The changes in health service utilisation in Malawi during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic and the restriction policies implemented by the Government of Malawi may have disrupted routine health service utilisation. We aimed to find evidence for such disruptions and quantify any changes by service type and level of health care.

Methods

We extracted nationwide routine health service usage data for 2015-2021 from the electronic health information management systems in Malawi. Two datasets were prepared: unadjusted and adjusted; for the latter, unreported monthly data entries for a facility were filled in through systematic rules based on reported mean values of that facility or facility type and considering both reporting rates and comparability with published data. Using statistical descriptive methods, we first described the patte

SUBMITTER: She B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10793884 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature