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Gachau S, Njagi EN, Molenberghs G, Owuor N, Sarguta R, English M, Ayieko P. Pairwise joint modeling of clustered and high-dimensional outcomes with covariate missingness in pediatric pneumonia care. Pharm Stat 2022; 21:845-864. [PMID: 35199938 PMCID: PMC7613603 DOI: 10.1002/pst.2197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Multiple outcomes reflecting different aspects of routine care are a common phenomenon in health care research. A common approach of handling such outcomes is multiple univariate analyses, an approach which does not allow for answering research questions pertaining to joint inference. In this study, we sought to study associations among nine pediatric pneumonia care outcomes spanning assessment, diagnosis and treatment domains of care, while circumventing the computational challenge posed by their clustered and high-dimensional nature and incompletely recorded covariates. We analyzed data from a cluster randomized trial conducted in 12 Kenyan hospitals. There were varying degrees of missingness in the covariates of interest, and these were multiply imputed using latent normal joint modeling. We used the pairwise joint modeling strategy to fit a correlated random effects joint model for the nine outcomes. This entailed fitting 36 bivariate generalized linear mixed models and deriving inference for the joint model using pseudo-likelihood theory. We also analyzed the nine outcomes separately before and after multiple imputation. We observed joint effects of patient-, clinician- and hospital-level factors on pneumonia care indicators before and after multiple imputation of missing covariates. In both pairwise joint modeling and separate univariate analysis methods, enhanced audit and feedback improved documentation and adherence to recommended clinical guidelines over time in six and five pneumonia care indicators, respectively. Additionally, multiple imputation improved precision of parameter estimates compared to complete case analysis. The strength and direction of association among pneumonia outcomes varied within and across the three domains of pneumonia care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Gachau
- Health Services Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya.,School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Edmund Njeru Njagi
- Department of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Geert Molenberghs
- Center for Statistics, Universiteit Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium.,Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nelson Owuor
- School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Rachel Sarguta
- School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Mike English
- Health Services Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya.,Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Philip Ayieko
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.,Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, Mwanza, Tanzania
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Graham HR, Maher J, Bakare AA, Nguyen CD, Ayede AI, Oyewole OB, Gray A, Izadnegahdar R, Duke T, Falade AG. Oxygen systems and quality of care for children with pneumonia, malaria and diarrhoea: Analysis of a stepped-wedge trial in Nigeria. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254229. [PMID: 34237107 PMCID: PMC8266122 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effect of improved hospital oxygen systems on quality of care (QOC) for children with severe pneumonia, severe malaria, and diarrhoea with severe dehydration. DESIGN Stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial (unblinded), randomised at hospital-level. SETTING 12 hospitals in south-west Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS 7,141 children (aged 28 days to 14 years) admitted with severe pneumonia, severe malaria or diarrhoea with severe dehydration between January 2014 and October 2017. INTERVENTIONS Phase 1 (pulse oximetry) introduced pulse oximetry for all admitted children. Phase 2 (full oxygen system) (i) standardised oxygen equipment package, (ii) clinical education and support, (iii) technical training and support, and (iv) infrastructure and systems support. OUTCOME MEASURES We used quantitative QOC scores evaluating assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring practices against World Health Organization and Nigerian standards. We evaluated mean differences in QOC scores between study periods (baseline, oximetry, full oxygen system), using mixed-effects linear regression. RESULTS 7,141 eligible participants; 6,893 (96.5%) had adequate data for analysis. Mean paediatric QOC score (maximum 6) increased from 1.64 to 3.00 (adjusted mean difference 1.39; 95% CI 1.08-1.69, p<0.001) for severe pneumonia and 2.81 to 4.04 (aMD 1.53; 95% CI 1.23-1.83, p<0.001) for severe malaria, comparing the full intervention to baseline, but did not change for diarrhoea with severe dehydration (aMD -0.12; 95% CI -0.46-0.23, p = 0.501). After excluding practices directly related to pulse oximetry and oxygen, we found aMD 0.23 for severe pneumonia (95% CI -0.02-0.48, p = 0.072) and 0.65 for severe malaria (95% CI 0.41-0.89, p<0.001) comparing full intervention to baseline. Sub-analysis showed some improvements (and no deterioration) in care processes not directly related to oxygen or pulse oximetry. CONCLUSION Improvements in hospital oxygen systems were associated with higher QOC scores, attributable to better use of pulse oximetry and oxygen as well as broader improvements in clinical care, with no negative distortions in care practices. TRIAL REGISTRATION ACTRN12617000341325.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamish R. Graham
- Centre for International Child Health, The Royal Children’s Hospital, MCRI, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Jaclyn Maher
- Department of Paediatrics, Royal Children’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Ayobami A. Bakare
- Department of Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Cattram D. Nguyen
- Department of Paediatrics, Royal Children’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, MCRI, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Australia
| | - Adejumoke I. Ayede
- Department of Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | | | - Amy Gray
- Centre for International Child Health, The Royal Children’s Hospital, MCRI, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Rasa Izadnegahdar
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Trevor Duke
- Centre for International Child Health, The Royal Children’s Hospital, MCRI, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Adegoke G. Falade
- Department of Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
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Gachau S, Njagi EN, Owuor N, Mwaniki P, Quartagno M, Sarguta R, English M, Ayieko P. Handling missing data in a composite outcome with partially observed components: simulation study based on clustered paediatric routine data. J Appl Stat 2021; 49:2389-2402. [PMID: 35755090 PMCID: PMC9225614 DOI: 10.1080/02664763.2021.1895087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Composite scores are useful in providing insights and trends about complex and multidimensional quality of care processes. However, missing data in subcomponents may hinder the overall reliability of a composite measure. In this study, strategies for handling missing data in Paediatric Admission Quality of Care (PAQC) score, an ordinal composite outcome, were explored through a simulation study. Specifically, the implications of the conventional method employed in addressing missing PAQC score subcomponents, consisting of scoring missing PAQC score components with a zero, and a multiple imputation (MI)-based strategy, were assessed. The latent normal joint modelling MI approach was used for the latter. Across simulation scenarios, MI of missing PAQC score elements at item level produced minimally biased estimates compared to the conventional method. Moreover, regression coefficients were more prone to bias compared to standards errors. Magnitude of bias was dependent on the proportion of missingness and the missing data generating mechanism. Therefore, incomplete composite outcome subcomponents should be handled carefully to alleviate potential for biased estimates and misleading inferences. Further research on other strategies of imputing at the component and composite outcome level and imputing compatibly with the substantive model in this setting, is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Gachau
- Health Services Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
- School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Edmund Njeru Njagi
- Department of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Nelson Owuor
- School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Paul Mwaniki
- Health Services Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
- School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Matteo Quartagno
- Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rachel Sarguta
- School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Mike English
- Health Services Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Philip Ayieko
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, Mwanza, Tanzania
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Ogero M, Akech S, Malla L, Agweyu A, Irimu G, English M. Examining which clinicians provide admission hospital care in a high mortality setting and their adherence to guidelines: an observational study in 13 hospitals. Arch Dis Child 2020; 105:648-654. [PMID: 32169853 PMCID: PMC7361020 DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2019-317256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We explored who actually provides most admission care in hospitals offering supervised experiential training to graduating clinicians in a high mortality setting where practices deviate from guideline recommendations. METHODS We used a large observational data set from 13 Kenyan county hospitals from November 2015 through November 2018 where patients were linked to admitting clinicians. We explored guideline adherence after creating a cumulative correctness of Paediatric Admission Quality of Care (cPAQC) score on a 5-point scale (0-4) in which points represent correct, sequential progress in providing care perfectly adherent to guidelines comprising admission assessment, diagnosis and treatment. At the point where guideline adherence declined the most we dichotomised the cPAQC score and used multilevel logistic regression models to explore whether clinician and patient-level factors influence adherence. RESULTS There were 1489 clinicians who could be linked to 53 003 patients over a period of 3 years. Patients were rarely admitted by fully qualified clinicians and predominantly by preregistration medical officer interns (MOI, 46%) and diploma level clinical officer interns (COI, 41%) with a median of 28 MOI (range 11-68) and 52 COI (range 5-160) offering care per study hospital. The cPAQC scores suggest that perfect guideline adherence is found in ≤12% of children with malaria, pneumonia or diarrhoea with dehydration. MOIs were more adherent to guidelines than COI (adjusted OR 1.19 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.34)) but multimorbidity was significantly associated with lower guideline adherence. CONCLUSION Over 85% of admissions to hospitals in high mortality settings that offer experiential training in Kenya are conducted by preregistration clinicians. Clinical assessment is good but classifying severity of illness in accordance with guideline recommendations is a challenge. Adherence by MOI with 6 years' training is better than COI with 3 years' training, performance does not seem to improve during their 3 months of paediatric rotations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morris Ogero
- Health Services Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
- School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi College of Biological and Physical Sciences, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Samuel Akech
- Health Services Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Lucas Malla
- Health Services Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Ambrose Agweyu
- Health Services Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Grace Irimu
- Health Services Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
- Pediatrics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Mike English
- Health Services Unit, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Gachau S, Quartagno M, Njagi EN, Owuor N, English M, Ayieko P. Handling missing data in modelling quality of clinician-prescribed routine care: Sensitivity analysis of departure from missing at random assumption. Stat Methods Med Res 2020; 29:3076-3092. [PMID: 32390503 DOI: 10.1177/0962280220918279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Missing information is a major drawback in analyzing data collected in many routine health care settings. Multiple imputation assuming a missing at random mechanism is a popular method to handle missing data. The missing at random assumption cannot be confirmed from the observed data alone, hence the need for sensitivity analysis to assess robustness of inference. However, sensitivity analysis is rarely conducted and reported in practice. We analyzed routine paediatric data collected during a cluster randomized trial conducted in Kenyan hospitals. We imputed missing patient and clinician-level variables assuming the missing at random mechanism. We also imputed missing clinician-level variables assuming a missing not at random mechanism. We incorporated opinions from 15 clinical experts in the form of prior distributions and shift parameters in the delta adjustment method. An interaction between trial intervention arm and follow-up time, hospital, clinician and patient-level factors were included in a proportional odds random-effects analysis model. We performed these analyses using R functions derived from the jomo package. Parameter estimates from multiple imputation under the missing at random mechanism were similar to multiple imputation estimates assuming the missing not at random mechanism. Our inferences were insensitive to departures from the missing at random assumption using either the prior distributions or shift parameters sensitivity analysis approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Gachau
- Health Services Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
- School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Matteo Quartagno
- Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Edmund Njeru Njagi
- Department of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Nelson Owuor
- School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Mike English
- Health Services Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Philip Ayieko
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, Mwanza, Tanzania
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6
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Gachau S, Owuor N, Njagi EN, Ayieko P, English M. Analysis of Hierarchical Routine Data With Covariate Missingness: Effects of Audit & Feedback on Clinicians' Prescribed Pediatric Pneumonia Care in Kenyan Hospitals. Front Public Health 2019; 7:198. [PMID: 31380338 PMCID: PMC6646705 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Routine clinical data are widely used in many countries to monitor quality of care. A limitation of routine data is missing information which occurs due to lack of documentation of care processes by health care providers, poor record keeping, or limited health care technology at facility level. Our objective was to address missing covariates while properly accounting for hierarchical structure in routine pediatric pneumonia care. Methods: We analyzed routine data collected during a cluster randomized trial to investigating the effect of audit and feedback (A&F) over time on inpatient pneumonia care among children admitted in 12 Kenyan hospitals between March and November 2016. Six hospitals in the intervention arm received enhance A&F on classification and treatment of pneumonia cases in addition to a standard A&F report on general inpatient pediatric care. The remaining six in control arm received standard A&F alone. We derived and analyzed a composite outcome known as Pediatric Admission Quality of Care (PAQC) score. In our analysis, we adjusted for patients, clinician and hospital level factors. Missing data occurred in patient and clinician level variables. We did multiple imputation of missing covariates within the joint model imputation framework. We fitted proportion odds random effects model and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models to the data before and after multilevel multiple imputation. Results: Overall, 2,299 children aged 2 to 59 months were admitted with childhood pneumonia in 12 hospitals during the trial period. 2,127 (92%) of the children (level 1) were admitted by 378 clinicians across the 12 hospitals. Enhanced A&F led to improved inpatient pediatric pneumonia care over time compared to standard A&F. Female clinicians and hospitals with low admission workload were associated with higher uptake of the new pneumonia guidelines during the trial period. In both random effects and marginal model, parameter estimates were biased and inefficient under complete case analysis. Conclusions: Enhanced A&F improved the uptake of WHO recommended pediatric pneumonia guidelines over time compared to standard audit and feedback. When imputing missing data, it is important to account for the hierarchical structure to ensure compatibility with analysis models of interest to alleviate bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Gachau
- Health Services Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya.,School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Nelson Owuor
- School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Edmund Njeru Njagi
- Department of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Ayieko
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mike English
- Health Services Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya.,Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Opoka RO, Ssemata AS, Oyang W, Nambuya H, John CC, Karamagi C, Tumwine JK. Adherence to clinical guidelines is associated with reduced inpatient mortality among children with severe anemia in Ugandan hospitals. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0210982. [PMID: 30682097 PMCID: PMC6347145 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In resource limited settings, there is variability in the level of adherence to clinical guidelines in the inpatient management of children with common conditions like severe anemia. However, there is limited data on the effect of adherence to clinical guidelines on inpatient mortality in children managed for severe anemia. METHODS We analyzed data from an uncontrolled before and after in-service training intervention to improve quality of care in Lira and Jinja regional referral hospitals in Uganda. Inpatient records of children aged 0 to 5 years managed as cases of 'severe anemia (SA)' were reviewed to ascertain adherence to clinical guidelines and compare inpatient deaths in SA children managed versus those not managed according to clinical guidelines. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between clinical care factors and inpatient deaths amongst patients managed for SA. RESULTS A total of 1,131 children were assigned a clinical diagnosis of 'severe anemia' in the two hospitals. There was improvement in the level of care after the in-service training intervention with more children being managed according to clinical guidelines compared to the period before, 218/510 (42.7%) vs 158/621 (25.4%) (p < 0.001). Overall, children managed according to clinical guidelines had reduced risk of inpatient mortality compared to those not managed according to clinical guidelines, [OR 0.28, (95%, CI 0.14, 0.55), p = 0.001]. Clinical care factors associated with decreased risk of inpatient death included, having pre-transfusion hemoglobin done to confirm diagnosis [OR 0.5; 95% CI 0.29, 0.87], a co-morbid diagnosis of severe malaria [OR 0.4; 95% CI 0.25, 0.76], and being reviewed after admission by a clinician [OR 0.3; 95% CI 0.18, 0.59], while a co-morbid diagnosis of severe acute malnutrition was associated with increased risk of inpatient death [OR 4.2; 95% CI 2.15, 8.22]. CONCLUSION Children with suspected SA who are managed according to clinical guidelines have lower in-hospital mortality than those not managed according to the guidelines. Efforts to reduce inpatient mortality in SA children in resource-limited settings should focus on training and supporting health workers to adhere to clinical guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert O. Opoka
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Andrew S. Ssemata
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - William Oyang
- Children’s Ward, Lira Regional Referral Hospital, Lira, Uganda
| | - Harriet Nambuya
- Nalufenya Children’s Ward, Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, Jinja, Uganda
| | - Chandy C. John
- Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease and Global Health, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Charles Karamagi
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - James K. Tumwine
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
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Akech S, Ayieko P, Irimu G, Stepniewska K, English M. Magnitude and pattern of improvement in processes of care for hospitalised children with diarrhoea and dehydration in Kenyan hospitals participating in a clinical network. Trop Med Int Health 2019; 24:73-80. [PMID: 30365213 PMCID: PMC6378700 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE WHO recommends optimisation of available interventions to reduce deaths of under-five children with diarrhoea and dehydration (DD). Clinical networks may help improve practice across many hospitals but experience with such networks is scarce. We describe magnitude and patterns of changes in processes of care for children with DD over the first 3 years of a clinical network. METHODS Observational study involving children aged 2-59 months with DD admitted to 13 hospitals participating in the clinical network. Processes of individual patient care including agreement of assessment, diagnosis and treatment according to WHO guidelines were combined using the composite Paediatric Admission Quality of Care (PAQC) score (range 0-6). RESULTS Data from 7657 children were analysed and improvements in PAQC scores were observed. Predicted mean PAQC score for all the hospitals at enrolment was 59.8% (95% CI: 54.7, 64.9) but showed a wide variation (variance 10.7%, 95% CI: 5.8, 19.6). Overall mean PAQC score increased by 13.8% (95% CI: 8.7-18.9, SD between hospitals: ±8.2) in the first 12 months, with an average 0.9% (95% CI: 0.3-1.5, SD ± 1.0) increase per month and plateaued thereafter, and changes were similar in two groups of hospitals joining the network at different times. CONCLUSION Adherence to guidelines for children admitted with DD can be improved through participation in a clinical network but improvement is limited, not uniform for all aspects of care and contexts and occurs early. Future research should address these issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Akech
- Kenya Medical Research Institute/Wellcome Trust Research ProgrammeNairobiKenya
| | - Phillip Ayieko
- Kenya Medical Research Institute/Wellcome Trust Research ProgrammeNairobiKenya
| | - Grace Irimu
- Kenya Medical Research Institute/Wellcome Trust Research ProgrammeNairobiKenya
- Department of Paediatrics and Child HealthUniversity of NairobiNairobiKenya
| | - Kasia Stepniewska
- Centre for Tropical MedicineNuffield Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Worldwide Antimalarial Resistance NetworkOxfordUK
| | - Mike English
- Kenya Medical Research Institute/Wellcome Trust Research ProgrammeNairobiKenya
- Centre for Tropical MedicineNuffield Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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9
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Opondo C, Allen E, Todd J, English M. Association of the Paediatric Admission Quality of Care score with mortality in Kenyan hospitals: a validation study. LANCET GLOBAL HEALTH 2018; 6:e203-e210. [PMID: 29389541 PMCID: PMC5785367 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(17)30484-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Revised: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Background Measuring the quality of hospital admission care is essential to ensure that standards of practice are met and continuously improved to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with the illnesses most responsible for inpatient deaths. The Paediatric Admission Quality of Care (PAQC) score is a tool for measuring adherence to guidelines for children admitted with acute illnesses in a low-income setting. We aimed to explore the external and criterion-related validity of the PAQC score by investigating its association with mortality using data drawn from a diverse sample of Kenyan hospitals. Methods We identified children admitted to Kenyan hospitals for treatment of malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea, or dehydration from datasets from three sources: an observational study, a clinical trial, and a national cross-sectional survey. We extracted variables describing the process of care provided to patients at admission and their eventual outcomes from these data. We applied the PAQC scoring algorithm to the data to obtain a quality-of-care score for each child. We assessed external validity of the PAQC score by its systematic replication in datasets that had not been previously used to investigate properties of the PAQC score. We assessed criterion-related validity by using hierarchical logistic regression to estimate the association between PAQC score and the outcome of mortality, adjusting for other factors thought to be predictive of the outcome or responsible for heterogeneity in quality of care. Findings We found 19 065 eligible admissions in the three validation datasets that covered 27 hospitals, of which 12 969 (68%) were complete cases. Greater guideline adherence, corresponding to higher PAQC scores, was associated with a reduction in odds of death across the three datasets, ranging between 9% (odds ratio 0·91, 95% CI 0·84–0·99; p=0·031) and 30% (0·70, 0·63–0·78; p<0·0001) adjusted reduction per unit increase in the PAQC score, with a pooled estimate of 17% (0·83, 0·78–0·89; p<0·0001). These findings were consistent with a multiple imputation analysis that used information from all observations in the combined dataset. Interpretation The PAQC score, designed as an index of the technical quality of care for the three commonest causes of admission in children, is also associated with mortality. This finding suggests that it could be a meaningful summary measure of the quality of care for common inpatient conditions and supports a link between process quality and outcome. It might have potential for application in low-income countries with similar disease profiles and in which paediatric practice recommendations are based on WHO guidelines. Funding The Wellcome Trust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Opondo
- Health Services Unit, KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya; Department of Medical Statistics, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Elizabeth Allen
- Department of Medical Statistics, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Jim Todd
- Department of Population Health, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, Tanzania
| | - Mike English
- Health Services Unit, KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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10
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King C, McCollum ED. Quality of care for paediatric admissions: is a score-based approach viable? Lancet Glob Health 2018; 6:e128-e129. [PMID: 29389528 PMCID: PMC5897706 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(18)30006-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carina King
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
| | - Eric D McCollum
- Eudowood Division of Pediatric Respiratory Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Graham HR, Ayede AI, Bakare AA, Oyewole OB, Peel D, Gray A, McPake B, Neal E, Qazi S, Izadnegahdar R, Falade AG, Duke T. Improving oxygen therapy for children and neonates in secondary hospitals in Nigeria: study protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial. Trials 2017; 18:502. [PMID: 29078810 PMCID: PMC5659007 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-017-2241-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oxygen is a life-saving, essential medicine that is important for the treatment of many common childhood conditions. Improved oxygen systems can reduce childhood pneumonia mortality substantially. However, providing oxygen to children is challenging, especially in small hospitals with weak infrastructure and low human resource capacity. METHODS/DESIGN This trial will evaluate the implementation of improved oxygen systems at secondary-level hospitals in southwest Nigeria. The improved oxygen system includes: a standardised equipment package; training of clinical and technical staff; infrastructure support (including improved power supply); and quality improvement activities such as supportive supervision. Phase 1 will involve the introduction of pulse oximetry alone; phase 2 will involve the introduction of the full, improved oxygen system package. We have based the intervention design on a theory-based analysis of previous oxygen projects, and used quality improvement principles, evidence-based teaching methods, and behaviour-change strategies. We are using a stepped-wedge cluster randomised design with participating hospitals randomised to receive an improved oxygen system at 4-month steps (three hospitals per step). Our mixed-methods evaluation will evaluate effectiveness, impact, sustainability, process and fidelity. Our primary outcome measures are childhood pneumonia case fatality rate and inpatient neonatal mortality rate. Secondary outcome measures include a range of clinical, quality of care, technical, and health systems outcomes. The planned study duration is from 2015 to 2018. DISCUSSION Our study will provide quality evidence on the effectiveness of improved oxygen systems, and how to better implement and scale-up oxygen systems in resource-limited settings. Our results should have important implications for policy-makers, hospital administrators, and child health organisations in Africa and globally. TRIAL REGISTRATION Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12617000341325 . Retrospectively registered on 6 March 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamish R Graham
- Centre for International Child Health, University of Melbourne, MCRI, Royal Children's Hospital, Level 2 East, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia. .,Department of Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
| | - Adejumoke I Ayede
- Department of Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Ayobami A Bakare
- Department of Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Oladapo B Oyewole
- Department of Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | | | - Amy Gray
- Centre for International Child Health, University of Melbourne, MCRI, Royal Children's Hospital, Level 2 East, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Barbara McPake
- Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Eleanor Neal
- Centre for International Child Health, University of Melbourne, MCRI, Royal Children's Hospital, Level 2 East, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Shamim Qazi
- Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Adegoke G Falade
- Department of Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Trevor Duke
- Centre for International Child Health, University of Melbourne, MCRI, Royal Children's Hospital, Level 2 East, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
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12
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Gray A, Chhor L, Sanyalack S, Lim R, Lai J, Vilivong K, Morpeth M, Soukaloun D, Russell F. Some sustained improvements in pneumonia case management four and five years following implementation of paediatric hospital guidelines in Lao PDR. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10679. [PMID: 28878405 PMCID: PMC5587579 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10880-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2010, WHO paediatric hospital guidelines were implemented in Lao PDR, along with training workshops and feedback audits, achieving significant improvements in pneumonia case management when assessed one-year post-intervention. The sustainability of these improvements is hereby assessed, four and five years post-intervention. Medical records of children aged 1-59 months, diagnosed with pneumonia in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2015 from a central Lao hospital were reviewed. Information relating to clinical steps in pneumonia case management was extracted and a scoring system applied based on the documentation of each clinical step, producing a pneumonia assessment score for each case. Comparisons of clinical steps and mean assessment score across study years were performed using Pearson's chi-squared and t-tests, respectively. Of 231 pneumonia cases, the mean assessment scores in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2015 were 57%, 96%, 69% and 69% respectively, showing a significant reduction from the immediate post-intervention period (2011) to 2015 (p < 0.01). Mean assessment score in 2014/2015 was significantly higher than in 2010 (p < 0.01). The high standards of pneumonia case management in 2011 were not observed in 2014/2015 in the absence of ongoing intervention but overall quality of care remained higher than pre-intervention levels, suggesting some degree of sustainability in the long-term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Gray
- Centre for International Child Health, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
- The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Louis Chhor
- Centre for International Child Health, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Ruth Lim
- Centre for International Child Health, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jana Lai
- Centre for International Child Health, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Melinda Morpeth
- Centre for International Child Health, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Douangdao Soukaloun
- Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao PDR
- University of Health Sciences, Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | - Fiona Russell
- Centre for International Child Health, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Pneumococcal Group, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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