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.

Measuring palliative care integration in Malawi through service provision, access, and training indicators: the Waterloo Coalition Initiative.

Background: Fewer than 1 in 20 people on the African continent in need of palliative care receive it. Malawi is a low-income country in sub-Saharan Africa that has yet to achieve advanced palliative care integration accompanied by unrestricted access to pain and symptom relieving palliative medicines. This paper studied the impact of Malawi's Waterloo Coalition Initiative (WCI) - a local project promoting palliative care integration through service development, staff training, and increased service access.

Palliative care in Malawi: a scoping review.

Background: Universal access to palliative care remains a distant goal in many low resource settings, despite the growing evidence of its benefits. The unmet need for palliative care is evident in Africa, but great strides in palliative care development have occurred in several African countries. Located in sub-Saharan Africa, Malawi has been regarded as an exemplar of progress in this area that is achievable in a low resource region.

Depressive Symptoms and Palliative Care Concerns Among Patients With Non-communicable Diseases in Two Southern African Countries.

Context: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), associated with health-related suffering, can benefit from palliative care in resource-limited settings, where over four-fifths of these deaths occur.

Objective: To measure the prevalence of depressive symptoms, palliative care-related concerns, physical and other psychological symptoms among adult patients with NCDs in Malawi and Namibia.

Methods: This multi-center, cross-sectional study consecutively recruited outpatients from four tertiary referral hospitals.

Protocol for the development and multisite validation of the Quality of Dying and Death-Revised Global Version scale.

Introduction: Evaluating the quality of dying and death is essential to ensure high-quality end-of-life care. The Quality of Dying and Death (QODD) scale is the best-validated measure of the construct, but many items are not relevant to participants, particularly in low-resource settings. The aim of this multisite cross-sectional study is to develop and validate the QODD-Revised Global Version (QODD-RGV), to enhance ease of completion and relevance in higher-resource and lower-resource settings.

Palliative Care Services within a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Program in a Low-Resource Setting.

Context: Outcomes for children with cancer in sub-Saharan Africa (SAA) are dismal due to delayed diagnosis and limited access to curative therapy. When establishing a pediatric hematology-oncology (PHO) program in low-resource settings, early integration of palliative care services becomes essential. While palliative care is a human right, equitable distribution is lacking.

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.

A national survey of teachers on antiretroviral therapy in Malawi: access, retention in therapy and survival.

Background: HIV/AIDS is having a devastating effect on the education sector in sub-Saharan Africa. A national survey was conducted in all public sector and private sector facilities in Malawi providing antiretroviral therapy (ART) to determine the uptake of ART by teachers and their outcomes while on treatment.

Methodology/principal Findings: A retrospective cohort study was carried out based on patient follow-up records from ART Registers and treatment master cards in all 138 ART clinics in Malawi; observations were censored on September 30(th) 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 December 31, 2006.