Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39157428›Full record

ArticleWellcome open research2024

Causes, outcomes and diagnosis of acute breathlessness hospital admissions in Malawi: protocol for a multicentre prospective cohort study.

Stephen A Spencer, Florence Malowa, David McCarty, Elizabeth Joekes, Jacob Phulusa, Beatrice Chinoko, Sylvester Kaimba, Lucy Keyala, Peter Mandala, Mercy Mkandawire and 16 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Wellcome open research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

26 authors.

Stephen A SpencerDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8451-7514
Florence MalowaMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
David McCartyQueen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
Elizabeth JoekesDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
Jacob PhulusaMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
Beatrice ChinokoMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
Sylvester KaimbaMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
Lucy KeyalaMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
Peter MandalaMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
Mercy MkandawireMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
Matthew MlongotiMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
Bright MnesaMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
Albert MukatipaMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.
Rhona MijumbiDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
Mulinda NyirendaQueen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2037-7449
Hendry R SaweEmergency Medicine Department, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Marc HenrionDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1242-839X
Daniel X AugustineRoyal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Bath, England, UK.
David OxboroughLiverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, England, UK.
Eve WorrallDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
Felix LimbaniMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0176-7011
Paul DarkHumanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, England, UK.
Stephen B GordonMalawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6576-1116
Jamie RylanceDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2323-3611
Ben MortonDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6164-2854
Collaborators

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Hospital admission due to breathlessness carries a significant burden to patients and healthcare systems, particularly impacting people in low-income countries. Prompt appropriate treatment is vital to improve outcomes, but this relies on accurate diagnostic tests which are of limited availability in resource-constrained settings. We will provide an accurate description of acute breathlessness presentations in a multicentre prospective cohort study in Malawi, a low resource setting in Southern Africa, and explore approaches to strengthen diagnostic capacity. Objectives: Primary objective: Delineate between causes of breathlessness among adults admitted to hospital in Malawi and report disease prevalence. Secondary objectives Methods: This is a prospective longitudinal cohort study of adults (≥18 years) admitted to hospital with breathlessness across two hospitals: 1) Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi; 2) Chiradzulu District Hospital, Chiradzulu, Malawi. Patients will be consecutively recruited within 24 hours of emergency presentation and followed-up until 90 days from hospital admission. We will conduct enhanced diagnostic tests with robust quality assurance and quality control to determine estimates of disease pathology. Diagnostic case definitions were selected following a systematic literature search. Discussion: This study will provide detailed epidemiological description of adult hospital admissions due to breathlessness in low-income settings, which is currently poorly understood. We will delineate between causes using established case definitions and conduct nested diagnostic evaluation. The results have the potential to facilitate development of interventions targeted to strengthen diagnostic capacity, enable prompt and appropriate treatment, and ultimately improve both patient care and outcomes.

Indexed as

Breathlessnessemergency carehospital carelow-resource settingsrespiratory distresssub-Saharan Africa

Identifiers

PMID39157428
PMCPMC11327656

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.