Clinical implementation of a fully automated quantitative perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging workflow with a simplified dual-bolus contrast administration scheme

This study clinically implemented a ready-to-use quantitative perfusion (QP) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (QP CMR) workflow, encompassing a simplified dual-bolus gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) administration scheme and fully automated QP image post-processing. Twenty-five patients with suspected obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) underwent both adenosine stress perfusion CMR and an invasive coronary angiography or coronary computed tomography angiography. The dual-bolus protocol consisted of a pre-bolus (0.0075 mmol/kg GBCA at 0.5 mmol/ml concentration + 20 ml saline) and a main bolus (0.075 mmol/kg GBCA at 0.5 mmol/ml concentration + 20 ml saline) at an infusion rate of 3 ml/s. The arterial input function curves showed excellent quality. Stress MBF ≤ 1.84 ml/g/min accurately detected obstructive CAD (area under the curve 0.79; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.66 to 0.89). Combined visual assessment of color pixel QP maps and conventional perfusion images yielded a diagnostic accuracy of 84%, sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 93%. The proposed easy-to-use dual-bolus QP CMR workflow provides good image quality and holds promise for high accuracy in diagnosis of obstructive CAD. Implementation of this approach has the potential to serve as an alternative to current methods thus increasing the accessibility to offer high-quality QP CMR imaging by a wide range of CMR laboratories.

CTCA for detection of significant coronary artery disease in routine TAVI work-up : A systematic review and meta-analysis

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has evolved to standard treatment of severe aortic stenosis in patients with an intermediate to high surgical risk. Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) could partially replace invasive coronary angiography to diagnose significant coronary artery disease in the work-up for TAVI. A literature search was performed in MEDLINE and EMBASE for papers comparing CTCA and coronary angiography in TAVI candidates. The primary endpoint was the diagnostic accuracy of CTCA, compared to coronary angiography, for detection of significant (>50% diameter stenosis) coronary artery disease, measured as sensitivity, specificity, positive—(PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). Seven studies were included, with a cumulative sample size of 1,275 patients. The patient-based pooled sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 95, 65, 71 and 94% respectively. Quality assessment revealed excellent and good quality in terms of applicability and risk of bias respectively, with the main concern being patient selection. In conclusion, on the basis of a significance cut-off value of 50% diameter stenosis, CTCA provides acceptable diagnostic accuracy for the exclusion of coronary artery disease in patients referred for TAVI. Using the routinely performed preoperative computed tomography scans as a gatekeeper for coronary angiography could decrease additional coronary angiographies by 37% in this high-risk and fragile population.

Wait and consult times for primary healthcare services in central Mozambique: a time-motion study

Background

We describe wait and consult times across public-sector clinics and identify health facility determinants of wait and consult times.

Design

We observed 8,102 patient arrivals and departures from clinical service areas across 12 public-sector clinics in Sofala and Manica Provinces between January and April 2011. Negative binomial generalized estimating equations were used to model associated health facility factors.

Results

Mean wait times (in minutes) were: 26.1 for reception; 43.5 for outpatient consults; 58.8 for antenatal visits; 16.2 for well-child visits; 8.0 for pharmacy; and 15.6 for laboratory. Mean consultation times (in minutes) were: 5.3 for outpatient consults; 9.4 for antenatal visits; and 2.3 for well-child visits. Over 70% (884/1,248) of patients arrived at the clinic to begin queuing for general reception prior to 10:30 am. Facilities with more institutional births had significantly longer wait times for general reception, antenatal visits, and well-child visits. Clinics in rural areas had especially shorter wait times for well-child visits. Outpatient consultations were significantly longer at the smallest health facilities, followed by rural hospitals, tertiary/quaternary facilities, compared with Type 1 rural health centers.

Discussion

The average outpatient consult in Central Mozambique lasts 5 min, following over 40 min of waiting, not including time to register at most clinics. Wait times for first antenatal visits are even longer at almost 1 h. Urgent investments in public-sector human resources for health alongside innovative operational research are needed to increase consult times, decrease wait times, and improve health system responsiveness.

The availability of essential medicines for mental healthcare in Sofala, Mozambique

Objective

We assessed the availability of essential medicines for mental healthcare (MH) across levels of the public healthcare system to aid in future systems planning.

Design

Non-expired MH medications were assessed in 24 public health facilities and 13 district warehouses across Sofala Province, Mozambique, from July to August 2014. Medication categories included: antipsychotics, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, antiepileptics and mood stabilizers, and anticholinergics and antihistamines.

Results

Only 7 of 12 (58.3%) district warehouses, 11 of 24 (45.8%) of all health facilities, and 10 of 12 (83.3%) of facilities with trained MH staff had availability of at least one medication of each category. Thioridazine was the most commonly available antipsychotic across all facilities (9 of 24, 37.5%), while chlorpromazine and thioridazine were most common at facilities providing MH care (8 of 12, 66.7%). The atypical antipsychotic risperidone was not available at any facility or district warehouse. Amitriptyline was the most commonly available antidepressant (10 of 12 districts; 12 of 24 overall facilities; 9 or 12 MH facilities). Despite being on the national essential drug list, fluoxetine was only available at one quaternary-level facility and no district warehouses.

Conclusions

Essential psychotropic medicines are routinely unavailable at public health facilities. Current essential drug lists include six typical but no atypical antipsychotics, which is concerning given the side-effect profiles of typical antipsychotics. Ensuring consistent availability of at least one selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor should also be a priority, as they are essential for the treatment of individuals with underlying cardiovascular disease and/or suicidal ideation. Similar to successful task-sharing approaches used for HIV/AIDS, mid-level providers could be retrained and certified to prescribe and monitor first-line psychotropic regimens.

Early ART initiation among HIV-positive pregnant women in central Mozambique: a stepped wedge randomized controlled trial of an optimized Option B+ approach

Background

Despite effective prevention strategies and increasing investments in global health, maternal to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV remains a significant problem globally, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2012, there were 94,000 HIV-positive pregnant women in Mozambique. Approximately 15% of these women transmitted HIV to their newborn infants, resulting in nearly 14,000 new pediatric HIV infections that year. To address this issue, in 2013, the Mozambican Ministry of Health implemented the World Health Organization-recommended “Option B+” strategy in which all newly diagnosed HIV-positive pregnant women are counseled to initiate combination anti-retroviral therapy (ART) immediately upon diagnosis regardless of CD4 count and to continue treatment for life. Given the limited experience with Option B+ in sub-Saharan Africa, few rigorous pragmatic trials have studied this new treatment strategy.

Methods

This study utilizes an initial formative research process involving patient and health care provider interviews and focus groups, workforce assessments, value stream mapping, and commodity utilization assessments to understand the strengths and weaknesses in the current Option B+ care cascade. The formative research is intended to guide identification and prioritization of key workflow modifications and the development of an enhanced adherence and retention package. These two components are bundled into a defined intervention implemented and evaluated across six health facilities utilizing a stepped wedge randomized controlled trial study design. The overall objective of this trial is to develop and test a pilot intervention in central Mozambique to implement the new Option B+ guidelines with high fidelity and increase the proportion of HIV-positive pregnant women in target antenatal clinics (ANC) who start ART prior to delivery and are retained in care.

Discussion

This pragmatic study utilizes research strategies that have the potential to meaningfully improve the Option B+ care cascade in central Mozambique and to decrease the MTCT of HIV. This trial is designed to identify critical low-cost improvement strategies that can be bundled into a defined intervention. If this intervention has a measurable impact, it can be rapidly scaled up to other ANC in Mozambique and sub-Saharan Africa.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02371265.

Effects of a health information system data quality intervention on concordance in Mozambique: time-series analyses from 2009-2012

Background

We assessed the effects of a three-year national-level, ministry-led health information system (HIS) data quality intervention and identified associated health facility factors.

Methods

Monthly summary HIS data concordance between a gold standard data quality audit and routine HIS data was assessed in 26 health facilities in Sofala Province, Mozambique across four indicators (outpatient consults, institutional births, first antenatal care visits, and third dose of diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus vaccination) and five levels of health system data aggregation (daily facility paper registers, monthly paper facility reports, monthly paper district reports, monthly electronic district reports, and monthly electronic provincial reports) through retrospective yearly audits conducted July-August 2010–2013. We used mixed-effects linear models to quantify changes in data quality over time and associated health system determinants.

Results

Median concordance increased from 56.3% during the baseline period (2009–2010) to 87.5% during 2012–2013. Concordance improved by 1.0% (confidence interval [CI]: 0.60, 1.5) per month during the intervention period of 2010–2011 and 1.6% (CI: 0.89, 2.2) per month from 2011–2012. No significant improvements were observed from 2009–2010 (during baseline period) or 2012–2013. Facilities with more technical staff (aβ: 0.71; CI: 0.14, 1.3), more first antenatal care visits (aβ: 3.3; CI: 0.43, 6.2), and fewer clinic beds (aβ: -0.94; CI: −1.7, −0.20) showed more improvements. Compared to facilities with no stock-outs, facilities with five essential drugs stocked out had 51.7% (CI: −64.8 -38.6) lower data concordance.

Conclusions

A data quality intervention was associated with significant improvements in health information system data concordance across public-sector health facilities in rural and urban Mozambique. Concordance was higher at those facilities with more human resources for health and was associated with fewer clinic-level stock-outs of essential medicines. Increased investments should be made in data audit and feedback activities alongside targeted efforts to improve HIS data in low- and middle-income countries.

Stock-outs of essential health products in Mozambique - longitudinal analyses from 2011 to 2013

OBJECTIVES

To assess the relationship between health system factors and facility-level EHP stock-outs in Mozambique.

METHODS

Service provisions were assessed in 26 health facilities and 13 district warehouses in Sofala Province, Mozambique, from July to August in 2011-2013. Generalised estimating equations were used to model factors associated with facility-level availability of essential drugs, supplies and equipment.

RESULTS

Stock-out rates for drugs ranged from 1.3% for oral rehydration solution to 20.5% for Depo-Provera and condoms, with a mean stock-out rate of 9.1%; mean stock-out rates were 15.4% for supplies and 4.1% for equipment. Stock-outs at the district level accounted for 27.1% (29/107) of facility-level drug stock-outs and 44.0% (37/84) of supply stock-outs. Each 10-km increase in the distance from district distribution warehouses was associated with a 31% (CI: 22-42%), 28% (CI: 17-40%) or 27% (CI: 7-50%) increase in rates of drug, supply or equipment stock-outs, respectively. The number of heath facility staff was consistently negatively associated with the occurrence of stock-outs.

CONCLUSIONS

Facility-level stock-outs of EHPs in Mozambique are common and appear to disproportionately affect those living far from district capitals and near facilities with few health staff. The majority of facility-level EHP stock-outs in Mozambique occur when stock exists at the district distribution centre. Innovative methods are urgently needed to improve EHP supply chains, requesting and ordering of drugs, facility and district communication, and forecasting of future EHP needs in Mozambique. Increased investments in public-sector human resources for health could potentially decrease the occurrence of EHP stock-outs.

[Age dependence of the P2 latency of visually evoked cortical responses to checkerboard pattern reversal (author's transl)]

The age dependence of the P2 latency of visually evoked cortical responses to checkerboard pattern reversal was examined in 60 healthy individuals of between 10 and 69 years of age. Separate examination of the right and left eye yielded no statistically significant difference in P2 latency. A certain age dependence of P2 latency was discovered inasmuch as healthy individuals under 15 years and over 65 are--with high statistically significance--apt to show longer P2 latency than healthy individuals in the remaining life span.