Feasibility of engaging "Village Doctors" in the Community-based Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (C-IMCI): experience from rural Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Informal health care providers particularly "village doctors" are the first point of care for under-five childhood illnesses in rural Bangladesh. We engaged village doctors as part of the Multi-Country Evaluation (MCE) of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) and assessed their management of sick under-five children before and after a modified IMCI training, supplemented with ongoing monitoring and supportive supervision. METHODS: In 2003-2004, 144 village doctors across 131 IMCI intervention villages in Matlab Bangladesh participated in a two-day IMCI training; 135 of which completed pre- and post-training evaluation tests. In 2007, 38 IMCI-trained village doctors completed an end-of-project knowledge retention test. Village doctor prescription practices for sick under-five children were examined through household surveys, and routine monitoring visits. In-depth interviews were done with mothers seeking care from village doctors. RESULTS: Village doctors' knowledge on the assessment and management of childhood illnesses improved significantly after training; knowledge of danger signs of pneumonia and severe pneumonia increased from 39% to 78% (P < 0.0001) and from 17% to 47% (P < 0.0001) respectively. Knowledge on the correct management of severe pneumonia increased from 62% to 84% (P < 0.0001), and diarrhoea management improved from 65% to 82% (P = 0.0005). Village doctors retained this knowledge over three years except for home management of pneumonia. No significant differences were observed in prescribing practices for diarrhoea and pneumonia management between trained and untrained village doctors. Village doctors were accessible to communities; 76% had cell phones; almost all attended home calls, and did not charge consultation fees. Nearly all (91%) received incentives from pharmaceutical representatives. CONCLUSIONS: Village doctors have the capacity to learn and retain knowledge on the appropriate management of under-five illnesses. Training alone did not improve inappropriate antibiotic prescription practices. Intensive monitoring and efforts to target key actors including pharmaceutical companies, which influence village doctors dispensing practices, and implementation of mechanisms to track and regulate these providers are necessary for future engagement in management of under-five childhood illnesses.

Care at first-level facilities for children with severe pneumonia in Bangladesh: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines on integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) for severe pneumonia recommend referral to hospitals. However, in many settings, children who are referred do not actually attend hospital, which severely limits appropriate care. We aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of modified guidelines that allowed most children with severe pneumonia to be treated locally in first-level facilities, with referral only for those with danger signs or other severe classifications. METHODS: We did an observational cohort study in ten first-level health facilities in Matlab, rural Bangladesh that had implemented IMCI guidelines. We assessed children with severe pneumonia who were aged between 2 and 59 months, and for whom we could obtain complete information, in two cohorts: 261 children who presented to these facilities between May, 2003, and April, 2004 (before implementation of the modified guidelines) and 1271 children between September, 2004, and August, 2005 (after full implementation). We obtained information about the characteristics and management of their illness, including referrals and admissions to hospital, from facility records. Staff visited households to obtain details of treatment, socioeconomic information, and final outcome, including mortality data. FINDINGS: 245 (94%) of 261 children who had severe pneumonia were referred to hospital before the guidelines were modified, compared with 107 (8%) of 1271 after implementation (p<0.0001). 94 (36%) children with severe pneumonia received correct management before the guidelines were modified, compared with 1145 (90%) children after implementation (p<0.0001). Before modification of the guidelines, three children with severe pneumonia who presented at first-level facilities died, with a case-fatality rate of 1.1%; after modification, seven children died, with a case-fatality rate of 0.6% (p=0.39). INTERPRETATION: Local adaptation of the IMCI guidelines, with appropriate training and supervision, could allow safe and effective management of severe pneumonia, especially if compliance with referral is difficult because of geographic, financial, or cultural barriers.