A retrospective survey of HIV drug resistance among patients 1 year after initiation of antiretroviral therapy at 4 clinics in Malawi.

In 2004, Malawi began scaling up its national antiretroviral therapy (ART) program. Because of limited treatment options, population-level surveillance of acquired human immunodeficiency virus drug resistance (HIVDR) is critical to ensuring long-term treatment success. The World Health Organization target for clinic-level HIVDR prevention at 12 months after ART initiation is ≥ 70%.

The impact of preprinted prescription forms on medication prescribing errors in an ophthalmology clinic in northeast Thailand: a non-randomised interventional study.

Objectives: To understand the incidence and types of medication prescribing errors in a low resource setting ophthalmology clinic and to determine the impact of a preprinted prescription based on the hospital formulary (FormularyScript) on medication prescribing errors.

Design: Non-randomised interventional study.

Setting: Ophthalmology clinic in a teaching hospital in northeast Thailand.

Multidrug resistance among new tuberculosis cases: detecting local variation through lot quality-assurance sampling.

Background: Current methodology for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) surveys endorsed by the World Health Organization provides estimates of MDR TB prevalence among new cases at the national level. On the aggregate, local variation in the burden of MDR TB may be masked. This paper investigates the utility of applying lot quality-assurance sampling to identify geographic heterogeneity in the proportion of new cases with multidrug resistance.

Electronic decision protocols for ART patient triaging to expand access to HIV treatment in South Africa: a cross sectional study for development and validation.

Background: The shortage of doctors and nurses, along with future expansion into rural clinics, will require that the majority of clinic visits by HIV infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) are managed by non-doctors. The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate a screening protocol to determine which patients needed a full clinical assessment and which patients were stable enough to receive their medications without a doctor's consultation. For this study, we developed an electronic, handheld tool to guide non-physician counselors through screening questions.

Drug resistance surveillance in resource-poor settings: current methods and considerations for TB, HIV, and malaria.

In resource-constrained environments, monitoring the occurrence of tuberculosis (TB), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or malaria resistant to the limited number of available drugs is essential for national treatment program success. Countries with limited resources and technical capacity rely on survey designs and methods that are simple and easily integrated into routine clinical activities to minimize the impact on overburdened clinics. This paper reviews the most commonly used methods for drug-resistance surveillance of TB, HIV, and malaria and discusses the strengths and limitations of these different strategies.

Health indicators: eliminating bias from convenience sampling estimators.

Public health practitioners are often called upon to make inference about a health indicator for a population at large when the sole available information are data gathered from a convenience sample, such as data gathered on visitors to a clinic. These data may be of the highest quality and quite extensive, but the biases inherent in a convenience sample preclude the legitimate use of powerful inferential tools that are usually associated with a random sample. In general, we know nothing about those who do not visit the clinic beyond the fact that they do not visit the clinic.

Estimating the magnitude and direction of bias in tuberculosis drug resistance surveys conducted only in the public sector: a simulation study.

Background: Accurate assessment of the burden of drug-resistant TB requires systematic efforts to quantify its magnitude and trend. In approximately half the countries where resistance has been reported, estimates are based on surveys conducted in public sector facilities. However, in locations where a substantial fraction of TB cases seek care with private providers, these surveys may not accurately measure resistance in the entire population.

National implementation of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI): policy constraints and strategies.

Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) is a pediatric care management strategy that has been shown to improve health care service quality and increase health care cost savings in multi-country evaluations. However, many countries have faced significant training, health system, political, and financial constraints to national implementation and, as a result, have not been able to observe sustained benefits of IMCI. This article reviews the literature for evidence of IMCI health impacts, common implementation constraints, and policy strategies for health system strengthening and successful implementation.

An assessment of Lot Quality Assurance Sampling to evaluate malaria outcome indicators: extending malaria indicator surveys.

Background: Large investments and increased global prioritization of malaria prevention and treatment have resulted in greater emphasis on programme monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in many countries. Many countries currently use large multistage cluster sample surveys to monitor malaria outcome indicators on a regional and national level. However, these surveys often mask local-level variability important to programme management.

Cluster designs to assess the prevalence of acute malnutrition by lot quality assurance sampling: a validation study by computer simulation.

Traditional lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) methods require simple random sampling to guarantee valid results. However, cluster sampling has been proposed to reduce the number of random starting points. This study uses simulations to examine the classification error of two such designs, a 67x3 (67 clusters of three observations) and a 33x6 (33 clusters of six observations) sampling scheme to assess the prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM).

Antiretroviral therapy in the Malawi police force: access to therapy and treatment outcomes.

A national survey was carried out in all the 103 public sector and 38 private sector facilities in Malawi providing antiretroviral therapy (ART) to determine uptake of ART and subsequent treatment outcomes in police force personnel. All patients registered for ART and their subsequent treatment outcomes were censored on December 31st 2006. There were 85168 patients started on ART in both public and private sectors, of whom 463 (0.

Early warning indicators for HIV drug resistance in Malawi.

Background: Malawi started rapid scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2004 and by December 2006 had initiated over 85,000 patients on treatment. Early warning indicator (EWI) reports can help to minimize the risk of emerging drug resistance.

Methods: Data collected during the routine quarterly supervision of 103 public sector sites was used to compile the first EWI report for HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) in Malawi, reflecting outcomes for October to December 2006.

A national survey of prisoners on antiretroviral therapy in Malawi: access to treatment and outcomes on therapy.

Background: Malawi is making good progress scaling up antiretroviral therapy (ART), but we do not know the levels of access of high-risk, disadvantaged groups such as prisoners. The aim of this study was to measure access and treatment outcomes of prisoners on ART at the national level.

Methodology: A retrospective cohort study was conducted examining patient follow-up records from all 103 public sector ART clinics in Malawi, and observations were censored on 31 December, 2006.

Assessing the quality of data aggregated by antiretroviral treatment clinics in Malawi.

Problem: As national antiretroviral treatment (ART) programmes scale-up, it is essential that information is complete, timely and accurate for site monitoring and national planning. The accuracy and completeness of reports independently compiled by ART facilities, however, is often not known.

Approach: This study assessed the quality of quarterly aggregate summary data for April to June 2006 compiled and reported by ART facilities ("site report") as compared to the "gold standard" facility summary data compiled independently by the Ministry of Health supervision team ("supervision report").

Antiretroviral therapy in the Malawi defence force: access, treatment outcomes and impact on mortality.

Background: HIV/AIDS affects all sectors of the population and the defence forces are not exempt. A national survey was conducted in all public and private sectors in Malawi that provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) to determine the uptake of ART by army personnel, their outcomes while on treatment, and the impact of ART on mortality in the Malawi Defence Force.

Methodology/principal Findings: A retrospective cohort analysis was carried out, collecting data on access and retention on treatment from all 103 public and 38 private sector ART clinics in Malawi, using standardised patient master cards and clinic registers.

A national survey of prisoners on antiretroviral therapy in Malawi: access to treatment and outcomes on therapy.

Background: Malawi is making good progress scaling up antiretroviral therapy (ART), but we do not know the levels of access of high-risk, disadvantaged groups such as prisoners. The aim of this study was to measure access and treatment outcomes of prisoners on ART at the national level.

Methodology: A retrospective cohort study was conducted examining patient follow-up records from all 103 public sector ART clinics in Malawi, and observations were censored on December 31, 2006.