Effectiveness of malaria chemoprevention in the first two years of life in Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire compared to standard of care: study protocol for a population-based prospective cohort impact evaluation study.

BACKGROUND: Perennial malaria chemoprevention (PMC) is a chemoprevention strategy endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is increasingly being adopted by National Malaria Programmes. PMC aims to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by malaria and anaemia in in young children through provision of antimalarial drugs at routine contact points with the local health system. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the programmatically-implemented country-tailored PMC programmes targeting children up to two years of age using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) on the incidence of malaria and anaemia in children in Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire. METHODS: We will assess the impact of PMC using passive and active monitoring of a prospective observational cohort of children up to 36 months of age at recruitment in selected study sites in Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire. The primary and secondary outcomes include malaria, anaemia and malnutrition incidence. We will also conduct a time-series analysis of passively detected malaria and anaemia cases comparing the periods before and after PMC introduction. This study is powered to detect a 30% and 40% reduction of malaria incidence compared to the standard of care in Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire, respectively. DISCUSSION: This multi-country study aims to provide evidence of the effectiveness of PMC targeting children in the first two years of life on malaria and anaemia and will provide important information to inform optimal operationalization and evaluation of this strategy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Cameroon - NCT05889052; Côte d'Ivoire - NCT05856357.

Excelling in the role of advocate: a qualitative study exploring advocacy as an essential physiotherapy competency.

PURPOSE: To explore the perspectives of leading advocates regarding the attributes required for excelling in the advocate role as described within the Essential Competency Profile for Physiotherapists in Canada (2009). METHODS: We used a descriptive qualitative design involving in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with leading Canadian advocates within the physiotherapy profession. Transcribed interviews were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The 17 participants identified eight attributes necessary for excelling in the role of advocate: collaboration, communication, scholarly practice, management, professionalism, passion, perseverance, and humility. The first five attributes correspond to roles within the Essential Competency Profile for Physiotherapists in Canada. Participants identified the attributes of collaboration, communication, and scholarly practice as the most important for successful advocacy. Participants also noted that the eight identified attributes must be used together and tailored to meet the needs of the advocacy setting. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying these eight attributes is an important first step in understanding how competence in the advocate role can be developed among physiotherapy students and practitioners. Most importantly, this study contributes to the knowledge base that helps physiotherapists to excel in advocating for their clients and the profession.

Objectif: Étudier les points de vue des principaux défenseurs au sujet des qualités requises pour exceller dans le rôle de défenseur décrit dans le Profil des compétences essentielles des physiothérapeutes au Canada (2009). Méthodes: Nous avons utilisé un contexte qualitatif descriptif comportant des entrevues semi-structurées détaillées réalisées auprès de défenseurs canadiens de premier plan de la profession. Nous avons codé les entrevues transcrites et les avons analysées en appliquant une analyse thématique. Résultats: Les 17 participants ont défini huit qualités nécessaires pour exceller dans le rôle de défenseur: collaboration, communication, pratique savante, gestion, professionnalisme, passion, persévérance et humilité. Les cinq premières qualités correspondent aux rôles décrits dans le Profil des compétences essentielles des physiothérapeutes au Canada. Les participants ont considéré la collaboration, la communication et la pratique savante comme les qualités les plus importantes pour réussir comme défenseur. Ils ont aussi signalé que les huit qualités définies doivent servir ensemble et être personnalisées de façon à répondre aux besoins du contexte de défense. Conclusion: La détermination de ces huit qualités constitue une première étape importante pour comprendre comment les étudiants en physiothérapie et les praticiens peuvent devenir défenseurs compétents. Le plus important: cette étude contribue à la base de savoir qui aide les physiothérapeutes à exceller dans la défense de leurs clients et de la profession.