AI Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on improving access to malaria diagnosis and treatment in rural Senegal through a community-case management (CCMm) program using lay health workers (LHWs) and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs).
- Results showed a significant increase in patient care provided by LHWs, but highlighted issues like over-prescription of treatment and low referral rates for severely ill patients.
- The findings suggest that while the CCMm program effectively increased access to malaria care, more work is needed to address quality concerns and ensure appropriate patient referrals.
Article Abstract
Background: Despite recent advances in malaria diagnosis and treatment, many isolated communities in rural settings continue to lack access to these life-saving tools. Community-case management of malaria (CCMm), consisting of lay health workers (LHWs) using malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) in their villages, can address this disparity.
Methods: This study examined routine reporting data from a CCMm programme between 2008 and 2011 in Saraya, a rural district in Senegal, and assessed its impact on timely access to rapid diagnostic tests and ACT.
Results: There was a seven-fold increase in the number of LHWs providing care and in the number of patients seen. LHW engagement in the CCM programme varied seasonally, 24,3% of all patients prescribed an ACT had a negative RDT or were never administered an RDT, and less than half of patients with absolute indications for referral (severe symptoms, age under two months and pregnancy) were referred. There were few stock-outs.
Discussion: This CCMm programme successfully increased the number of patients with access to RDT and ACT, but further investigation is required to identify the cause for over-prescription, and low rates of referrals for patients with absolute indications. In contrast, previous widespread stock-outs in Saraya's CCMm programme have now been resolved.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates the potential for CCMm programmes to substantially increase access to life-saving malarial diagnostics and treatment, but also highlights important challenges in ensuring quality.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3716525 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-12-240 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Molecular interactions of the chaperone CcmS and carboxysome shell protein CcmK1 that mediate β-carboxysome assembly.
Plant Physiol
November 2024
MOE Key Laboratory of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System & College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
The carboxysome is a natural proteinaceous organelle for carbon fixation in cyanobacteria and chemoautotrophs. It comprises hundreds of protein homologs that self-assemble to form a polyhedral shell structure to sequester cargo enzymes, ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), and carbonic anhydrases. How these protein components assemble to construct a functional carboxysome is a central question in not only understanding carboxysome structure and function but also synthetic engineering of carboxysomes for biotechnological applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrophectoderm biopsy of blastocysts following IVF and embryo culture increases epigenetic dysregulation in a mouse model.
Hum Reprod
January 2024
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Study Question: Does trophectoderm biopsy (TEBx) of blastocysts for preimplantation genetic testing in the clinic affect normal placental and embryo development and offspring metabolic outcomes in a mouse model?
Summary Answer: TEBx impacts placental and embryonic health during early development, with some alterations resolving and others worsening later in development and triggering metabolic changes in adult offspring.
What Is Known Already: Previous studies have not assessed the epigenetic and morphological impacts of TEBx either in human populations or in animal models.
Study Design, Size, Duration: We employed a mouse model to identify the effects of TEBx during IVF.
The Variability of Recovery From Pediatric Concussion Using Multimodal Clinical Definitions.
Sports Health
December 2023
Center for Injury Research and Prevention, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Background: While concussions are common pediatric injuries, a lack of agreement on a standard definition of recovery creates multiple challenges for clinicians and researchers alike.
Hypothesis: The percentage of concussed youth deemed recovered as part of a prospective cohort study will differ depending on the recovery definition.
Study Design: Descriptive epidemiologic study of a prospectively enrolled observational cohort.
Community case management of malaria in Western Kenya: performance of community health volunteers in active malaria case surveillance.
Malar J
March 2023
Program in Public Health, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
Article Synopsis
- In western Kenya, malaria cases are often underreported, which impacts the distribution of resources and evaluation of health interventions, leading to a study on community health volunteers' (CHVs) role in detecting and managing malaria.
- The study surveyed 28,800 residents across different regions in Kisumu to identify individuals with malaria symptoms through biweekly household visits conducted by CHVs.
- Results showed a 9% prevalence of febrile illnesses linked to malaria; factors like eco-epidemiological zones and the training level of CHVs significantly influenced their ability to effectively manage cases and refer patients for further care.
Accuracy and economic evaluation of screening tests for undiagnosed COPD among hypertensive individuals in Brazil.
NPJ Prim Care Respir Med
December 2022
Respiratory Division, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
In Brazil, prevalence of diagnosed COPD among adults aged 40 years and over is 16% although over 70% of cases remain undiagnosed. Hypertension is common and well-recorded in primary care, and frequently co-exists with COPD because of common causes such as tobacco smoking, therefore we conducted a cross-sectional screening test accuracy study in nine Basic Health Units in Brazil, among hypertensive patients aged ≥40 years to identify the optimum screening test/combinations to detect undiagnosed COPD. We compared six index tests (four screening questionnaires, microspirometer and peak flow) against the reference test defined as those below the lower limit of normal (LLN-GLI) on quality diagnostic spirometry, with confirmed COPD at clinical review.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!