Acceptability and perceived utility of different diagnostic tests and sample types for trachoma surveillance in the Bijagos Islands, Guinea Bissau.

BACKGROUND: Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide and is nearing elimination as a public health problem in Guinea Bissau. It is imperative that elimination is followed by a successful postvalidation surveillance programme. The aim of this study was to determine the acceptability and perceived utility of different diagnostic tests and sample types that could be used for postvalidation trachoma surveillance in the Bijagos Islands, Guinea Bissau. METHODS: Semistructured interviews with community members and stakeholders involved in trachoma elimination were followed by focus group discussions with community members, covering experiences with trachoma and views on trachoma diagnostic methods and sample types. RESULTS: In this setting, all diagnostic tests and sample types used for trachoma surveillance were generally considered acceptable by communities. A preference for laboratory-based testing and finger-prick blood samples was expressed as these results were considered more accurate and applicable to a range of diseases beyond trachoma. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate community and stakeholder engagement and communication regarding the purpose and processes around diagnostic practice prior to trachoma programme implementation are crucial for long-term successful disease-elimination efforts.

Increasing the documentation of 48-hour antimicrobial reviews.

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem worldwide. Encouraging antimicrobial stewardship can help to reduce the negative consequences of inappropriate antibiotic use. This quality improvement project targets to do this by aiming to improve the proportion of 48-hour antimicrobial reviews completed and documented on two surgical wards at Darent Valley Hospital with a goal of 100% compliance.This project used four PDSA (plan, do, study, act) cycles to achieve our aim: a trust-wide email; education sessions with junior doctors; sticker reminders in patient notes; presenting our study to surgical consultants and displaying posters on the wards.The proportion of antimicrobial reviews completed at 48 hours in the patient notes increased from 18% to 77% over 19 weeks from 10 October 2018 to 20 February 2019. The most successful intervention was providing a presentation for consultants at an audit meeting in conjunction with displaying posters on the wards.The most successful interventions (education sessions with junior doctors and presentation to surgical consultants alongside displaying posters on the wards) were found to be those that required minimal further input after their initial rollout. This project was carried out by medical students and is highly transferrable to other hospitals, and highlighted that a successful quality improvement project can be undertaken by any member of the healthcare team.