Performance of passive case detection for malaria surveillance: results from nine countries in Mesoamerica and the Dominican Republic.

Background: In malaria elimination settings, available metrics for malaria surveillance have been insufficient to measure the performance of passive case detection adequately. An indicator for malaria suspected cases with malaria test (MSCT) is proposed to measure the rate of testing on persons presenting to health facilities who satisfy the definition of a suspected malaria case. This metric does not rely on prior knowledge of fever prevalence, seasonality, or external denominators, and can be used to compare detection rates in suspected cases within and between countries, including across settings with different levels of transmission.

Implementing electronic decision-support tools to strengthen healthcare network data-driven decision-making.

Background: Ministries of health in low- and middle-income countries often lack timely quality data for data-driven decision making in healthcare networks. We describe the design and implementation of decision-support electronic tools by the Ministry of Health of the State of Chiapas, in Mexico, as part of Salud Mesoamerica Initiative.

Methods: Three electronic decision-support tools were designed through an iterative process focused on streamlined implementation: 1) to collect and report health facility data at health facilities; 2) to compile and analyze data at health district and central level; and, 3) to support stratified sampling of health facilities.

Access and use of oxytocin for postpartum haemorrhage prevention: a pre-post study targeting the poorest in six Mesoamerican countries.

Objectives: Haemorrhage remains the leading cause of maternal mortality in Central America. The Salud Mesoamérica Initiative aims to reduce such mortality via performance indicators. Our objective was to assess the availability and administration of oxytocin, before and after applying Salud Mesoamérica Initiative interventions in the poorest health facilities across Central America.

Methods to measure quality of care and quality indicators through health facility surveys in low- and middle-income countries.

Objective: Present methods to measure standardized, replicable and comparable metrics to measure quality of medical care in low- and middle-income countries.

Design: We constructed quality indicators for maternal, neonatal and child care. To minimize reviewer judgment, we transformed criteria from check-lists into data points and decisions into conditional algorithms.