National and sub-national variation in patterns of febrile case management in sub-Saharan Africa.

ABSTRACT: Given national healthcare coverage gaps, understanding treatment-seeking behaviour for fever is crucial for the management of childhood illness and to reduce deaths. Here, we conduct a modelling study triangulating household survey data for fever in children under the age of five years with georeferenced public health facility databases (n = 86,442 facilities) in 29 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, to estimate the probability of seeking treatment for fever at public facilities. A Bayesian item response theory framework is used to estimate this probability based on reported fever episodes, treatment choice, residence, and estimated travel-time to the nearest public-sector health facility. Findings show inter- and intra-country variation, with the likelihood of seeking treatment for feve

SUBMITTER: Alegana VA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6255762 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature