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Review
. 2024 Aug 17:17:4023-4041.
doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S476012. eCollection 2024.

The State of Stroke Research in Malawi: Results from a Mapping Review Study

Memory Lucy Mtambo  1   2 , Didjier Danger Masangwi  3 , Alpha Omega Soko  4 , Thom Kaledzera  5 , Fanuel Meckson Bickton  5   6 , Mep Coretta Chipeta  7
Affiliations
Review

The State of Stroke Research in Malawi: Results from a Mapping Review Study

Memory Lucy Mtambo et al. J Multidiscip Healthc. .

Abstract

Introduction: 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.

Aim: This mapping study aimed to synthesize the current state of stroke research in Malawi.

Methods: Six databases were thoroughly searched: CINAHL complete, Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE, Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed, and Google Scholar.

Results: 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.

Conclusion: 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.

Keywords: corroboration; distribution; methods; output.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the identification, screening, and selection process of the included articles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Line graph indicating the trend in published articles online since the first paper was published in 2005.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A map of Malawi indicating the districts in which participants in the included studies were actively recruited from.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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