ArticleBMC health services research2018
Quality of care for children with acute malnutrition at health center level in Uganda: a cross sectional study in West Nile region during the refugee crisis.
Article in BMC health services research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evidence on Strategies for Integrating Nutrition Interventions with Health and Immunization Systems in Conflict-affected Areas of Low- and Lower-middle-income Settings-A Systematic Review.Nutrition reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Using routine health information data for research in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2020Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of inpatient treatment outcomes of severe acute malnutrition and predictors of mortality among under-five children in Ethiopia.BMC public health · 2019Pooled it
- Community-Based Outpatient Therapeutic Program Implementation in Central Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: A Process Evaluation Using Access and Implementation Fidelity Frameworks.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Article
- Article
- Identifying the causes of adolescent malnutrition in Nuwara-Eliya District, Sri Lanka.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Varied Prevalence of Antimalarial Drug Resistance Markers in Different Populations of Newly Arrived Refugees in Uganda.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Caregivers' experiences and practices for malnourished children undergoing tuberculosis treatment in Eswatini.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2024Article
- Primary healthcare delivery models in African conflict-affected settings: a systematic review.Conflict and health · 2023Review
- Use of collaborative learning approach for increased cure rate among children aged 6-59 months with severe wasting in Karamoja, Uganda.BMJ open quality · 2023Article
- Integrating Nutrition Actions in Service Delivery: The Practices of Frontline Workers in Uganda.International journal of health policy and management · 2022Article
- Evaluation of the outpatient therapeutic program for severe acute malnourished children aged 6-59 months implementation in Dehana District, Northern Ethiopia: a mixed-methods evaluation.BMC pediatrics · 2022Article
- Readiness of Mozambique Health Facilities to Address Undernutrition and Diarrhea in Children under Five: Indicators from 2018 and 2021 Survey Data.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- An assessment of the quality of care provided at primary health care centres in camps for internally displaced persons in Iraq in 2018.Conflict and health · 2021Article
- Quality in crisis: a systematic review of the quality of health systems in humanitarian settings.Conflict and health · 2021Review
- Barriers and facilitators of providing primary health care to Afghan refugees: A qualitative study from the perspective of health care providers.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2021Article
- Capacity assessment for provision of quality sexual reproductive health and HIV-integrated services in Karamoja, Uganda.African health sciences · 2020Article
- Article
- Mapping evidence on malnutrition screening tools for children under 5 years in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol.Systematic reviews · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundArua district, in Uganda, hosts some of the largest refugee camps in the country. The estimated prevalence of moderate and severe acute malnutrition in children is higher than the national estimates (10.4 and 5.6% respectively, compared to 3.6 and 1.3%). This study aimed at assessing the quality of care provided to children with acute malnutrition at out-patient level in such a setting.
methodsSix facilities with the highest number of children with malnutrition were selected. The main tool used was the National Nutrition Service Delivery Assessment Tool, assessing 10 key areas of service delivery and assigned a score as either poor, fair, good or excellent. Health outcomes, quality of case management and data quality were assessed from the health management information system and from the official nutrition registers.
resultsAll facilities except two scored either poor or fair under all the 10 assessment areas. Overall, 33/60 (55%) areas scored as poor, 25/60 (41%) as fair, 2/60 (3.3%) as good, and none as excellent. Main gaps identified included: lack of trained staff; disorganised patient flow; poor case management; stock out of essential supplies including ready-to-use therapeutic foods; weak community linkage. A sample coverage of 45.4% (1020/2248) of total children admitted in the district during the 2016 financial year were included. The overall mean cure rate was 52.9% while the default rate was 38.3%. There was great heterogeneity across health facilities in health outcomes, quality of case management, and data quality.
conclusionThis study suggests that quality of care provided to children with malnutrition at health center level is substandard with unacceptable low cure rates. It is essential to identify effective approaches to enhance adherence to national guidelines, provision of essential nutritional commodities, regular monitoring of services and better linkage with the community through village health teams.
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