Towards improving district health information system data consistency, report completeness and timeliness in Neno district, Malawi.

Background: Quality data is crucial in making informed decisions regarding health services; However, the literature suggests that in many LMICs including Malawi, it remains of poor quality. Data quality is measured in terms of completeness, timeliness and consistency among other parameters. We describe the Ministry of Health's District Health Information System (DHIS2) report completeness and timeliness at three levels: National, South West Zone (SWZ) and Neno district.

Prevalence of antibiotic self-medication and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance among community members in Neno District rural Malawi: A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Despite global efforts to address antibiotic self-medication, it is still significantly prevalent. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of antibiotic self-medication and assess knowledge of antibiotic resistance among community members in Neno District, rural Malawi.

Methods: A cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted from September to November 2023, using simple random sampling across 169 villages.

Toward enhanced decentralized palliative care services in Neno District, Malawi: a qualitative study.

Background: Palliative care remains key in assisting patients who have life-threatening conditions. In most low- and middle-income countries, it is often offered through a centralized system with limitations, including Malawi. In 2014, the World Health Organization called for improving palliative care access through primary health care and community models.

Experiences of community health workers on adopting mHealth in rural Malawi: A qualitative study.

Background: The use of mobile health technology (mHealth) by community health workers (CHWs) can strengthen community-based service delivery and improve access to and quality of healthcare.

Objective: This qualitative study sought to explore experiences and identify factors influencing the use of an integrated smartphone-based mHealth called by CHWs in rural Malawi.

Methods: Using pre-tested interview guides, between August and October 2022, we conducted eight focus group discussions with CHWs ( = 69), four in-depth interviews with CHW supervisors, and eight key informant interviews in Neno District, Malawi.

Re-engagement and retention in HIV care after preventive default tracking in a cohort of HIV-infected patients in rural Malawi: A mixed-methods study.

Loss-to-follow-up (LTFU) in the era of test-and-treat remains a universal challenge, especially in rural areas. To mitigate LTFU, the HIV program in Neno District, Malawi, utilizes a preventive default tracking strategy named Tracking for Retention and Client Enrollment (TRACE). We utilized a mixed-methods descriptive study of the TRACE program on patient's re-engagement and retention in care (RiC).

Experiences and practices of traditional healers on snakebite treatment and prevention in rural Malawi.

Snakebite envenoming remains a public health threat in many tropical countries including Malawi. Traditional healers (THs) have been consulted by victims of snakebites as primary caregivers for millennia. There are no studies in Malawi to understand this phenomenon, therefore, our study aimed to explore the experiences and practices of THs regarding snakebite treatment and prevention in rural Malawi.

Impact of a teen club model on HIV outcomes among adolescents in rural Neno district, Malawi: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To compare the impact of a teen club model to the standard care model on HIV treatment outcomes among adolescents (10-19 years of age).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: HIV clinics in Neno district, Malawi.

Non-communicable disease burden among inpatients at a rural district hospital in Malawi.

Background: The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is high in Malawi. However, resources and training for NCD care remain scarce, especially in rural hospitals. Current care for NCDs in the developing world focuses on the WHO's traditional 4 × 4 set.

Basic emergency care course and longitudinal mentorship completed in a rural Neno District, Malawi: A feasibility, acceptability, and impact study.

Background: Frontline providers mostly outside specific emergency areas deliver emergency care around the world, yet often they do not receive dedicated training in managing emergency conditions. When designed for low-resource settings, emergency care training has been shown to improve provider skills, facilitate efficient use of available resources, and reduce death and disability by ensuring timely access to life-saving care.

Methods: The WHO/ICRC Basic Emergency Care (BEC) Course with follow up longitudinal mentorship for 6 months was implemented in rural Neno District Malawi from September 2019-April 2020.

Health care workers' knowledge on identification, management and treatment of snakebite cases in rural Malawi: A descriptive study.

Snakebite envenoming remains a public health threat in many African countries, including Malawi. However, there is a shortage of literature on the knowledge of Health Care Workers (HCWs) and the prevalence of snakebite cases in Malawi. We interviewed HCWs in Neno District to assess their knowledge of snake identification and management of snakebites.

Training Mid-Level Providers to Treat Severe Non-Communicable Diseases in Neno, Malawi through PEN-Plus Strategies.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality, yet access to care in lower-income countries is limited. Rural communities, where poverty levels are high, feel the greatest burden. In Malawi, as elsewhere in the African region, it is particularly challenging for patients in rural districts to obtain care for locally endemic and severe NCDs such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatic heart disease, and sickle cell disease.

A household-based community health worker programme for non-communicable disease, malnutrition, tuberculosis, HIV and maternal health: a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial in Neno District, Malawi.

Background: Community health worker (CHW) programmes are a valuable component of primary care in resource-poor settings. The evidence supporting their effectiveness generally shows improvements in disease-specific outcomes relative to the absence of a CHW programme. In this study, we evaluated expanding an existing HIV and tuberculosis (TB) disease-specific CHW programme into a polyvalent, household-based model that subsequently included non-communicable diseases (NCDs), malnutrition and TB screening, as well as family planning and antenatal care (ANC).

Expanding access to non-communicable disease care in rural Malawi: outcomes from a retrospective cohort in an integrated NCD-HIV model.

Objectives: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for one-third of disability-adjusted life years in Malawi, and access to care is exceptionally limited. Integrated services with HIV are widely recommended, but few examples exist globally. We report descriptive outcomes from an Integrated Chronic Care Clinic (IC3).

Screening for chronic kidney disease in rural Malawi: results from a diabetic clinic.

Objective: Patients with diabetes are at high risk of developing renal insufficiency and chronic kidney disease (CKD). As a result, screening for CKD is essential in diabetic patients as part of their care. This study investigated the prevalence of renal insufficiency, CKD, and correlates of CKD in diabetic patients attending Integrated Chronic Care Clinics in Neno District, Malawi.