Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27280024›Full record

ArticleJournal of pharmaceutical policy and practice2016

'Better medicines for children' within the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness framework: a qualitative inquiry in Uganda.

Xavier Nsabagasani, Japer Ogwal-Okeng, Ebba Holme Hansen, Anthony Mbonye, Herbert Muyinda, Freddie Ssengooba

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Article in Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

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5citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Xavier NsabagasaniChild Health and Development Center, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Japer Ogwal-OkengDepartment of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda.
Ebba Holme HansenSection for Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Anthony MbonyeDepartment of Community Health, Ministry of Health Uganda, Kampala, Uganda ; Department of Health, Uganda Christian University, Mukono, Uganda.
Herbert MuyindaChild Health and Development Center, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Freddie SsengoobaSchool of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses is the main approach for treating children in more than 100 low income countries worldwide. In 2007, the World Health Assembly urged countries to integrate 'better medicines for children' into their essential medicines lists and treatment guidelines. WHO regularly provides generic algorithms for IMCI and publishes the Model Essential Medicines List with child-friendly medicines based on new evidence for member countries to adopt. However, the status of 'better medicines for children' within the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses approach in Uganda has not been studied.

methodsQualitative interviews were conducted with: two officials from the ministry of health; two district health officials and, 22 health workers from public health facilities. Interview transcripts were manually analyzed for manifest and latent content.

resultsChild-appropriate dosage formulations were not included in the package for the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses and ministry officials attributed this to resource constraints and lack of initial guidance from the World Health Organization. Underfunding reportedly undercut efforts to: orient health workers; do support supervision and update treatment guidelines to reflect 'better medicines for children'. Health workers reported difficulties in administering tablets and capsules to under-five children and that's why they preferred liquid oral dosage formulations, suppositories and injections.

conclusionsThe IMCI strategy in Uganda was not revised to reflect child-appropriate dosage formulations - a missed opportunity for improving the quality of management of childhood illnesses. Funding was an obstacle to the integration of child-appropriate dosage formulations. Ministry of health should prioritize funding for the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses and revising the Essential Medicines and Health Supplies List of Uganda, the Uganda Clinical Guidelines and, the Treatment Charts for the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses to reflect child-appropriate dosage formulations.

Indexed as

Better medicines for childrenDosage formulations and UgandaIMCI

Identifiers

PMID27280024
PMCPMC4897804

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