Mtambo Memory Lucy, Masangwi Didjier Danger, Soko Alpha Omega, Kaledzera Thom, Bickton Fanuel Meckson, Chipeta Mep Coretta
Department of Clinical Sciences, Malawi University of Science and Technology, Blantyre, Malawi.
Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia.
J Multidiscip Healthc. 2024 Aug 17;17:4023-4041. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S476012. eCollection 2024.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability globally, and low-income countries such as Malawi bear a heavy burden. Tailored, high-quality research is essential for bridging existing gaps and improving the healthcare provided in low-resource settings while maximizing available resources.
This mapping study aimed to synthesize the current state of stroke research in Malawi.
Six databases were thoroughly searched: CINAHL complete, Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE, Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed, and Google Scholar.
The search retrieved 598 references and identified 20 studies published between 2005 and 2023. Of these, 70% were conducted at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital only; open-access journals published 95% of the studies. Cross-sectional studies were the most common (50%), followed by case-control studies (20%). The Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Program authors contributed the most articles as main authors (25%). The number of citations per article ranged from 0 to 168 on Google Scholar, and the number of authors per article ranged from 1 to 15. Authors from thirty-five different institutions from 11 other countries partnered with Malawi on stroke articles, and England contributed 45.7% of the institutions. Most articles focused on pathophysiology (30%), followed by diagnosis (20%) and stroke management (15%). The highest number of participants included in the analysis was 739 and the highest number of stroke participants was 222. The identified challenges included the need for more infrastructure and under-utilization of available services. The Wellcome Trust has emerged as the primary funding agency for stroke research in Malawi.
The study found limited collaboration among local institutions in Malawi, with most research focused in Blantyre District. There is a critical need for increased interdisciplinary teamwork to boost nationwide research.
中风是全球主要的死亡和残疾原因之一，马拉维等低收入国家负担沉重。开展针对性强、高质量的研究对于弥合现有差距、改善资源匮乏地区的医疗服务并最大限度利用现有资源至关重要。
本图谱研究旨在综合马拉维中风研究的现状。
全面检索了六个数据库：CINAHL Complete、Ovid MEDLINE和EMBASE、Web of Science核心合集、PubMed以及谷歌学术。
检索共获得598条参考文献，确定了2005年至2023年间发表的20项研究。其中，70%仅在伊丽莎白女王中央医院开展；95%的研究发表于开放获取期刊。横断面研究最为常见（50%），其次是病例对照研究（20%）。马拉维-利物浦-惠康信托临床研究项目的作者作为主要作者贡献的文章最多（25%）。谷歌学术上每篇文章的被引次数在0至168次之间，每篇文章的作者数量在1至15人之间。来自其他11个国家35个不同机构的作者与马拉维合作撰写中风相关文章，英国的机构占45.7%。大多数文章聚焦于病理生理学（30%），其次是诊断（20%）和中风管理（15%）。分析纳入的参与者最多为739人，中风参与者最多为222人。已确定的挑战包括需要更多基础设施以及现有服务利用不足。惠康信托已成为马拉维中风研究的主要资助机构。
该研究发现马拉维当地机构间的合作有限，大多数研究集中在布兰太尔区。迫切需要加强跨学科团队合作以推动全国性研究。
