Task Sharing in the Diagnosis, Prevention, and Management of Rheumatic Heart Disease: A Systematic Review

Globally, rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a major contributor to the burden of cardiovascular disease. Major gaps in RHD prevention and treatment have been documented at all levels of health systems in low- and middle-income countries. Task sharing is an approach that could prove effective in remediating bottlenecks in RHD-related care.

This study conducted a systematic review to assess the state of the evidence for the use of task sharing in the diagnosis, prevention, and management of RHD.

Guided by a previously published protocol, we searched various databases using a systematic search strategy including MeSH and free-text terms for (1) group A streptococcus, acute rheumatic fever, and RHD and (2) strategies of task sharing in limited-resource settings. Two investigators independently screened the search outputs, selected the studies, extracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias, resolving discrepancies by discussion and consensus.

The publications search yielded 212 records, of which 18 articles were deemed as potentially eligible for inclusion. None of the studies, however, met with the inclusion criteria.

There is a lack of evidence for the use of task-sharing approaches in scaling up RHD prevention and treatment services in limited-resource settings. Considering the persistent burden of group A streptococcus, acute rheumatic fever, and RHD in low- and middle-income countries, this work highlights the urgent need to develop and test models of RHD-related care utilizing an evidence-based approach to task sharing. [Task Sharing in the Diagnosis, Prevention, and Management of Rheumatic Heart Disease: A Systematic Review; CRD42017072989].