scoping review of 56 studies from 21 countries (2020-2025) was conducted following …
Association between documented mental health disorders and HIV treatment outcomes among adults receiving antiretroviral therapy in rural Zimbabwe
BACKGROUND: Mental health conditions undermine HIV treatment outcomes, yet evidence from routine care settings in rural Zimbabwe remains limited. AIM: To examine the association between documented mental health disorders and retention in care and viral suppression among adults receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) at a rural hospital in central Zimbabwe. METHODS: This retrospective cohort analysis used routinely collected clinical data to examin…
Essential Medicines Availability, Pricing, and Stock-Outs for Hypertension and Diabetes in Private Retail Pharmacies in Zimbabwe
Background : Access to affordable essential medicines is critical for effective management of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM). In Zimbabwe, frequent stock-outs in public facilities position private pharmacies as important alternative sources of these medicines. Aim: To assess availability, pricing, and stock-out levels of essential HTN and DM medicines in private retail pharmacies in Gweru Urban District, Zimbabwe. Methods: A cross-…
Perceived Determinants of Excellent Self-Rated Health Among HIV Virally Suppressed Adults in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
The goal of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is to achieve viral suppression and improve the quality of life in people living with HIV (PLWH). Targeting the determinants of self-rated health in virally suppressed PLWH could significantly contribute towards sustaining the quality of life and health gains from ART. A qualitative study was conducted to investigate the determinants of excellent self-rated health in PLWH who are virally suppressed in the …
Exploring barriers and associated factors in the preparedness for cholera outbreak response in Public Health Centres of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Cholera remains a significant public health threat in Ethiopia, where recurrent outbreaks disproportionately affect urban populations. Despite the critical role of primary healthcare centers in outbreak response, their level of preparedness (long-term planning, including protocols, training, and resource allocation) and readiness (immediate operational capacity for response) in Addis Ababa is not well understood. An Institutional-based, cross-sec…
The Vuca world and paradoxical dilemma on predicaments of foreign aid withdrawal or adjustment
The already impending volatile, unpredictable, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world, driven in part by shifts and uncertainty in global, political, and financial markets, is becoming increasingly apparent, thereby rationalising the importance of vigilance, preparedness, and resilience by aid stakeholders. The implications this has for global health and security, governance, and development deserve critical consideration in efforts to protect publi…
Factors Associated with Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Adolescents Living with HIV in Eastern Cape Province
Suboptimal ART adherence contributes to treatment failure and is common among adolescents. The study sought to assess factors associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among adolescents living with HIV. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study design with a random sample of 137 records of adolescents aged 10-19 years from four high-volume ART sites (35 records per site). Data was collected using a customized data extraction too…
No prominent works on this page.
Exploring barriers and associated factors in the preparedness for cholera outbreak response in Public Health Centres of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Cholera remains a significant public health threat in Ethiopia, where recurrent outbreaks disproportionately affect urban populations. Despite the critical role of primary healthcare centers in outbreak response, their level of preparedness (long-term planning, including protocols, training, and resource allocation) and readiness (immediate operational capacity for response) in Addis Ababa is not well understood. An Institutional-based, cross-sec…
The Vuca world and paradoxical dilemma on predicaments of foreign aid withdrawal or adjustment
The already impending volatile, unpredictable, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world, driven in part by shifts and uncertainty in global, political, and financial markets, is becoming increasingly apparent, thereby rationalising the importance of vigilance, preparedness, and resilience by aid stakeholders. The implications this has for global health and security, governance, and development deserve critical consideration in efforts to protect publi…
Factors Associated with Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Adolescents Living with HIV in Eastern Cape Province
Suboptimal ART adherence contributes to treatment failure and is common among adolescents. The study sought to assess factors associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among adolescents living with HIV. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study design with a random sample of 137 records of adolescents aged 10-19 years from four high-volume ART sites (35 records per site). Data was collected using a customized data extraction too…
Towards medical pedagogical pragmatism
BACKGROUND: Community-oriented medical education seeks to align medical training with priority community health needs and their lived realities. While longitudinal community-based clerkships are increasingly adopted to promote socially accountable graduates, there is limited qualitative insights into how these experiences can transform students’ understanding of community health needs, particularly in resource-constrained settings. OBJECTIVE: Thi…
Developing a Naïve Bayes risk classification machine learning algorithm to predict high viral load in a low-resource setting
Access to routine viral load (VL) testing for people living with HIV (PLHIV) remains limited in many low-resource settings. There is a need for pragmatic, data-driven tools that can proactively identify individuals at increased risk of virological failure. This study aimed to identify predictors of high viral load among PLHIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and to evaluate the performance of a Naïve Bayes classification algorithm using routinely …
Appraising the HIV prevention cascade methodology to improve HIV prevention targets
Multiple HIV Prevention Cascades (HPC) formulations have been proposed to assist advocacy, monitoring of HIV prevention implementation and research to identify ways to increase use of HIV prevention methods. Schaefer and colleagues proposed a unifying formulation suitable for widespread use across different populations which could be used for routine monitoring or advocacy. Robust methods for defining and interpreting this HPC formulation using r…
Mapping global evidence on compassion fatigue among healthcare workers during Covid-19
Background: Compassion fatigue (CF) is a critical occupational hazard for healthcare workers (HCWs), intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, with implications for well-being, retention, and quality of care. We aimed to map the global evidence on CF prevalence, risk factors, effects, interventions, and research gaps among HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A scoping review of 56 studies from 21 countries (2020-2025) was conducted following …
Association between documented mental health disorders and HIV treatment outcomes among adults receiving antiretroviral therapy in rural Zimbabwe
BACKGROUND: Mental health conditions undermine HIV treatment outcomes, yet evidence from routine care settings in rural Zimbabwe remains limited. AIM: To examine the association between documented mental health disorders and retention in care and viral suppression among adults receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) at a rural hospital in central Zimbabwe. METHODS: This retrospective cohort analysis used routinely collected clinical data to examin…
Essential Medicines Availability, Pricing, and Stock-Outs for Hypertension and Diabetes in Private Retail Pharmacies in Zimbabwe
Background : Access to affordable essential medicines is critical for effective management of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM). In Zimbabwe, frequent stock-outs in public facilities position private pharmacies as important alternative sources of these medicines. Aim: To assess availability, pricing, and stock-out levels of essential HTN and DM medicines in private retail pharmacies in Gweru Urban District, Zimbabwe. Methods: A cross-…
Perceived Determinants of Excellent Self-Rated Health Among HIV Virally Suppressed Adults in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
The goal of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is to achieve viral suppression and improve the quality of life in people living with HIV (PLWH). Targeting the determinants of self-rated health in virally suppressed PLWH could significantly contribute towards sustaining the quality of life and health gains from ART. A qualitative study was conducted to investigate the determinants of excellent self-rated health in PLWH who are virally suppressed in the …
HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (5 works) · Health care (3 works) · Public health (3 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (2 works) · Antiretroviral therapy (2 works) · Focus group (2 works) · HIV Research and Treatment (2 works) · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV (2 works) · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (2 works) · Logistic regression (2 works)