Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25932080›Full record

Observational studyThe Pan African medical journal2014

Direct observation of outpatient management of malaria in a rural Ghanaian district.

Donne Kofi Ameme, Edwin Andrews Afari, Kofi Mensah Nyarko, Keziah Laurencia Malm, Samuel Sackey, Fred Wurapa

Open access · greenAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in The Pan African medical journal, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Donne Kofi AmemeGhana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP), School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Edwin Andrews AfariGhana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP), School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Kofi Mensah NyarkoGhana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP), School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana ; Disease Control and Prevention Department, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.
Keziah Laurencia MalmDisease Control and Prevention Department, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana.
Samuel SackeyGhana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP), School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Fred WurapaGhana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP), School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
University of Ghana · GHGhana Health Service · GH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIn Ghana, malaria continues to top outpatient morbidities; accounting for about 40% of all attendances. Effective case-management is key to its control. We evaluated case-management practices of uncomplicated malaria in Kwahu South District (KSD) health facilities to determine their conformity to guidelines.

methodsWe conducted a cross sectional survey at all public health facilities in three randomly selected sub-districts in KSD. A non-participatory observation of suspected malaria consultations was conducted. Suspected malaria was defined as any person with fever (by history or measured axillary temperature > or equal 37.5 oC) presenting at the selected health facilities between 19th and 29th April 2013. Findings were expressed as frequencies, relative frequencies, mean (± standard deviation) and median.

resultsOf 70 clinical observations involving 10 prescribers in six health facilities, 40 (57.1%) were females and 16 (22.9%) were below five years. Median age was 18 years (interquartile range: 5-33). Overall, 63 (90.0%) suspected case-patients had diagnostic tests. Two (3.6%) were treated presumptively. All 31 confirmed and 10 (33.3%) of the test negative case-patients received Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs). However, only 12 (27.9%) of the 43 case-patients treated with ACT received Artesunate-Amodiaquine (AA). Only three (18.8%) of the under-fives were examined for non-malarial causes of fever. Mean number of drugs per patient was 3.7 drugs (± 1.1). Only 45 (64.3%) patients received at least one counseling message.

conclusionConformity of malaria case-management practices to guidelines in KSD was suboptimal. Apart from high rate of diagnostic testing and ACT use, prescription of AA, physical examination and counseling needed improvement.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAmbulatory CareChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleGhanaHumansMalariaMaleRural PopulationYoung Adultcase-managementGhanaMalariaobservation

Identifiers

PMID25932080
PMCPMC4407949
OpenAlexW171026369

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.