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Background: Clinical laboratories are vital in healthcare, influencing medical decisions. As the field moves toward precision medicine and digital tools, laboratories must innovate with automation and data analytics to provide accurate, timely insights for diagnosis and treatment. Future success depends on investing in technology, training, and system integration. This study assessed Rwandan clinical referral laboratory’s readiness to adopt innovative technologies, gathering views from physicians and clinical laboratory professionals, and highlighted challenges and key factors impacting their adoption in meeting healthcare expectations.

Methods: A qualitative design was used, collecting data from three sources: (1) observations, (2) key informant interviews (KIIs) with laboratory professionals, and (3) a survey of physicians on laboratory services. Data from the three sources were initially coded separately and merged to generate subthemes using an inductive reflexive thematic approach (Braun & Clarke). Subthemes across datasets were aligned and refined into two final themes.

Results: Two themes were generated: (1) Repackaging and reshaping laboratories for quality and future readiness. In this theme key challenges described to affect laboratory services in Rwanda included inadequate infrastructure, shortages of specialised personnel, and difficulties in retention of staff. (2) Reflecting and addressing healthcare expectations. In this theme participants described key challenges to include interruption of services due to stock-outs, equipment breakdown, delays in test results, and the unavailability of certain diagnostic tests. These obstacles hinder the readiness of laboratories to adopt advanced technologies and meet healthcare expectations.

Conclusion: To optimize clinical laboratory services in Rwanda, key areas such as infrastructure, specialised professionals, equipment maintenance, and supply chain management need to be strengthened. Insights from multidisciplinary workforce that include laboratory specialists are essential to reshape services, enabling effective integration of advanced technologies and meeting evolving healthcare demands.

Background: Women with disabilities face heightened vulnerability to domestic violence and often encounter multiple barriers to seeking help. However, empirical evidence on help-seeking behaviour among this group in low-resource settings remains limited.

Objective: The study assessed factors associated with help-seeking among women with disabilities following exposure to domestic violence in Uganda using nationally representative data.

Methods: We analysed data from 2006, 2011, and 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Surveys. Disability status was determined using Washington Group Short Set of Questions on functional difficulties. The sample comprised women with disabilities aged 15–49 who reported experiencing domestic violence. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models estimated associations between socio-demographic characteristics and help-seeking, accounting for sampling weights, clustering, and stratification.

Results: Help-seeking among women with disabilities remained low over time. In 2016, only about two in five women (43%) who experienced domestic violence reported seeking help. Employment and age were strongly associated with help-seeking. Employed women with disabilities were six times more likely to seek help than their unemployed peers (AOR = 6.68; 95% CI: 1.53–29.23). Younger women were less likely to seek help than older women. No significant associations were observed for education, wealth, or place of residence.

Conclusions: Employment and older age emerged as important enablers of help-seeking among women with disabilities who are experiencing domestic violence. Strengthening and implementing age-appropriate and inclusive labour policies that promote economic participation and awareness of support services for women with disabilities may enhance their access to domestic violence services in Uganda and similar low-resource settings.

In 2007, Ecuador ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities and introduced a national social programme to improve access and quality of life for people with disabilities. This study assessed disability prevalence and socioeconomic inequalities in three social protection outcomes: household visits, benefits received during visits, and official disability accreditation. A cross-sectional study analysed data from the 2014 national population-based survey, which showed a 3.84% disability prevalence. Overall, 37% of respondents reported at least one household visit among them, 77% received a benefit and 60% had official accreditation. Marked socioeconomic disparities expressed in absolute differences were observed. Visits were less frequent among individuals without formal education (AD: −30.41; 95% CI: −37.15, −14.09) and those in the poorest households (AD: −17.74; 95% CI: −23.01, −12.48). Participants with primary education were less likely to receive benefits (AD: −19.51; 95% CI: −32.83, −6.19), while Afro-Ecuadorian (AD: 20.07; 95% CI: 4.20, 35.95) and Indigenous individuals (AD: 19.61; 95% CI: 6.99, 32.24) were more likely to receive them. Conversely, those with basic education (AD: 21.38; 95% CI: 13.53, 29.23) were more often accredited than those with higher education. Although the programme has reached many individuals, access remains unequal.

Intimate partner violence is a pervasive injustice that affects one in three women globally. Women experiencing intimate partner violence require immediate, compassionate and nonjudgemental support, not only to prevent negative outcomes and aid in recovery but also to encourage functionality and resilience. However, maintaining equitable relationships during the support-seeking process poses challenges. Formal support can either validate or contribute to re-victimisation, thereby influencing the rectification or reinforcement of injustices. This article explores the experiences of women with disabilities seeking formal support relating to intimate partner violence, utilising an epistemic injustice lens. The focus is on formal support in Sweden, delivered by professionals in healthcare, social services, the police, women's shelters, and the Centre against Violence (centrum mot v & aring;ld). Employing reflexive thematic analysis guided by epistemic injustice as a theoretical framework, the results reveal instances of epistemic injustice. Participants expressed feelings of marginalisation, unheard voices, mistrust and misunderstanding within a formal support system they described as unintelligible and fragmented. Continuous scrutiny of the support-seeking process, coupled with improvements in the capacity of support providers and a re-evaluation of guidelines and procedures, becomes essential to promote inclusivity for women with disabilities, thereby contributing to the achieving of epistemic justice.

Introduction: Young women with disabilities (WWDs) face multiple barriers in accessing maternal healthcare services in low-resource settings. Consequently, they are at an increased risk of adverse maternal health outcomes due to young age and having a disability. This review focuses on synthesising evidence regarding the extent of access to maternal healthcare services and the barriers faced by young WWDs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods and analysis: We will conduct a scoping review guided by the updated Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science Core Collection, Global Health, African Journal Online and Women’s Studies International will be performed to identify relevant articles published in English from 2007 to 2025. A team of two reviewers will independently screen the retrieved articles for relevancy based on the inclusion criteria, and a thematic synthesis will be undertaken to develop a descriptive analysis.

Ethics and dissemination: Since this review will only involve the analysis of published data, it does not require ethical approval. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Registration: This review has been registered with the Open Science Framework DOI; https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Q7Y8S.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global issue, with women, especially those with disabilities, facing a higher lifetime risk than those without disabilities. Given the elevated risk factors and challenges related to having a disability, it is crucial to provide effective IPV support. The competence and expertise of service providers regarding IPV significantly influence their ability to provide adequate IPV support. Understanding service providers' self-perceived competence is essential for improving the quality of IPV support for women with disabilities.

Objective: This study assesses the self-perceived competence of service providers in supporting women with disabilities subjected to IPV in Sweden.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to professionals in healthcare, social services, and the police, and 1,151 people participated. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analyses were performed to assess the factors influencing service providers' self-perceived competence.

Results: The findings indicate that healthcare, police, and social services professionals often encounter women with disabilities, but they rarely ask them directly about IPV. Many don't routinely inquire about IPV exposure. While institutional routines for addressing IPV exist, service providers don't consistently implement or use them. Key factors influencing self-perceived competence include receiving IPV and disability-specific training and sufficient employer support for addressing IPV among women with disabilities.

Conclusions: The findings underscore the need for a more consistent application of routines and enhanced training to strengthen the capacity of service providers to support women with disabilities subjected to IPV.

Women with disabilities are at increased risk of intimate partner violence (IPV), yet their experiences of using IPV services are rarely studied. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 11 women with disabilities. Three themes were identified: "violence and disability—the continuums of stigma" describing the forms of stigma that women experienced that impacted the use of IPV services; "the dual nature of social relationships" summarizing aspects of interpersonal relations that influenced the use of services; and "to fall between the cracks" detailing institutional gaps that led to hesitation in using IPV services. These findings point at a need for increased effort to reduce stigma, capacity strengthening on disability-related issues and targeted resources to improve access to IPV services among women with disabilities.

Previous studies indicate that the use of disability benefits is associated with reduced chances of having children. The current study aimed to identify the bidirectional nature of this association which has been overlooked in previous research. The longitudinal data used in this study were obtained from the Swedish national registers. It consists of 440,200 individuals born from 1968 to 1970 with a follow-up period extending up to 2010. Descriptive analysis, heat map visualization, and multinomial logistic regression were performed. The results show a complex and dynamic association between disability and parenthood. Starting on disability benefits at the age of 20–25 years was associated with a reduced chance of having children during the follow-up duration (≤42 years). Interestingly, another pattern was also revealed, and individuals who had their first child as teenagers (aged 13–19 years) were at higher odds of starting to receive disability benefits during their 30s and 40s compared to the rest of the study population. This is the first study to show evidence of a bidirectional nature of the association between age at starting to use disability benefits and the age of having a first child. Our findings demonstrate the potential of using heatmaps and multinomial regression on time-to-event data to examine bidirectional relationships between various factors investigated across several disciplines.

Background: There is a consensus among scholars, policymakers, and implementers that addressing the complex nature of intimate partner violence (IPV) requires a collaborative response. However, there is limited literature on how various professionals work collaboratively to address the needs of women with disabilities who experience IPV. This study combines the perspectives of women with disabilities and those of professionals to understand collaboration in providing IPV services to women with disabilities.

Methods: Twenty-nine in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 IPV service providers and 11 women with disabilities. The data were analyzed using reflective thematic analysis.

Results: The findings are presented under three themes: the first shows a consensus among different IPV service providers and disabled women on the importance of collaboration when supporting victims of IPV with disabilities; the second depicts the common ways in which collaboration occurs when supporting women with disabilities; and the third illuminates the critical elements that boost effective collaboration.

Conclusion: Supporting IPV victims with disabilities requires active collaboration at both an internal and external level. Strengthening collaboration among different actors requires trust, specified roles, and the allocation of adequate resources.

This study explored the experiences and perceptions of professional service providers offering services to women with disabilities exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV). Eighteen in-depth interviews were conducted with service providers working in health care, social work, the police, women’s shelters, and the Centre for Violence Against Women. Our findings suggest that providing adequate IPV services to women with disabilities requires coordination and collaboration. IPV services were organized around five overarching themes: finding services; assessing the risk; identification; protection and care; and becoming independent. This approach was helpful for women who faced disability-related challenges in accessing IPV services.