Electronic Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (eIMCI): a randomized controlled trial to evaluate an electronic clinical decision-making support system for management of sick children in primary health care facilities in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Electronic clinical decision-making support systems (eCDSS) aim to assist clinicians making complex patient management decisions and improve adherence to evidence-based guidelines. Integrated management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) provides guidelines for management of sick children attending primary health care clinics and is widely implemented globally. An electronic version of IMCI (eIMCI) was developed in South Africa. METHODS: We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial comparing management of sick children with eIMCI to the management when using paper-based IMCI (pIMCI) in one district in KwaZulu-Natal. From 31 clinics in the district, 15 were randomly assigned to intervention (eIMCI) or control (pIMCI) groups. Computers were deployed in eIMCI clinics, and one IMCI trained nurse was randomly selected to participate from each clinic. eIMCI participants received a one-day computer training, and all participants received a similar three-day IMCI update and two mentoring visits. A quantitative survey was conducted among mothers and sick children attending participating clinics to assess the quality of care provided by IMCI practitioners. Sick child assessments by participants in eIMCI and pIMCI groups were compared to assessment by an IMCI expert. RESULTS: Self-reported computer skills were poor among all nurse participants. IMCI knowledge was similar in both groups. Among 291 enrolled children: 152 were in the eIMCI group; 139 in the pIMCI group. The mean number of enrolled children was 9.7 per clinic (range 7-12). IMCI implementation was sub-optimal in both eIMCI and pIMCI groups. eIMCI consultations took longer than pIMCI consultations (median duration 28 minutes vs 25 minutes; p = 0.02). eIMCI participants were less likely than pIMCI participants to correctly classify children for presenting symptoms, but were more likely to correctly classify for screening conditions, particularly malnutrition. eIMCI participants were less likely to provide all required medications (124/152; 81.6% vs 126/139; 91.6%, p= 0.026), and more likely to prescribe unnecessary medication (48/152; 31.6% vs 20/139; 14.4%, p = 0.004) compared to pIMCI participants. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of eIMCI failed to improve management of sick children, with poor IMCI implementation in both groups. Further research is needed to understand barriers to comprehensive implementation of both pIMCI and eIMCI. (349) CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov ID: BFC157/19, August 2019.

Integrated Management of Childhood Illness implementation in Nepal: understanding strategies, context, and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Health system-delivered evidence-based interventions (EBIs) are important to reducing amenable under-5 mortality (U5M). Implementation research (IR) can reduce knowledge gaps and decrease lags between new knowledge and its implementation in real world settings. IR can also help understand contextual factors and strategies useful to adapting EBIs and their implementation to local settings. Nepal has been a leader in dropping U5M including through adopting EBIs such as integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI). We use IR to identify strategies used in Nepal's adaptation and implementation of IMCI. METHODS: We conducted a mixed methods case study using an implementation research framework developed to understand how Nepal outperformed its peers between 2000-2015 in implementing health system-delivered EBIs known to reduce amenable U5M. We combined review of existing literature and data supplemented by 21 key informant interviews with policymakers and implementers, to understand implementation strategies and contextual factors that affected implementation outcomes. We extracted relevant results from the case study and used explanatory mixed methods to understand how and why Nepal had successes and challenges in adapting and implementing one EBI, IMCI. RESULTS: Strategies chosen and adapted to meet Nepal's specific context included leveraging local research to inform national decision-makers, pilot testing, partner engagement, and building on and integrating with the existing community health system. These cross-cutting strategies benefited from facilitating factors included community health system and structure, culture of data use, and local research capacity. Geography was a critical barrier and while substantial drops in U5M were seen in both the highest and lowest wealth quintiles, with the wealth equity gap decreasing from 73 to 39 per 1,000 live births from 2001 to 2016, substantial geographic inequities remained. CONCLUSIONS: Nepal's story shows that implementation strategies that are available across contexts were key to adopting and adapting IMCI and achieving outcomes including acceptability, effectiveness, and reach. The value of choosing strategies that leverage facilitating factors such as investments in community-based and facility-based approaches as well as addressing barriers such as geography are useful lessons for countries working to accelerate adaptation and implementation of strategies to implement EBIs to continue achieving child health targets.

Antibiotic Prescription Patterns in Children Under 5 Years of Age With Acute Diarrhea in Quito-Ecuador.

BACKGROUND: Diarrheal disease remains a significant cause of child mortality, particularly in regions with limited access to healthcare and sanitation. Inappropriate practices, including unjustified medication prescriptions, pose challenges in the management of acute diarrhea (AD), especially in low- and middle-income countries. OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed antibiotic prescription patterns and assessed compliance with Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines in children under 5 with AD in the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) Ambulatory Care Centers of Quito city, Ecuador. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used, collecting electronic health records (EHR) of patients diagnosed with AD from 21 health facilities in District 17D03. A probabilistic and stratified sampling approach was applied. Patient characteristics, prescriber characteristics, treatments, and compliance of IMCI guideline recommendations were evaluated. A stepwise logistic regression analysis examined the association between antibiotic prescription and patient and physician characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 359 children under 5 years of age were included, with 58.77% being girls. 85.24% of the cases of AD were attributed to gastroenteritis and colitis of infectious and unspecified origin. Amebiasis and other protozoal intestinal diseases accounted for 13.37% and 1.11% of the cases, respectively. The completion rates of recording various IMCI parameters varied; parameters such as duration of diarrhea, presence of blood in stool, and evidence of sunken eyes had high completion rates (100%, 100%, and 87.47%, respectively), while parameters like state of consciousness, presence of thirst, and type of diarrhea had low completion rates (0.28%, 0.28%, and 0.84%, respectively). None of the cases had all parameters fully recorded. Antimicrobials were prescribed in 38.72% of the cases. Children aged 3 to 5 years had higher odds of receiving antimicrobial prescription for AD (aOR: 4.42, 95% CI 2.13-9.18, P < .0001) compared to those under 1 year, after adjusting for the number of loose stools per day, gender, and age of the health professional. CONCLUSION: Variations in IMCI guideline compliance were observed, with no cases fully adhering to the guidelines. Antimicrobial prescription rates were notably high, especially among older children. Further research and specialized interventions are necessary to gain comprehensive insight into the factors underlying non-compliance with the IMCI guidelines.

Challenges of using e-health technologies to support clinical care in rural Africa: a longitudinal mixed methods study exploring primary health care nurses' experiences of using an electronic clinical decision support system (CDSS) in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Electronic decision-making support systems (CDSSs) can support clinicians to make evidence-based, rational clinical decisions about patient management and have been effectively implemented in high-income settings. Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) uses clinical algorithms to provide guidelines for management of sick children in primary health care clinics and is widely implemented in low income countries. A CDSS based on IMCI (eIMCI) was developed in South Africa. METHODS: We undertook a mixed methods study to prospectively explore experiences of implementation from the perspective of newly-trained eIMCI practitioners. eIMCI uptake was monitored throughout implementation. In-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with selected participants before and after training, after mentoring, and after 6 months implementation. Participants were then invited to participate in focus group discussions (FGDs) to provide further insights into barriers to eIMCI implementation. RESULTS: We conducted 36 IDIs with 9 participants between October 2020 and May 2021, and three FGDs with 11 participants in October 2021. Most participants spoke positively about eIMCI reporting that it was well received in the clinics, was simple to use, and improved the quality of clinical assessments. However, uptake of eIMCI across participating clinics was poor. Challenges reported included lack of computer skills which made simple tasks, like logging in or entering patient details, time consuming. Technical support was provided, but was time consuming to access so that eIMCI was sometimes unavailable. Other challenges included heavy workloads, and the perception that eIMCI took longer and disrupted participant's work. Poor alignment between recording requirements of eIMCI and other clinic programmes increased participant's administrative workload. All these factors were a disincentive to eIMCI uptake, frequently leading participants to revert to paper IMCI which was quicker and where they felt more confident. CONCLUSION: Despite the potential of CDSSs to increase adherence to guidelines and improve clinical management and prescribing practices in resource constrained settings where clinical support is scarce, they have not been widely implemented. Careful attention should be paid to the work environment, work flow and skills of health workers prior to implementation, and ongoing health system support is required if health workers are to adopt these approaches (350).

Evaluation of the routine implementation of pulse oximeters into integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) guidelines at primary health care level in West Africa: the AIRE mixed-methods research protocol.

BACKGROUND: The AIRE operational project will evaluate the implementation of the routine Pulse Oximeter (PO) use in the integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) strategy for children under-5 in primary health care centers (PHC) in West Africa. The introduction of PO should promote the accurate identification of hypoxemia (pulse blood oxygen saturation Sp02 < 90%) among all severe IMCI cases (respiratory and non-respiratory) to prompt their effective case management (oxygen, antibiotics and other required treatments) at hospital. We seek to understand how the routine use of PO integrated in IMCI outpatients works (or not), for whom, in what contexts and with what outcomes. METHODS: The AIRE project is being implemented from 03/2020 to 12/2022 in 202 PHCs in four West African countries (Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger) including 16 research PHCs (four per country). The research protocol will assess three complementary components using mixed quantitative and qualitative methods: a) context based on repeated cross-sectional surveys: baseline and aggregated monthly data from all PHCs on infrastructure, staffing, accessibility, equipment, PO use, severe cases and care; b) the process across PHCs by assessing acceptability, fidelity, implementation challenges and realistic evaluation, and c) individual outcomes in the research PHCs: all children under-5 attending IMCI clinics, eligible for PO use will be included with parental consent in a cross-sectional study. Among them, severe IMCI cases will be followed in a prospective cohort to assess their health status at 14 days. We will analyze pathways, patterns of care, and costs of care. DISCUSSION: This research will identify challenges to the systematic implementation of PO in IMCI consultations, such as health workers practices, frequent turnover, quality of care, etc. Further research will be needed to fully address key questions such as the best time to introduce PO into the IMCI process, the best SpO2 threshold for deciding on hospital referral, and assessing the cost-effectiveness of PO use. The AIRE research will provide health policy makers in West Africa with sufficient evidence on the context, process and outcomes of using PO integrated into IMCI to promote scale-up in all PHCs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registration number: PACTR202206525204526 retrospectively registered on 06/15/2022.

The feasibility and ongoing use of electronic decision support to strengthen the implementation of IMCI in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Continued efforts are required to reduce preventable child deaths. User-friendly Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) implementation tools and supervision systems are needed to strengthen the quality of child health services in South Africa. A 2018 pilot implementation of electronic IMCI case management algorithms in KwaZulu-Natal demonstrated good uptake and acceptance at primary care clinics. We aimed to investigate whether ongoing electronic IMCI implementation is feasible within the existing Department of Health infrastructure and resources. METHODS: In a mixed methods descriptive study, the electronic IMCI (eIMCI) implementation was extended to 22 health facilities in uMgungundlovu district from November 2019 to February 2021. Training, mentoring, supervision and IT support were provided by a dedicated project team. Programme use was tracked, quarterly assessments of the service delivery platform were undertaken and in-depth interviews were conducted with facility managers. RESULTS: From December 2019 - January 2021, 9 684 eIMCI records were completed across 20 facilities, with a median uptake of 29 records per clinic per month and a mean (range) proportion of child consultations using eIMCI of 15% (1-46%). The local COVID-19-related movement restrictions and epidemic peaks coincided with declines in the monthly eIMCI uptake. Substantial inter- and intra-facility variations in use were observed, with the use being positively associated with the allocation of an eIMCI trained nurse (p < 0.001) and the clinician workload (p = 0.032). CONCLUSION: The ongoing eIMCI uptake was sporadic and the implementation undermined by barriers such as low post-training deployment of nurses; poor capacity in the DoH for IT support; and COVID-19-related disruptions in service delivery. Scaling eIMCI in South Africa would rely on resolving these challenges.

Estimating the impact of donor programs on child mortality in low- and middle-income countries: a synthetic control analysis of child health programs funded by the United States Agency for International Development.

BACKGROUND: Significant levels of funding have been provided to low- and middle-income countries for development assistance for health, with most funds coming through direct bilateral investment led by the USA and the UK. Direct attribution of impact to large-scale programs funded by donors remains elusive due the difficulty of knowing what would have happened without those programs, and the lack of detailed contextual information to support causal interpretation of changes. METHODS: This study uses the synthetic control analysis method to estimate the impact of one donor's funding (United States Agency for International Development, USAID) on under-five mortality across several low- and middle-income countries that received above average levels of USAID funding for maternal and child health programs between 2000 and 2016. RESULTS: In the study period (2000-16), countries with above average USAID funding had an under-five mortality rate lower than the synthetic control by an average of 29 deaths per 1000 live births (year-to-year range of - 2 to - 38). This finding was consistent with several sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The synthetic control method is a valuable addition to the range of approaches for quantifying the impact of large-scale health programs in low- and middle-income countries. The findings suggest that adequately funded donor programs (in this case USAID) help countries to reduce child mortality to significantly lower rates than would have occurred without those investments.

Breastfeeding and diseases prevalent in the first two years of a child's life: a cross-sectional study / Lactancia materna y enfermedades prevalentes en los dos primeros años de vida del niño: un estudio transversal / Amamentação e as doenças prevalentes nos primeiros dois anos de vida da criança: estudo transversal

ABSTRACT Objectives: to assess the association between breastfeeding and diseases prevalent in the first two years of a child's life. Methods: a retrospective cross-sectional study that analyzed electronic medical records of 401 children. Data on birth, growth, breastfeeding and medical care in the first two years of life were collected. In the analysis, Poisson regression with robust variance was used. Results: 27.9% of children were exclusively breastfed until six months, and, at 24 months, 93.3% had already had some prevalent childhood disease. In the crude analysis, 5-minute Apgar association, length, weight at 12 months, exclusive and non-exclusive breastfeeding time had association. In the adjusted analysis, only the variable breastfeeding at six months maintained the association with prevalent childhood diseases. Conclusions: children who were not breastfed, exclusively or not, up to six months of age, had a higher prevalence of diseases compared to breastfed children.

RESUMEN Objetivos: evaluar la asociación entre lactancia materna y enfermedades prevalentes en los dos primeros años de vida del niño. Métodos: estudio transversal retrospectivo que analizó las historias clínicas electrónicas de 401 niños. Se recogieron datos sobre nacimiento, crecimiento, lactancia y atención médica en los dos primeros años de vida. En el análisis se utilizó la regresión de Poisson con varianza robusta. Resultados: el 27,9% de los niños fueron amamantados exclusivamente hasta los seis meses de edad y, a los 24 meses, el 93,3% ya había tenido alguna enfermedad infantil prevalente. En el análisis crudo presentaron asociación de Apgar al minuto 5, longitud, peso a los 12 meses, tiempo de lactancia materna exclusiva y no exclusiva. En el análisis ajustado, sólo la variable lactancia materna a los seis meses mantuvo la asociación con las enfermedades prevalentes de la infancia. Conclusiones: los niños que no fueron amamantados, exclusivamente o no, hasta los seis meses de edad, presentaron mayor prevalencia de enfermedades en comparación con los niños amamantados.

RESUMO Objetivos: avaliar a associação do aleitamento materno e as doenças prevalentes nos primeiros dois anos de vida da criança. Métodos: estudo transversal retrospectivo, que analisou prontuários eletrônicos de 401 crianças. Foram coletados dados sobre nascimento, crescimento, aleitamento materno e atendimentos médicos nos dois primeiros anos de vida. Na análise, utilizou-se Regressão de Poisson com variância robusta. Resultados: receberam aleitamento exclusivo até os seis meses 27,9% das crianças, e, aos 24 meses de vida, 93,3% já haviam tido alguma doença prevalente da infância. Na análise bruta, apresentaram associação Apgar no 5º minuto, comprimento, peso aos 12 meses, tempo de aleitamento exclusivo e não exclusivo. Na análise ajustada, apenas a variável aleitamento materno aos seis meses manteve a associação com as doenças prevalentes da infância. Conclusões: as crianças que não foram amamentadas, exclusivamente ou não, até os seis meses, apresentaram maior prevalência de doenças em relação às amamentadas.

Performance of Automated Point-of-Care Respiratory Rate Counting versus Manual Counting in Children under Five Admitted with Severe Febrile Illness to Kisantu Hospital, DR Congo.

To improve the early recognition of danger signs in children with severe febrile illness in low resource settings, WHO promotes automated respiratory rate (RR) counting, but its performance is unknown in this population. Therefore, we prospectively evaluated the field performance of automated point-of-care plethysmography-based RR counting in hospitalized children with severe febrile illness (<5 years) in DR Congo. A trained research nurse simultaneously counted the RR manually (comparative method) and automatically with the Masimo Rad G pulse oximeter. Valid paired RR measurements were obtained in 202 (83.1%) children, among whom 43.1% (87/202) had fast breathing according to WHO criteria based on manual counting. Automated counting frequently underestimated the RR (median difference of -1 breath/minute; p2.5-p97.5 limits of agreement: -34-6), particularly at higher RR. This resulted in a failure to detect fast breathing in 24.1% (21/87) of fast breathing children (positive percent agreement: 75.9%), which was not explained by clinical characteristics (p > 0.05). Children without fast breathing were mostly correctly classified (negative percent agreement: 98.3%). In conclusion, in the present setting the automated RR counter performed insufficiently to facilitate the early recognition of danger signs in children with severe febrile illness, given wide limits of agreement and a too low positive percent agreement.

Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI): a mixed-methods study on implementation, knowledge and resource availability in Malawi.

Background: The introduction of the WHO's Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) guidelines in the mid-1990s contributed to global reductions in under-five mortality. However, issues in quality of care have been reported. We aimed to determine resource availability and healthcare worker knowledge of IMCI guidelines in two districts in Malawi. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study, including health facility audits to record availability and functionality of essential IMCI equipment and availability of IMCI drugs, healthcare provider survey and focus group discussions (FGDs) with facility staff. The study was conducted between January and April 2019 in Mchinji (central region) and Zomba (southern region) districts. Quantitative data were described using proportions and χ2 tests; linear regression was conducted to explore factors associated with IMCI knowledge. Qualitative data were analysed using a pragmatic framework approach. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed and presented separately. Results: Forty-seven health facilities and 531 healthcare workers were included. Lumefantrine-Artemether and cotrimoxazole were the most available drugs (98% and 96%); while amoxicillin tablets and salbutamol nebuliser solution were the least available (28% and 36%). Respiratory rate timers were the least available piece of equipment, with only 8 (17%) facilities having a functional device. The mean IMCI knowledge score was 3.96 out of 10, and there was a statistically significant association between knowledge and having received refresher training (coeff: 0.42; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.82). Four themes were identified in the FGDs: IMCI implementation and practice, barriers to IMCI, benefits of IMCI and sustainability. Conclusion: We found key gaps in IMCI implementation; however, these were not homogenous across facilities, suggesting opportunities to learn from locally adapted IMCI best practices. Improving on-going mentorship, training and supervision should be explored to improve quality of care, and programming which moves away from vertical financing with short-term support, to a more holistic approach with embedded sustainability may address the balance of resources for different conditions.

An Integrated eDiagnosis Approach (IeDA) versus standard IMCI for assessing and managing childhood illness in Burkina Faso: a stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: The Integrated eDiagnosis Approach (IeDA), centred on an electronic Clinical Decision Support System (eCDSS) developed in line with national Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines, was implemented in primary health facilities of two regions of Burkina Faso. An evaluation was performed using a stepped-wedge cluster randomised design with the aim of determining whether the IeDA intervention increased Health Care Workers' (HCW) adherence to the IMCI guidelines. METHODS: Ten randomly selected facilities per district were visited at each step by two trained nurses: One observed under-five consultations and the second conducted a repeat consultation. The primary outcomes were: overall adherence to clinical assessment tasks; overall correct classification ignoring the severity of the classifications; and overall correct prescription according to HCWs' classifications. Statistical comparisons between trial arms were performed on cluster/step-level summaries. RESULTS: On average, 54 and 79% of clinical assessment tasks were observed to be completed by HCWs in the control and intervention districts respectively (cluster-level mean difference = 29.9%; P-value = 0.002). The proportion of children for whom the validation nurses and the HCWs recorded the same classifications (ignoring the severity) was 73 and 79% in the control and intervention districts respectively (cluster-level mean difference = 10.1%; P-value = 0.004). The proportion of children who received correct prescriptions in accordance with HCWs' classifications were similar across arms, 78% in the control arm and 77% in the intervention arm (cluster-level mean difference = - 1.1%; P-value = 0.788). CONCLUSION: The IeDA intervention improved substantially HCWs' adherence to IMCI's clinical assessment tasks, leading to some overall increase in correct classifications but to no overall improvement in correct prescriptions. The largest improvements tended to be observed for less common conditions. For more common conditions, HCWs in the control districts performed relatively well, thus limiting the scope to detect an overall impact. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02341469 ; First submitted August 272,014, posted January 19, 2015.

"The staff are not motivated anymore": Health care worker perspectives on the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) program in the Philippines.

BACKGROUND: Studies focusing on the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) program in the Philippines are limited, and perspectives of frontline health care workers (HCWs) are largely absent in relation to the introduction and current implementation of the program. Here, we describe the operational challenges and opportunities described by HCWs implementing IMCI in five regions of the Philippines. These perspectives can provide insights into how IMCI can be strengthened as the program matures, in the Philippines and beyond. METHODS: In-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with HCWs (n = 46) in five provinces (Ilocos Sur, Quezon, National Capital Region, Bohol and Davao), with full transcription and translation as necessary. In parallel, data collectors observed the status (availability and placement) of IMCI-related materials in facilities. All data were coded using NVivo 12 software and arranged along a Social Ecological Model. RESULTS: HCWs spoke of the benefits of IMCI and discussed how they developed workarounds to ensure that integral components of the program could be delivered in frontline facilities. Five key challenges emerged in relation to IMCI implementation in primary health care (PHC) facilities: 1) insufficient financial resources to fund program activities, 2) inadequate training, mentoring and supervision among and for providers, 3) fragmented leadership and governance, 4) substandard access to IMCI relevant written documents, and 5) professional hierarchies that challenge fidelity to IMCI protocols. CONCLUSION: Although the IMCI program was viewed by HCWs as holistic and as providing substantial benefits to the community, more viable implementation processes are needed to bolster acceptability in PHC facilities.

Apoio institucional para agentes comunitários de saúde usando o programa de Atenção Integrada às Doenças Prevalentes na Infância em Ruanda / Institutional support to community health workers using integrated management of childhood illness program in Rwanda

O objetivo foi explorar o apoio e descrever a supervisão de agentes comunitários de saúde que implementam o programa de atenção integrada às doenças prevalentes na infância (AIDPI). Um desenho não experimental, exploratório, descritivo e quantitativo foi adotado neste estudo. Os dados foram coletados entre 305 participantes (30% da população) por meio de um questionário estruturado. Dupla digitação foi utilizada e os dados foram limpos e analisados usando o Statistics Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) 19. Em Ruanda, o apoio e supervisão são fornecidos pela instituição base e supervisores. Os agentes comunitários de saúde (ACS) frequentemente enfrentam escassez de medicamentos e equipamentos (63,3%) e 87,5% ficaram sem equipamentos, medicamentos e consumíveis, o que criou barreiras para a assistência das crianças doentes. Para melhorar o apoio institucional dado aos agentes comunitários de saúde, supervisão de apoio contínua e regular, além do fornecimento de suprimentos, é essencial.

The objective was to explore the support given to community health workers who use the integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) approach and describe the supervision given to them. A non-experimental, exploratory, descriptive, quantitative design was used for this study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire; 305 were interviewed (30% sample). The data were double entered, cleaned, and analyzed using Statistics Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) 19. Support and supervision in Rwanda are provided by the base institution and by supervisors. CHWs often had a shortage of drugs and equipment (63.3%) and 87.5% have experienced run out of equipment, medicines, and consumables. This created barriers to caring for sick children. To improve institutional support for community health workers, regular and continuous supportive supervision and supplies are essential.

Perspectives of health care workers and village health volunteers on community-based Integrated Management of Childhood Illness in Madagascar.

The Ministry of Health and Family Planning of Madagascar introduced Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy in 2006, and community-based IMCI (c-IMCI), in Mahajanga II District in 2007. Following the 2009 political crisis, foreign organisations' suspension of development aid until 2012 significantly affected the implementation of c-IMCI. This study aimed to elucidate the perspectives of village health volunteers (VHVs) and public health officers (PHO) on c-IMCI. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with all VHVs working in three communes and PHOs working at central, district, and health centre levels were conducted in 2013. Textual data, created from transcripts, were translated into English and French. Data management involved analysis of sections of translated transcripts, which were marked, coded, and linked with similar experiences, challenges, and opinions; these were categorised into words and phrases to discover meaningful relationships between emerging themes. From all interviews of 30 VHV in three Mahajanga II communes and 4 PHOs, 3 themes emerged: 1) benefits of c-IMCI to the community and for VHVs, 2) challenges to continue c-IMCI, and 3) motivation to continue c-IMCI. Although all respondents considered c-IMCI as beneficial, they stated it was difficult to continue. The health system and implementation of c-IMCI should be strengthened to enable programme survival beyond the initial phase, especially during times of political instability.

La práctica pedagógica en la atención integrada de las enfermedades prevalentes de la infancia desde la perspectiva de Basil Bernstein / Pedagogical practice in the integrated management of prevalent childhood illness from the perspective of Basil Bernstein / A prática pedagógica na atenção integrada das doenças prevalentes da infância da perspectiva de Basil Bernstein

Resumen La estrategia "Atención integrada de las enfermedades prevalentes de la infancia" (aiepi) es reconocida por las entidades de salud internacionales y nacionales como una estrategia que impacta la salud de la población infantil y que sus componentes clínico y comunitario desarrollan la educación para la salud. Objetivo: Comprender cómo se desarrolla la práctica pedagógica en la consulta médica atendida bajo la estrategia aiepi, en una institución de primer nivel de atención durante el año 2015. Metodología: Investigación cualitativa, con una perspectiva hermenéutica. Para la comprensión de la construcción social de la práctica pedagógica se tuvo una orientación etnográfica y el sistema de reglas (jerarquía, secuencia y criterio) propuesto por Bernstein. Las técnicas etnográficas utilizadas fueron entrevista cualitativa, observación participante y entrevista grupal. Se entrevistó a once cuidadores y tres médicas. Resultados: Para las médicas, muchas de las enfermedades son "autolimitadas", se resuelven solas. El propósito de la educación es convencer a los cuidadores de que la información suministrada por las médicas es verdadera. Los temas en educación son determinados por las médicas y centrados en la enfermedad. Para los cuidadores, la médica es referente de conocimiento. Las médicas reconocen que hay saber popular que se estudia y se acepta por el conocimiento científico; sin embargo, solo el conocimiento científico es válido. Conclusión: En la atención de aiepi, la práctica pedagógica es visible, porque se centra en el desempeño del cuidador y en la cantidad de texto que él aprende mediante la repetición, y las médicas ejercen poder sobre los cuidadores, al poseer el conocimiento hegemónico (válido y verdadero) que refuerza el modelo biomédico en la práctica pedagógica.

Abstract The strategy "Integrated Management of Childhood Illness"(IMCI) is recognized by international and national health bodies as a strategy that affects the health of the child population and whose clinical and community components develop health education. Objective: To understand how pedagogical practice develops in medical consultation attended under the IMCI strategy, in a first level care institution in 2015. Methodology: Qualitative research, with a hermeneutic perspective. To understand the social construction of pedagogic practice an ethnographic stance and the system of rules (hierarchy, sequence and criterion) proposed by Bernstein were adopted. The ethnographic techniques used were qualitative interview, participant observation and group interview. Eleven caregivers and three doctors were interviewed. Results: For the doctors, many of the diseases are "self-limiting", i.e. they resolve on their own. The purpose of education is to convince the caregivers that the information provided by the doctors is true. The education topics are determined by the doctors and focused on the disease. For the caregivers, the doctor is a reference of knowledge. The doctors recognize that there is popular knowledge that is studied and accepted by scientific knowledge; however, only scientific knowledge is valid. Conclusion: Pedagogical practice is visible in IMCI care because it focuses on the performance of the caregiver and the amount of text that he learns through repetition, and the doctors exert power over caregivers, as they possess hegemonic (valid and true) knowledge that reinforces the biomedical model in pedagogical practice..

Resumo A estratégia "Atenção integrada das doenças prevalecentes da infância" (AIEPI), é reconhecida pelas entidades de saúde nacionais e internacionais como uma estratégia que impacta a saúde da população infantil e que seus componentes clínicos e comunitários desenvolvem a educação para a saúde. Objetivo: Compreender como se desenvolve a prática pedagógica na consulta médica atendida sob a estratégia AIEPI, numa instituição de primeira linha de atenção durante o ano de 2015. Metodologia: Pesquisa qualitativa com uma perspectiva hermenêutica. Para a compreensão da construção social da prática pedagógica se teve uma orientação etnográfica e o sistema de regras (hierarquia, sequência e critério) proposto por Bernstein. As técnicas etnográficas usadas foram: entrevista qualitativa, observação participante e entrevista grupal. Foram entrevistados 11 cuidadores e 3 médicas. Resultados: De acordo com as médicas, muitas das doenças são "autolimitadas", se curam sozinhas. O objetivo da educação é convencer os cuidadores de que a informação fornecida pelas médicas é verídica. Os temas relacionados à educação são determinados pelas médicas e focados nas doenças. Para os cuidadores, a médica é um referencial de conhecimento. As médicas reconhecem que existe um conhecimento popular que é estudado e aceito pelo conhecimento científico; porém, só o conhecimento científico é válido. Conclusão: No que se refere à atenção de AIEPI, a prática pedagógica é visível, porque está centralizada no desempenho do cuidador e na quantidade de informação escrita que ele aprende através da repetição e as médicas influenciam os cuidadores já que possuem o conhecimento hegemônico (válido e verídico) que reforça o modelo biomédico na prática pedagógica.

Assessing the quality of care in sick child services at health facilities in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Quality of care depends on system, facility, provider, and client-level factors. We aimed at examining structural and process quality of services for sick children and its association with client satisfaction at health facilities in Ethiopia. METHODS: Data from the Ethiopia Service Provision Assessment Plus (SPA+) survey 2014 were used. Measures of quality were assessed based on the Donabedian framework: structure, process, and outcome. A total of 1908 mothers or caretakers were interviewed and their child consultations were observed. Principal component analysis was used to construct quality of care indices including a structural composite score, a process composite score, and a client satisfaction score. Multilevel mixed linear regression was used to analyze the association between structural and process factors with client satisfaction. RESULT: Among children diagnosed with suspected pneumonia, respiratory rate was counted in 56% and temperature was checked in 77% of the cases. A majority of children (92%) diagnosed with fever had their temperature taken. Only 3% of children with fever were either referred or admitted, and 60% received antibiotics. Among children diagnosed with malaria, 51% were assessed for all three Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) main symptoms, and 4% were assessed for all three general danger signs. Providers assessed dehydration in 54% of children with diarrhea with dehydration, 17% of these children were admitted or referred to another facility, and Oral Rehydration Solution was prescribed for 67% while none received intravenous fluids. The number of basic amenities in the facility was negatively associated with the clients' satisfaction. Private facilities, when the providers had got training for care of sick children in the past 2 years, had higher client satisfaction. There was no statistical association between structure, process composite indicators and client satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The assessment of sick children was of low quality, with many missing procedures when comparing with IMCI guidelines. In spite of this, most clients were satisfied with the services they received. Structural and process composite indicators were not associated with client's satisfaction. These findings highlight the need to assess other dimensions of quality of care besides structure and process that may influence client satisfaction.

Challenges facing professional nurses implementing the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness programme in rural primary health care clinics, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Under-five mortality and morbidity could be reduced through increased implementation of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy. The aim of the study was to determine challenges facing IMCI-trained professional nurses on implementing this strategy when managing children less than 5 years of age. METHODS: A quantitative descriptive survey method was used. The target populations were IMCI-trained professional nurses with the sample of 208 respondents. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires and analysed using statistical analysis system software. RESULTS: The implementation of the IMCI strategy by IMCI-trained professional nurses in Vhembe primary health care (PHC) clinics continues to face challenges, making it difficult for professional nurses to follow guidelines. These challenges range from staff barriers, management barriers, poor management process and poor infrastructure. All these challenges lead to poor-quality under-five patient care. CONCLUSION: Regardless of the IMCI strategy being implemented since its inception in 1999, the under-five mortality remains not reduced. This is related to the identified challenges facing the IMCI-trained professional nurses implementing the strategy.

Can social accountability mechanisms using community scorecards improve quality of pediatric care in rural Cambodia?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of social accountability strategies on pediatric quality of care. DESIGN AND SETTING: A non-randomized quasi experimental study was conducted in four districts in Cambodia and all operational public health facilities were included. PARTICIPANTS: Five patients under 5 years and their caretakers were randomly selected in each facility. INTERVENTIONS: To determine the effect of maternal and child health interventions integrating citizen voice and action using community scorecards on quality of pediatric care. OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient observations were conducted to determine quality of screening and counseling, followed by exit interviews with caretakers. RESULTS: Results indicated significant differences between intervention and comparison facilities; screening by Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) trained providers (100% vs 67%, P < 0.019), screening for danger signs; ability to drink/breastfeed (100% vs 86.7%, P < 0.041), lethargy (86.7% vs 40%, P < 0.004) and convulsions (83.3 vs 46.7%, P < 0.023). Screening was significantly higher for patients in the intervention facilities for edema (56.7% vs 6.7%, P < 0.000), immunization card (90% vs 40%, P < 0.002), child weight (100 vs 86.7, P < 0.041) and checking growth chart (96.7% vs 66.7%, P < 0.035). The IMCI index, constructed from key performance indicators, was significantly higher for patients in the intervention facilities than comparison facilities (screening index 8.8 vs 7.0, P < 0.018, counseling index 2.7 vs 1.5, P < 0.001). Predictors of screening quality were child age, screening by IMCI trained provider, wealthier quintiles and intervention facilities. CONCLUSION: The institution of social accountability mechanisms to engage communities and facility providers showed some improvements in quality of care for common pediatric conditions, but socioeconomic disparities were evident.

'Everybody in Nigeria is a doctor ': a qualitative study of stakeholder perspectives on lay diagnosis of malaria and pneumonia in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Lay diagnosis is a widely used diagnostic approach for home management of common illnesses in Nigeria. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of caregivers and healthcare professionals on lay diagnosis of childhood malaria and pneumonia. Aligned to this, the study sought to explore the feasibility of training caregivers in the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines for improved recognition and treatment of these diseases. METHODS: A qualitative study using individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews was conducted in Benin City, Nigeria. Participants included 13 caregivers with children under 5 years and 17 healthcare professionals (HPs). An inductive approach to thematic analysis was used to generate themes and analyses. RESULTS: Caregivers relied on lay diagnosis but recognised its limitations. The perceived severity of malaria and pneumonia significantly influenced caregivers' preference for reliance on lay diagnosis practices, health-seeking behaviour and willingness to undertake training in IMCI guidelines for home management of diseases. Safety and potential unintended misuse of medications were recognised by caregivers and HPs as the main challenges. CONCLUSIONS: The high level of acceptance among caregivers to receive IMCI training could help improve effective management of childhood malaria and pneumonia at the community level through early recognition and prompt treatment.