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Table 2 Summary characteristics of surveyed outpatient health facilities—Southern Malawi, 2015 (N = 105)

From: Health worker adherence to malaria treatment guidelines at outpatient health facilities in southern Malawi following implementation of universal access to diagnostic testing

 

n

%

Operation of health facility

 Ministry of Health

84

80.0

 CHAM

21

20.0

Health facility type

 Health centre

90

85.7

 Community hospital

9

8.6

 District hospital

6

5.7

Diagnostic capacity

 Microscopy service functional for full day of survey

26

24.8

 RDTs in stock for full day of survey

83

79.1

 Either microscopy or RDT functional for day of surveya

94

89.5

 Haemoglobin testing functional for full day

11

10.5

Infrastructure and equipment available on day of survey

 Clean drinking water

93

88.6

 Cups for administering oral medications available

69

65.7

 Functioning hanging or standing scale

98

90.5

 Functioning thermometer

69

65.7

Availability of 2013 malaria treatment guidelines on day of survey

 Copy of 2013 national or other reference material on malaria treatment guidelines

50

47.6

 Wall flowchart with 2013 malaria treatment guidelines

14

13.3

Anti-malarial drugs in stock for the full day on day of survey

A. First-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria in pregnant women (1st trimester) and children <5 kg

 Quinine tablets

37

35.2

B. First-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria in all other patients

 At least one artemether-lumefantrine (AL) formulation

96

91.4

 AL 1 × 6 dose-pack (regular or dispersible)

88

83.8

 AL 2 × 6 dose-pack (regular or dispersible)

77

73.3

 AL 3 × 6 dose-pack

83

79.1

 AL 4 × 6 dose-pack

77

73.3

C. Second-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria (treatment failure or when AL is contra-indicated)

 Artesunate-amodiaquine (co-formulated or co-blistered)

32

30.5

 Any first- or second-line anti-malarial treatment for uncomplicated malaria

98

93.3

D. Pre-referral treatment for severe malaria

 Any injectable pre-referral treatment (artesunate or quinine)

103

98.1

 Parenteral artesunate

88

83.8

 Parenteral quinine

94

89.5

 Artesunate suppositories

6

5.7

  1. aAn additional 4 facilities had testing availability for part of the day