| What factors are associated with compliance of integrated management of childhood illness guidelines in Egypt? An analysis using the 2004 egypt service provision assessment survey |
| Authors: |
E. Aranda, D. Marron, and A. Roess |
| Source: |
Annals of Global Health, 81(1): 187; DOI: http://doi.org/10.29024/j.aogh.2015.02.929 |
| Topic(s): |
Child health
Children under five
|
| Country: |
Africa
Egypt
|
| Published: |
FEB 2015 |
| Abstract: |
Background: 6.6 million children under the age of five die annually
from preventable diseases. The United Nations Children’s Fund and
WHO developed the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness
(IMCI) strategy in 1992 to reduce mortality and morbidity largely due
to preventable diseases. This study explores whether provider, facility,
region, child, and caregiver characteristics are associated with
compliance with IMCI clinical guidelines in Egypt to ultimately
identify priority program and project area improvements.
Methods: The study uses child health service data from the 2004
Egypt Service Provision Assessment Survey (ESPA). The ESPA collects
data about health facility service delivery, compliance with standards
of care, and client and provider service delivery satisfaction. A
nationally representative sample of 659 health facilities were surveyed,
of which 479 provided child health services. The child health module
consists of facility, provider, and caregiver surveys. The sample consists
of 2,071 child observations (1,164 were male). Two multivariate
regression models were developed to identify statistically significant
predictors of observed care.
Findings: Full compliance was low. About 70% of physicians
checked for fever, 36.3% weighed the child, and 17.6% checked for
anemia (childhood anemia is a major public health concern in Egypt).
In only 3% of child visits were caregivers asked about three key
danger signs and three or more key symptoms as per IMCI guidelines.
Compliance was higher for providers who had received IMCI
training and for younger children. After controlling for the patient’s
and provider’s demographics and background and facility characteristics,
we found that providers with IMCI training had a significantly
greater odds of asking two or more danger signs adjusted odds ratio
(AOR)¼6.7 (95%CI 3.8, 12.9) if the patient had diarrhea, AOR¼6.2
(95%CI 3.5-10.9) for cough/respiratory, and AOR¼6 (95%CI 3.7,
9.7) for fever. No evidence was found that compliance is associated
with child sex, caregiver attributes (except in cases of diarrhea), or
region. About half of health care facilities lacked handwashing
equipment in the exam room, reliable electricity, and generators.
Interpretation: Two ESPAs have been conducted in Egypt. This
study recommends a new one to be carried out. Following the 2011
revolution, Egypt experienced a severe economic downturn. Anecdotal
evidence points to the deterioration of quality of care in government
facilities serving low-income populations. IMCI is a promising strategy
to improve quality of care and thereby reduce childhood morbidity and
mortality, but compliance is low. The findings illustrate the potential
for further analysis of the factors that influence compliance. The small
sample size for private facilities, however, limited analysis for comparison
with government facilities. Missing data reduced sample size
significantly for some regressions and prevented others. Research to
understand provider practices and motivations is needed.
Funding: None. |
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