Factors associated with appropriate home management of uncomplicated malaria in children in Kassena-Nankana district of Ghana and implications for community case management of childhood illness: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Home management of uncomplicated malaria (HMM) is now integrated into the community case management of childhood illness (CCM), an approach that requires parasitological diagnosis before treatment. The success of CCM in resource-constrained settings without access to parasitological testing significantly depends on the caregiver's ability to recognise malaria in children under five years (U5), assess its severity, and initiate early treatment with the use of effective antimalarial drugs in the appropriate regimen at home. Little is known about factors that influence effective presumptive treatment of malaria in U5 by caregivers in resource-constrained malaria endemic areas.

Patients' perception of obstetric practice in Calabar, Nigeria.

Objective: To determine the influence of patients' perception of obstetric practice in Calabar on the low utilization of health facilities for delivery.

Methods: The University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, the general hospital and eight private clinics in Calabar were visited daily for a period of one month to interview postnatal mothers. This was to ascertain the mothers' perception of obstetric care in these facilities and their attitude towards some selected birth practices.