Barriers to the Digitization of Health Information: A Qualitative and Quantitative Study in Kenya and Lao PDR Using a Cloud-Based Maternal and Child Registration System.

Digitalization of health information can assist patient information management and improve health services even in low middle-income countries. We have implemented a mother and child health registration system in the study areas of Kenya and Lao PDR to evaluate barriers to digitalization. We conducted in-depth interviews with 20 healthcare workers (HCWs) who used the system and analyzed it qualitatively with thematic framework analysis.

Impact of village health volunteer support on postnatal depressive symptoms in the remote rural areas of Lao People's Democratic Republic: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Village health volunteers (VHVs) are responsible for providing primary care in the communities of Laos. Unlike other districts, in Xepon more than 90% of VHVs are male and therefore experience difficulties interacting with pregnant women. To improve outreach to pregnant women, especially among ethnic minorities, a new project was implemented by local municipalities in 2017: newly selected female VHVs were paired to work with existing male VHVs.

Factors influencing the choice of facility-based delivery in the ethnic minority villages of Lao PDR: a qualitative case study.

Background: Facility-based delivery has been promoted to improve maternal and child health care in Lao PDR and a free delivery policy was introduced at designated health care facilities (HCF) in 2013. However, according to birth records of HCFs in the impoverished and remote district, only a few women utilized the HCFs despite good physical accessibility. The aim of this study was to analyze the factors influencing the choice of facility-based delivery in the impoverished and remote district after a free delivery policy was introduced.

Asymptomatic malaria, growth status, and anaemia among children in Lao People's Democratic Republic: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Asymptomatic malaria can be observed in both stable endemic areas and unstable transmission areas. However, although much attention has been given to acute malaria infections, relatively little attention has been paid to asymptomatic malaria. Nonetheless, because the asymptomatic host serves as a reservoir for the malaria parasite, asymptomatic malaria is now recognized as an important obstacle to malaria elimination.

Household clustering of asymptomatic malaria infections in Xepon district, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR.

Background: In the Lao PDR, malaria morbidity and mortality have remarkably decreased over the past decade. However, asymptomatic infections in rural villages contribute to the on-going local transmission. The primary objective of this study was to explore the characteristics of infections in a malaria-endemic district of the Lao PDR.

Morbidity assessment of Opisthorchis viverrini infection in rural Laos: I. Parasitological, clinical, ultrasonographical and biochemical findings.

Background: Infections with the food-borne trematode Opisthorchis viverinni are common in Southeast Asia. In Lao PDR alone, two million people are supposed to be infected. Opisthorchiasis may cause severe liver disease, eventually leading to cholangiocarcinoma.

Households with Insufficient Bednets in a Village with Sufficient Bednets: Evaluation of Household Bednet Coverage Using Bednet Distribution Index in Xepon District, Lao PDR.

In Lao PDR, the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) evaluates bednet coverage, often at the village level, using a coverage target of one net per 2.5 (or fewer) persons in a given population. However, in villages that meet the target, not all households necessarily meet the target or utilize all available bednets.

Successful mobile phone network-based approach to integration of the health care system in rural Laos: strengthening lay health worker performance.

Introduction: Little has been reported regarding how the effects of mobile phone-based improvements to healthcare worker communications may improve the activities of lay health workers, who form the crucial bridge between the official healthcare system and rural/remote communities. The objective of this study was to establish and assess the usefulness of a mobile phone-based communication network between village health volunteers (VHVs) and their supervisors in a rural district of Laos.

Methods: This study involved 154 villages out of a total of 158 villages located in Xepone district, Laos.