The spectrum of care for pediatric refugees and asylum seekers at a tertiary health care facility in Switzerland in 2015.

The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the epidemiology and spectrum of infections of admitted pediatric refugees and asylum seekers in a tertiary referral hospital in a high-income country in Europe. We identified recent refugees and asylum seekers < 18 years of age admitted to the University Children's Hospital in Basel, Switzerland, in 2015. A retrospective analysis was performed using electronic patient records. We identified 105 admissions in 93 patients with a median age of 5.7 (IQR 2.6-14.5) years. Eritrea, Syria, and Afghanistan were the most frequent countries of origin. The median duration of admission was 4 (IQR 2-6) days with infections and elective surgical interventions being the most common reason (54.8 and 16.1%, respectively). Most infections were airway, skin, and gastrointestinal in 46.4, 20.2, and 11.9%, respectively. The prevalence of tropical infections was 11.9%. The main pathogens identified were influenza A virus (13.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (10.3%), and rhino/enterovirus (10.3%). Previous medical non-infectious conditions were recorded in 13%. CONCLUSION: The study revealed a high burden of infections in admitted patients mostly caused by well-known pathogens prevalent also in the local population. Both tropical infections and pre-existing non-infectious conditions are also important in admitted patients. Better epidemiological data is required to optimize health care for this medically most vulnerable population in refugee crises. What is Known: • Pediatric refugees and asylum seekers are the most vulnerable population in refugee crises. • Data on health concerns and needs in this population is scarce. What is New: • This is one of the first studies on the epidemiology of pediatric refugees and asylum seekers treated as inpatients in a European high-income country. • The high burden of infections is mostly caused by well-known pathogens prevalent also in the local population.

Digitalizing Clinical Guidelines: Experiences in the Development of Clinical Decision Support Algorithms for Management of Childhood Illness in Resource-Constrained Settings.

Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) can strengthen the quality of integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) in resource-constrained settings. Several IMCI-related CDSSs have been developed and implemented in recent years. Yet, despite having a shared starting point, the IMCI-related CDSSs are markedly varied due to the need for interpretation when translating narrative guidelines into decision logic combined with considerations of context and design choices. Between October 2019 and April 2021, we conducted a comparative analysis of 4 IMCI-related CDSSs. The extent of adaptations to IMCI varied, but common themes emerged. Scope was extended to cover a broader range of conditions. Content was added or modified to enhance precision, align with new evidence, and support rational resource use. Structure was modified to increase efficiency, improve usability, and prioritize care for severely ill children. The multistakeholder development processes involved syntheses of recommendations from existing guidelines and literature; creation and validation of clinical algorithms; and iterative development, implementation, and evaluation. The common themes surrounding adaptations of IMCI guidance highlight the complexities of digitalizing evidence-based recommendations and reinforce the rationale for leveraging standards for CDSS development, such as the World Health Organization's SMART Guidelines. Implementation through multistakeholder dialogue is critical to ensure CDSSs can effectively and equitably improve quality of care for children in resource-constrained settings.

Effectiveness of an electronic clinical decision support system in improving the management of childhood illness in primary care in rural Nigeria: an observational study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of ALgorithm for the MANAgement of CHildhood illness ('ALMANACH'), a digital clinical decision support system (CDSS) based on the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness, on health and quality of care outcomes for sick children attending primary healthcare (PHC) facilities. DESIGN: Observational study, comparing outcomes of children attending facilities implementing ALMANACH with control facilities not yet implementing ALMANACH. SETTING: PHC facilities in Adamawa State, North-Eastern Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: Children 2-59 months presenting with an acute illness. Children attending for routine care or nutrition visits (eg, immunisation, growth monitoring), physical trauma or mental health problems were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: The ALMANACH intervention package (CDSS implementation with training, mentorship and data feedback) was rolled out across Adamawa's PHC facilities by the Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency, in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute. Tablets were donated, but no additional support or incentives were provided. Intervention and control facilities received supportive supervision based on the national supervision protocol. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was caregiver-reported recovery at day 7, collected over the phone. Secondary outcomes were antibiotic and antimalarial prescription, referral, and communication of diagnosis and follow-up advice, assessed at day 0 exit interview. RESULTS: We recruited 1929 children, of which 1021 (53%) attended ALMANACH facilities, between March and September 2020. Caregiver-reported recovery was significantly higher among children attending ALMANACH facilities (adjusted OR=2·63, 95% CI 1·60 to 4·32). We observed higher parenteral and lower oral antimicrobial prescription rates (adjusted OR=2·42 (1·00 to 5·85) and adjusted OR=0·40 (0·22 to 0·73), respectively) in ALMANACH facilities as well as markedly higher rates for referral, communication of diagnosis, and follow-up advice. CONCLUSION: Implementation of digital CDSS with training, mentorship and feedback in primary care can improve quality of care and recovery of sick children in resource-constrained settings, likely mediated by better guideline adherence. These findings support the use of CDSS for health systems strengthening to progress towards universal health coverage.

Results from one-year use of an electronic Clinical Decision Support System in a post-conflict context: An implementation research.

BACKGROUND: In 2017, the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency introduced ALMANACH, an electronic clinical decision support system based on a modified version of IMCI. The target area was the Federal State of Adamawa (Nigeria), a region recovering after the Boko Haram insurgency. The aim of this implementation research was to assess the improvement in terms of quality care offered after one year of utilization of the tool. METHODS: We carried out two cross-sectional studies in six Primary Health Care Centres to assess the improvements in comparison with the baseline carried out before the implementation. One survey was carried out inside the consultation room and was based on the direct observation of 235 consultations of children aged from 2 to 59 months old. The second survey questioned 189 caregivers outside the health facility for their opinion about the consultation carried out through using the tablet, the prescriptions and medications given. RESULTS: In comparison with the baseline, more children were checked for danger signs (60.0% vs. 37.1% at baseline) and in addition, children were actually weighed (61.1% vs. 27.7%) during consultation. Malnutrition screening was performed in 35.1% of children (vs. 12.1%). Through ALMANACH, also performance of preventive measures was significantly improved (p<0.01): vaccination status was checked in 39.8% of cases (vs. 10.6% at baseline), and deworming and vitamin A prescription was increased to 46.5% (vs. 0.7%) and 48.3% (vs. 2.8%) respectively. Furthermore, children received a complete physical examination (58.3% vs. 45.5%, p<0.01) and correct treatment (48.4% vs. 29.5%, p<0.01). Regarding antibiotic prescription, 69.3% patients received at least one antibiotic (baseline 77.7%, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight major improvements in terms of quality of care despite many questions still pending to be answered in relation to a full integration of the tool in the Adamawa health system.