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. 2023 Dec 26;110(3_Suppl):35-41.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0479. Print 2024 Mar 5.

Clinical Outreach Training and Supportive Supervision Quality-of-Care Analysis: Impact of Readiness Factors on Health Worker Competencies in Malaria Case Management in Cameroon, Mali, and Niger

Yves-Marie Bernard  1 , Jehan Ahmed  1 , Jadmin Mostel  1 , Thierno Ba  1 , Annie Coriolan Ciceron  1 , Moses Busiga  1 , Aissata Koné  2 , Beh Kamaté  3 , Fatoumata Sidibé  3 , Chebou Diallo  3 , Alzouma Makayi  4 , Daniel Christian Koko  5 , Arouna Djibrilla  5 , Joël Ateba  6 , Eric Tchinda Meli  7 , Christophe Tchadjeu  8 , Kevin Griffith  9 , Jordan Burns  9 , Lawrence M Barat  1
Affiliations

Clinical Outreach Training and Supportive Supervision Quality-of-Care Analysis: Impact of Readiness Factors on Health Worker Competencies in Malaria Case Management in Cameroon, Mali, and Niger

Yves-Marie Bernard et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. .

Abstract

Improving the quality of malaria clinical case management in health facilities is key to improving health outcomes in patients. The U.S. President's Malaria Initiative Impact Malaria Project has supported implementation of the Outreach Training and Supportive Supervision (OTSS) approach in 11 African countries to improve the quality of malaria care in health facilities through the collection and analysis of observation-based data on health facility readiness and health provider competency in malaria case management. We conducted a secondary analysis of longitudinal data collected during routine supervision in Cameroon (April 2021-March 2022), Mali (October 2020-December 2021), and Niger (November 2020-September 2021) using digitized checklists to assess how service readiness affects health worker competencies in managing patients with fever correctly and providing those with confirmed uncomplicated malaria cases with appropriate treatment and referral. Linear or logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the effect of facility readiness and its components on observed health worker competencies. All countries demonstrated significant associations between health facility readiness and malaria case management competencies. Data from three rounds of OTSS visits in Cameroon, Mali, and Niger showed a statistically significant positive association between greater facility readiness scores (including the availability of commodities, materials, and trained staff) and health worker competency in case management. These findings provide evidence that health worker performance is likely affected by the tools and training available to them. These results reinforce the need for necessary tools and properly trained staff if high-quality malaria case management services are to be delivered at health facilities.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: This study received ethical clearance from the Population Services International Research Ethics Board and Comité National d’Ethique de la Recherche pour la Santé Humaine (2023/07/28/L/CNERSH/SP) in Cameroon and the Comité National d’Ethique pour la Recherche en Santé in Niger (18/2023/CNERS). The Program National de Lutte contre le Paludisme in Mali exempted the study from ethical review. The contents of this article are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the U.S. government.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Distribution of case management competency scores by country and round. Cameroon data are from April 2021 to March 2022. Mali data are from October 2020 to December 2021. Niger data are from November 2020 to September 2021. OTSS = Outreach Training and Supportive Supervision; R = round.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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