Integrated paediatric fever management and antibiotic over-treatment in Malawi health facilities: data mining a national facility census.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There are growing concerns about irrational antibiotic prescription practices in the era of test-based malaria case management. This study assessed integrated paediatric fever management using malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) and Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines, including the relationship between RDT-negative results and antibiotic over-treatment in Malawi health facilities in 2013-2014.

Methods

A Malawi national facility census included 1981 observed sick children aged 2-59 months with fever complaints. Weighted frequencies were tabulated for other complaints, assessments and prescriptions for RDT-confirmed malaria, IMCI-classified non-severe pneumonia, and clinical diarrhoea. Classification trees using model-based recursive parti

SUBMITTER: Johansson EW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4972956 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature