BackgroundThe prevalence of diabetes in West Africa is increasing, posing a major public health threat. An estimated 24 million Africans have diabetes, with rates in West Africa around 2–6% and projected to rise 129% by 2045 according to the WHO. Over 90% of cases are Type 2 diabetes (IDF, World Bank). As diabetes is ambulatory care sensitive, good primary care is crucial to reduce complications and mortality. However, research on factors influencing diabetes primary care access, utilisation and quality in West Africa remains limited despite growing disease burden. While research has emphasised diabetes prevalence and risk factors in West Africa, there remains limited evidence on contextual influences on primary care. This scoping review aims to address these evidence gaps.Methods and analysisUsing the established methodology by Arksey and O’Malley, this scoping review will undergo six stages. The review will adopt the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines to ensure methodological rigour. We will search four electronic databases and search through grey literature sources to thoroughly explore the topic. The identified articles will undergo thorough screening. We will collect data using a standardised data extraction form that covers study characteristics, population demographics, and study methods. The study will identify key themes and sub-themes related to primary healthcare access, utilisation, and quality. We will then analyse and summarise the data using a narrative synthesis approach.ResultsThe findings and conclusive report will be finished and sent to a peer-reviewed publication within six months.ConclusionThis review protocol aims to systematically examine and assess the factors that impact the access, utilisation, and standard of primary healthcare services for diabetes in West Africa.

Mind-body resiliency programs have improved perceived resiliency and stress in healthcare workers but less is known about physiological impacts. This scoping review aims to evaluate current methodologies and physiological outcomes of different mind-body programs in healthcare settings. The initial literature search revealed 19457 studies across seven databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, PsychInfo, and CINAHL) from inception through 8/6/2024. Forty-one studies met the inclusion criteria of peer-reviewed original research studying the effects of mind-body programs (i.e., Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, yoga, meditation, breathwork, biofeedback) on physiological measures (i.e., blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, heart rate variability, sleep) in healthcare workers. Two reviewers independently extracted data from each included study into condensed tables and assessed trends in study design, methodological processes, and physiological outcomes. Conflicts exist in balancing the high cost and validity of clinical apparatuses with more cost effective and user-friendly means of assessing physiological measures within real-world healthcare settings. Most within session investigations found positive impacts of mind-body programs on immediate physiological outcomes, which is expected considering the common theme to induce parasympathetic states. Programs of ≤6 weeks appeared more effective at inducing physiological improvements in healthcare workers currently experiencing high stress or impaired resting physiology. Longer mind-body programs (8–12 weeks) generally improved resting heart rate and blood pressure while having inconsistent effects on heart rate variability. Some investigations identified engagement in more mind-body activities resulted in greater physiological improvements. Discrepancies in findings may pertain to variations in population descriptions, mind-body intervention requirements, and methodology of physiological recordings. Future work should recruit multiple groups with varying stress levels and controls, implement interventions geared towards the time requirements of healthcare workers, and utilize validated physiological recordings at adequate time points throughout and beyond the intervention to determine the trajectory of long-term physiological adaptations.

mo = month, yr = year, N/A = not availableDemography and ownership status of African dogs by the 16 selected peer reviewed papers.