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Low referral completion of rapid diagnostic test-negative patients in community-based treatment of malaria in Sierra Leone by Anna Thomson; Mohammed Khogali; Martin de Smet; Tony Reid; Ahmed Mukhtar; Stefan Peterson; Johan von Schreeb is a Medicine article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Low referral completion of rapid diagnostic test-negative patients in community-based treatment of malaria in Sierra Leone about?

## Background Malaria is hyper-endemic and a major public health problem in Sierra Leone. To provide malaria treatment closer to the community, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) launched a community-based project where Community Malaria Volunteers (CMVs) tested and treated febrile children and pregnant women for malaria using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). RDT-negative patients and severely ill patients were referred to health facilities. This study sought to determine the referral rate and compliance of patients referred by the CMVs. ## Methods In MSF's operational area in Bo and Pujehun districts, Sierra Leone, a retrospective analysis of referral records was carried out for a period of three months. All referral records from CMVs and referral health structures were reviewed, compared and matched for personal data. The eligible study population included febrile children between three and 59 months and pregnant women in their second or third trimester with fever who were noted as having received a referral advice in the CMV recording form. ## Results The study results showed a total referral rate of almost 15%. During the study period 36 out of 2,459 (1.5%) referred patients complete

Who reads Low referral completion of rapid diagnostic test-negative patients in community-based treatment of malaria in Sierra Leone?

Author

Anna Thomson; Mohammed Khogali; Martin de Smet; Tony Reid; Ahmed Mukhtar; Stefan Peterson; Johan von Schreeb

Publisher

BioMed Central; Springer (Biomed Central Ltd.); London: BioMed Central, 2002-; Springer Science and Business Media LLC; Research Square (ISSN 1475-2875)

Published

2011

Language

EN

Field

Medicine (Health Sciences)