Perspectives of healthcare workers on integrated management of childhood illness in Pakistan: A phenomenological approach.

In 2019, an estimated 5.2 million deaths were reported among children less than 5 years of age. At primary healthcare level, healthcare workers (HCWs) mostly rely on history and clinical findings and less on inadequate diagnostic facilities. To enhance case management skills of HCWs, World Health Organization devised an integrated management of childhood illnesses (IMCI) strategy in 1995, modified to distance learning IMCI in 2014. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore perceptions of HCWs about standard and distance IMCI. Four focus group discussions were conducted with purposively selected 26 HCWs (IMCI trained) from 26 basic health units of Abbottabad district in Pakistan. Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics were adopted during the inductive thematic analysis. Five themes that emerged are inexorable health seeking behaviors, IMCI being a comprehensive algorithm for consultation, a tedious protocol, scaling up protocol to specialists and private practitioners, and administrative insufficiency by the department of health. Improvement in case management skills of HCWs was reported as a result of IMCI trainings. It needs administrative support, regulations to control poly-pharmacy and provision of drugs without prescription, and a curb on political and bureaucratic interference.

Nutritional assessment of adolescent girls living in Cherah union council.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the nutritional status of adolescent girls living in the Cherah union council, Islamabad and to determine the association between dietary intake and iron deficiency anaemia. METHODS: It was a cross sectional survey conducted in union council Cherah of Islamabad. Study participants comprised of 150 adolescent (11-19 years of age) girls selected by simple random sampling living in that area during the study period. RESULTS: It was observed that 7% of the adolescents were overweight, 46% were underweight and 1% were obese. Minimum weight of the participants was 23 kg, minimum haemoglobin was 5.6 g/dl, 67% had mild anaemia, 9% had moderate, 1% severe and 48% had normal haemoglobin. Association of food groups labeled as in USDA guideline with the haemoglobin level, was statistically insignificant except in the case of beef and liver intake (meat group) showing association of beef liver intake with haemoglobin level. CONCLUSION: Adolescent girls living in the union council were under weight and had mild to moderate anaemia. There was a significant association of the intake of meat with the haemoglobin level.