PGPH-D-23-00915

Implementation of gender-based violence screening guidelines in public HIV treatment programs: A mixed methods evaluation in Uganda

PLOS Global Public Health

Dear Dr. Heffron,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS Global Public Health. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS Global Public Health’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

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We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Abhijit Nadkarni

Academic Editor

PLOS Global Public Health

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Additional Editor Comments (if provided):

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Does this manuscript meet PLOS Global Public Health’s publication criteria? Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions? The manuscript must describe methodologically and ethically rigorous research with conclusions that are appropriately drawn based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available (please refer to the Data Availability Statement at the start of the manuscript PDF file)?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception. The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS Global Public Health does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: 1)The sample size, comprising 12 clinics, might restrict the ability to generalize to the district and national levels. It's important to note that there is a total of [mention the total number] ART clinics within the Wakiso and Kampala Districts of Uganda, for context. However, despite this limitation, the study provides valuable insights into the specific clinics and offers an extension of understanding within the district.

2)The clarity regarding the utilization of a questionnaire or checklist as screening tools for GBV and the methodology for segregating the prevalence of GBV among HIV clients is lacking. It is essential to include details about the specific checklist employed and the categorization of identified GBV cases. It's particularly helpful if the study refers to any recommended standardized checklist. This would enhance the comprehension of the methodology and data collection process.

3)It's not explicitly clarified the types of services, professionals, or trained staff to which clients were referred. Further elaboration is required for comprehensive understanding.

4)The study lacks a comparison between pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 screening periods, which could offer valuable insights. Examining this comparison could be particularly intriguing, given reports from various studies indicating an increase in GBV cases during lockdowns, especially in terms of physical and mental violence by intimate partners. Exploring any potential influence of COVID-19 on incidence rates could provide a comprehensive understanding of the situation.

5)The study outlines factors affecting GBV screening, like awareness, client volume, and engagement. Providers and partners acknowledge benefits like justice and safety from referrals. But, the study doesn't explicitly link or weigh these factors. The impact of financial constraints and socio-cultural norms on referrals lacks clarity. Clarifying these connections would strengthen the study's significance.

Reviewer #2: The manuscript and the ways of analysing the data used were very good, the information from the research ethics committee was available, the data is great for creating public policies in the region to tackle gender violence.

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For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: Yes: Dr Md Abul Hasan

Reviewer #2: Yes: Pedro Renan Nascimento Barbosa

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Implementation of gender-based violence screening guidelines in public HIV treatment programs: A mixed methods evaluation in Uganda

PGPH-D-23-00915R1

Dear Dr. Heffron,

We are pleased to inform you that your manuscript 'Implementation of gender-based violence screening guidelines in public HIV treatment programs: A mixed methods evaluation in Uganda' has been provisionally accepted for publication in PLOS Global Public Health.

Before your manuscript can be formally accepted you will need to complete some formatting changes, which you will receive in a follow up email. A member of our team will be in touch with a set of requests.

Please note that your manuscript will not be scheduled for publication until you have made the required changes, so a swift response is appreciated.

IMPORTANT: The editorial review process is now complete. PLOS will only permit corrections to spelling, formatting or significant scientific errors from this point onwards. Requests for major changes, or any which affect the scientific understanding of your work, will cause delays to the publication date of your manuscript.

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper to help maximize its impact. If they'll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team as soon as possible -- no later than 48 hours after receiving the formal acceptance. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information, please contact globalpubhealth@plos.org.

Thank you again for supporting Open Access publishing; we are looking forward to publishing your work in PLOS Global Public Health.

Best regards,

Abhijit Nadkarni

Academic Editor

PLOS Global Public Health

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Reviewer Comments (if any, and for reference):

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

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2. Does this manuscript meet PLOS Global Public Health’s publication criteria? Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions? The manuscript must describe methodologically and ethically rigorous research with conclusions that are appropriately drawn based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

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3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available (please refer to the Data Availability Statement at the start of the manuscript PDF file)?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception. The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

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5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS Global Public Health does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

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6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: The author has addressed almost all of the key recommendations.

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7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: Yes: drmdabulhasan

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