Authors: Shabina Ariff, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Zamir Suhag, Suhail Chanar, Maria Bhura, Zaib Dahar, Imran Ahmed, Ali Turab, Atif Habib, Yasir Bin Nisar, Samira Aboubaker, Steve Wall, Abdul Wahab Soomro, Shamim Ahmad Qazi, Rajiv Bahl, Zulfiqar A Bhutta
The objective of this study was to achieve high coverage of possible serious bacterial infections (PSBI) treatment using the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline for managing it on an outpatient basis when referral to a hospital is not feasible. This WHO guideline was implemented in program settings across ten Basic Health Units (BHU) in two rural districts of Sindh in Pakistan. A Technical Support Unit assisted the program to operationalize guidelines while building capacity of health workers through training, monitoring of clinical skills, mentorship, and quality assurance protocols. CHWs visited households to identify sick infants and referred them to the nearest BHU for further management. Results demonstrated high coverage of 95%, low treatment failure, and low case fatality rates in the existing public health system. A majority of participants who needed a referral to a hospital refused and accepted a simplified outpatient antibiotic regimen near their homes, despite the severity of the disease. These findings suggest that it is feasible to achieve high PSBI treatment coverage without requiring exclusive hospital referrals by implementing WHO PSBI management guidelines with the help of CHW outreach.
Link: Implementation research to increase treatment coverage of possible serious bacterial infections in young infants when a referral is not feasible: lessons learnt
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Resource Topic: CHW, Young infants, possible serious bacterial infection
Resource Type: Research
Year: 2023
Region: Asia
Country: Pakistan
Publisher May Restrict Access: No
