Understanding Solid Waste Collectors' Awareness of Occupational Hazards and Personal Protective Equipment Practices in Northern Malawi.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Solid Waste Collectors' (SWCs) knowledge of occupational hazards, their views on personal protective equipment (PPE), strategies for PPE use, and challenges in managing occupational risks. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of protective measures in addressing occupational hazards, but there is a need for further research to assess the knowledge levels of waste collectors regarding these hazards and PPE practices. This study used a qualitative research technique, particularly, a phenomenological research design to capture the living experiences from SWCs.

Patients and health care workers perceived challenges in managing preeclampsia, in Malawi.

Objectives: This study investigated perceptions of the challenges for patients and health care workers (HCW) in dealing with preeclampsia in Blantyre, Malawi.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional formative study using semi-structured In-Depth Interviews (IDI) was conducted at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), Malawi. Data was analyzed using NVIVO™ software.

Health care workers and key policy informant's knowledge of the use of calcium and low dose aspirin for prevention of preeclampsia in Malawian women.

Objectives: This study investigated health care workers and key policy informant's knowledge, and barriers to the use of calcium and aspirin for preventing preeclampsia in Blantyre and Lilongwe, Malawi.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional formative study using semi-structured In-Depth Interview (IDIs) was conducted at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), Reproductive Health Directorate, and the United Nations Population Development Fund (UNFPA) Office in 2021. Data was analyzed using NVIVO™ software.

Prevalence, distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates from a tertiary Hospital in Malawi.

Background: Bacterial infections are a significant cause of sickness and death in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed at establishing the prevalence, distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of major bacterial isolates from patients accessing medical care at a tertiary hospital in Malawi.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed bacteria culture and antimicrobial susceptibility records for 4617 patients from 2002 to 2014 at Mzuzu Central Hospital (MCH).

A pilot study to determine the normal haematological indices for young Malawian adults in Blantyre, Malawi.

Background: Reference ranges for haematological and other laboratory tests in most African countries are based on populations in Europe and America and, because of environmental and genetic factors, these may not accurately reflect the normal reference ranges in African populations.

Aim: To determine the distribution of haematological parameters in healthy individuals residing in Blantyre, Malawi. We also examined the effect of sociodemographic and nutritional factors on the haematological variables.

Very early anthropometric changes after antiretroviral therapy predict subsequent survival, in karonga, Malawi.

Background: Antiretroviral (ART) scale-up in Malawi has been achieved on a large scale based mainly on clinical criteria. Simple markers of prognosis are useful, and we investigated the value of very early anthropometric changes in predicting mortality.

Principal Findings: Adult patients who initiated ART in Karonga District, northern Malawi, between September 2005 and August 2006 were included in a prospective cohort study, and followed for up to one year.

What happens to ART-eligible patients who do not start ART? Dropout between screening and ART initiation: a cohort study in Karonga, Malawi.

Background: Routine ART programme statistics generally only provide information about individuals who start treatment. We aimed to investigate the outcome of those who are eligible but do not start ART in the Malawi programme, factors associated with this dropout, and reasons for not starting treatment, in a prospective cohort study.

Methods: Individuals having a first screening visit at the ART clinic at Karonga District Hospital, northern Malawi, between September 2005 and July 2006 were interviewed.

The operation, quality and costs of a district hospital laboratory service in Malawi.

Laboratory services are run down in many low-income countries, severely constraining their input to patient care and disease surveillance. There are few data about the quality and cost of individual components of the laboratory service in poorer countries, yet this information is essential if optimal use is to be made of scarce resources. Staff time, range of tests, workload, and safety procedures were monitored over 12 months (1997-98) in a typical district hospital laboratory in Malawi.