ArticleBMC health services research2019
Treatment-seeking behaviour for febrile illnesses and its implications for malaria control and elimination in Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR (Laos): a mixed method study.
Article in BMC health services research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers.
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43 citing papers in PubMed, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Health Service-Related Determinants of Health-Seeking Behavior during Malaria Fever in a High-Risk Region of Nepal.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Over the counter use of topical corticosteroid for skin conditions among patients before attending skin specialist clinic in Nepal: A qualitative study.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practices toward malaria in the Lunglei district, Mizoram, North-East India.Malaria journal · 2024Article
- Fine-scale maps of malaria incidence to inform risk stratification in Laos.Malaria journal · 2024Article
- Trust in healthcare: methodological and conceptual insights from mixed-method research in Lao People's Democratic Republic.BMJ global health · 2024Article
- Interventions to address antimicrobial resistance: an ethical analysis of key tensions and how they apply in low- income and middle-income countries.BMJ global health · 2024Review
- Triage practices for emergency care delivery: a qualitative study among febrile patients and healthcare workers in a tertiary care hospital in Nepal.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Prospects for the development of community-based care in remote rural areas: a stakeholder analysis in Laos.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Treatment-seeking behaviours of malaria patients versus non-malaria febrile patients along China-Myanmar border.Malaria journal · 2023Article
- User fee exemption and malaria treatment-seeking for children under five in a Cameroonian health district: a cross-sectional study.Malaria journal · 2023Article
- Village malaria workers for the community-based management of vivax malaria.The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2023Review
- Community-level impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on malaria prevention and health-seeking behaviours in rural Benin: A mixed methods study.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Choice of health providers and health-seeking behaviour among forest goer population in Myanmar: findings from a cross-sectional household survey.Malaria journal · 2022Article
- Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) quantitation using biosensors at the point of first contact: a mixed method study in Cambodia.Malaria journal · 2022Article
- Observational
- Forest malaria and prospects for anti-malarial chemoprophylaxis among forest goers: findings from a qualitative study in Lao PDR.Malaria journal · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
16 authors at 4 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHow people respond to febrile illness is critical to malaria prevention, control, and ultimately elimination. This article explores factors affecting treatment-seeking behaviour for febrile illnesses in a remote area of Lao PDR.
methodsHousehold heads or their representatives (n = 281) were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. A total of twelve focus group discussions (FGDs) each with eight to ten participants were conducted in four villages. In addition, observations were recorded as field notes (n = 130) and were used to collect information on the local context, including the treatment seeking behaviour and the health services.
resultsAlmost three-quarters (201/281) of respondents reported fever in past two months. Most (92%, 185/201) sought treatment of which 80% (149/185) sought treatment at a health centre. Geographic proximity to a health centre (AOR = 6.5; CI = 1.74-24.25; for those < 3.5 km versus those > 3.6 km) and previous experience of attending a health centre (AOR = 4.7; CI = 1.2-19.1) were strong predictors of visiting a health centre for febrile symptoms. During FGDs, respondents described seeking treatment from traditional healers and at health centre for mild to moderate illnesses. Respondents also explained how if symptoms, including fever, were severe or persisted after receiving treatment elsewhere, they sought assistance at health centres. Access to local health centres/hospitals was often constrained by a lack of transportation and an ability to meet the direct and indirect costs of a visit.
conclusionIn Nong District, a rural area bordering Vietnam, people seek care from health centres offering allopathic medicine and from spiritual healers. Decisions about where and when to attend health care depended on their economic status, mobility (distance to the health centre, road conditions, availability of transport), symptoms severity and illness recognition. Current and future malaria control/elimination programmes could benefit from greater collaboration with the locally accessible sources of treatments, such as health volunteers and traditional healers.
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