Health Workers' Resistance to Malaria Treatment Changes
Author Information
Author(s): Mylene Lagarde, Lucy Smith Paintain, Gifti Antwi, Caroline Jones, Brian Greenwood, Daniel Chandramohan, Harry Tagbor, Jayne Webster
Primary Institution: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Hypothesis
What factors influence health workers' resistance to changing malaria treatment strategies?
Conclusion
Health workers in Ashanti Region show low resistance to changing from SP-IPT to IST for malaria treatment if health outcomes improve.
Supporting Evidence
- Health outcomes for mothers and babies were prioritized by health workers over other factors.
- Midwives showed more resistance to change compared to lower-level health workers.
- Preferences for treatment strategies varied significantly based on age and professional status.
Takeaway
The study found that health workers are generally open to changing how they treat malaria in pregnant women if it means better health for mothers and babies.
Methodology
A discrete choice experiment was conducted with 133 antenatal clinic health workers to assess their preferences for different malaria treatment strategies.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the hypothetical nature of the discrete choice experiment.
Limitations
The study could not accurately convey the workload implications of new treatment strategies.
Participant Demographics
Participants were antenatal clinic health workers, including midwives and lower-level cadres in the Ashanti region of Ghana.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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