ArticleBMC pediatrics2022
Challenges and recommendations to improve implementation of phototherapy among neonates in Malawian hospitals.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of phototherapy for jaundice in full-term newborns: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of a locally made eye protector for neonates treated with phototherapy at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), Malawi: a bench study.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Newborn technology use in low-resource settings: the role of health professionals' communication in implementation.Health policy and planning · 2025Article
- Communication among health professionals using newborn technology for care: an exploratory scoping review.BMJ open quality · 2025Article
- Neonatal Jaundice Requiring Phototherapy Risk Factors in a Newborn Nursery: Machine Learning Approach.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Comparing Kramer's rule with transcutaneous bilirubin vs. Kramer's rule only in reducing total serum bilirubin sampling among neonates with jaundice.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSevere neonatal jaundice can result in long term morbidities and mortality when left untreated. Phototherapy is the main-stay intervention for treating moderate jaundice and for prevention of the development of severe jaundice. However, in resource-limited health care settings, phototherapy has been inconsistently used. The objective of this study is to evaluate barriers and facilitators for phototherapy to treat neonatal jaundice at Malawian hospitals.
methodsWe conducted a convergent mixed-method study comprised of a facility assessment and qualitative interviews with healthcare workers and caregivers in southern Malawi. The facility assessment was conducted at three secondary-level hospitals in rural districts. In-depth interviews following a semi-structured topic guide were conducted at a district hospital and a tertiary-level hospital. Interviews were thematically analysed in NVivo 12 software (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia).
resultsThe facility assessment found critical gaps in initiating and monitoring phototherapy in all facilities. Based on a total of 31 interviews, participants identified key challenges in diagnosing neonatal jaundice, counselling caregivers, and availability of infrastructure. Participants emphasized the need for transcutaneous bilirubinometers to guide treatment decisions. Caregivers were sometimes fearful of potential harmful effects of phototherapy, which required adequate explanation to mothers and family members in non-medical language. Task shifting and engaging peer support for caregivers with concerns about phototherapy was recommended.
conclusionImplementation of a therapeutic intervention is limited if accurate diagnostic tests are unavailable. The scale up of therapeutic interventions, such as phototherapy for neonatal jaundice, requires careful holistic attention to infrastructural needs, supportive services such as laboratory integration as well as trained human resources.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.