Adherence to severe malaria treatment guidelines in children at a Ugandan regional hospital: a baseline assessment for a malaria treatment quality improvement project

Malaria is one of the most common causes of hospital admission and death in children under the age of five. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidelines for the identification and treatment of severe malaria. Evidence has shown that adherence to standardized malaria treatment protocols...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Malaria journal 2023-02, Vol.22 (1), p.67-67, Article 67
Main Authors: Moffitt, Cynthia A, Olupot-Olupot, Peter, Onen, Joan Wamulugwa, O'Brien, Nicole
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adherence
Artesunate
Blood transfusions
Care and treatment
Case management
Children
Diagnosis
Evaluation
Glucose
Guidelines
Haemoglobin
Health facilities
Health risk assessment
Hemoglobin
Human diseases
Laboratories
Length of stay
Malaria
Medical referrals
Metabolism
Methods
Microscopy
Mortality
Patient compliance
Patients
Pediatrics
Physicians
Practice guidelines (Medicine)
Quality control
Quality improvement
Severe malaria
Symptoms
Uganda
Vector-borne diseases
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Summary:Malaria is one of the most common causes of hospital admission and death in children under the age of five. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidelines for the identification and treatment of severe malaria. Evidence has shown that adherence to standardized malaria treatment protocols improves outcomes. As a baseline assessment in preparation for a malaria treatment quality improvement project, this study aimed to determine adherence to the WHO severe malaria treatment guidelines in children at a Ugandan Regional Referral Hospital. A retrospective review was performed on a convenience sample of children discharged between June 2021 and March 2022 from the Mbale Regional Referral Hospital Paediatrics Ward with a diagnosis of severe malaria. Data were collected using a standardized case report form. Demographics, presenting symptoms, laboratory results, treatments, length of stay, and mortality were extracted. Comparison of treatments received to items recommended in the WHO guidelines was undertaken to determine adherence. 147 patients were included. The median age was 5 years (IQR 2-7 years), and 55% were male. The most common features of severe malaria were haemoglobinuria (49%), haemoglobin 
ISSN:1475-2875
1475-2875
DOI:10.1186/s12936-023-04507-4