Why Health Workers Don't Prescribe ACT
Author Information
Author(s): Wasunna Beatrice, Zurovac Dejan, Goodman Catherine A, Snow Robert W
Primary Institution: Eastern and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control (ESACIPAC)/KEMRI
Hypothesis
What factors affect health workers' prescription of artemether-lumefantrine?
Conclusion
Health workers' non-adherence to treatment guidelines for artemether-lumefantrine is influenced by training inconsistencies, drug supply issues, and workload challenges.
Supporting Evidence
- Health workers perceived artemether-lumefantrine as effective but faced challenges in prescribing it.
- Concerns about drug stock-outs led to rationing of artemether-lumefantrine.
- Confusion arose from mixed training messages regarding the use of non-recommended antimalarials.
Takeaway
Some health workers in Kenya don't give the right malaria medicine because they worry about running out of it and got mixed messages during training.
Methodology
In-depth interviews with health workers and training facilitators were conducted to explore reasons for non-adherence to malaria treatment guidelines.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in responses due to the sensitive nature of non-adherence to guidelines.
Limitations
The study focused on a limited number of health workers in specific districts, which may not represent the entire population.
Participant Demographics
Most participants were nurses (89%), with ages ranging from 25 to over 55 years, and included both male (58%) and female (42%) health workers.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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