Improved Clinical and Microscopy Diagnosis at Primary Health Care in Tanzania

This study has been completed.
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
Karolinska Institutet
Information provided by:
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00687895
First received: May 28, 2008
Last updated: NA
Last verified: May 2008
History: No changes posted

May 28, 2008
May 28, 2008
July 2003
March 2004   (final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
the proportion of study children receiving prescriptions of antimalarial drugs in the respective arms [ Time Frame: Day 0 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
Same as current
No Changes Posted
  • prescriptions of antibiotics, cost of drugs [ Time Frame: Day 0 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • health outcome of the patients [ Time Frame: Day 1-6, day 7 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
Same as current
Not Provided
Not Provided
 
Improved Clinical and Microscopy Diagnosis at Primary Health Care in Tanzania
Quality Malaria Case Management In Under- Fives In Primary Health Care (Phc) Institutions In Bagamoyo And Kibaha Districts Of Coastal Tanzania:a Multicomponent Controlled Intervention Study

General objective: To improve the quality of fever case management in children in government health facilities in Tanzania Hypothesis:The training of health workers, as well as provision, training and use of microscopes for malaria diagnosis will improve the treatment of clinical episodes of fever in children while reducing the amount and costs of drugs

PHC facilities were eligible for the study if they were rural government owned; accessible by road during rainy season; and within 3 hours by car from Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS), Dar es Salaam

All children attending the 16 PHC facilities under the study during daytime were enrolled if they fulfilled the following criteria:

  1. below five years of age
  2. fever (temperature≥37.5◦C) and/or reported history of fever in last 2 days
  3. able to return to the facility on day 7 after treatment or any other day if symptoms were to worsen or recur
  4. the mother/guardian or caretaker consented to participate.

Patients with severe disease and/or general danger signs requiring inpatient care according to the IMCI guidelines were admitted or referred to the health centers or the district hospitals

Interventional
Phase 4
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Malaria
Procedure: Clinical algorithm and microscopy diagnosis of malaria

Clinical alogarithm

The content of the package included

  1. description of signs and symptoms of malaria disease
  2. history taking relevant to malaria and physical examination
  3. identification of danger signs and severe illness for referral
  4. appropriate treatment
  5. counseling patients on the use of drugs.

Malaria microscopy. contents

  1. make thick blood smears from patients with fever and stain with Giemsa
  2. identify and count malaria parasites
  3. maintain the microscope and store blood slides.
  • Experimental: 1
    training in clinical algorithm plus microscopy
    Intervention: Procedure: Clinical algorithm and microscopy diagnosis of malaria
  • Experimental: 2
    clinical algorithm
    Intervention: Procedure: Clinical algorithm and microscopy diagnosis of malaria
  • No Intervention: 3
    Control

*   Includes publications given by the data provider as well as publications identified by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number) in Medline.
 
Completed
3131
March 2004
March 2004   (final data collection date for primary outcome measure)

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. below five years of age
  2. fever (temperature≥37.5◦C) and/or reported history of fever in last 2 days
  3. able to return to the facility on day 7 after treatment or any other day if symptoms were to worsen or recur
  4. the mother/guardian or caretaker consented to participate

Exclusion Criteria:

a) N/A

Both
6 Months to 59 Months
No
Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
Tanzania
 
NCT00687895
HF2003
Yes
Zull Premji, professor, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
Karolinska Institutet
Study Director: Anders Bjorkman, MD Karolinska Institutet
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
May 2008

ICMJE     Data element required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Health Organization ICTRP