Health literacy and household financial loss on malaria treatment for children under five in Ghana: a patients' perspective.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate health literacy increases medical costs and leads to poor health outcomes. However, there is a paucity of empirical evidence of such associations in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates how the household cost of malaria in children under five in Ghana varies based on different levels of health literacy. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey involving 1270 caregivers of children under five was conducted. The survey included health literacy questionnaire and several pieces of sociodemographic and behavioural variables. RESULTS: We created seven caregiver health literacy profiles by scoring nine dimensions. The mean total cost for managing malaria among respondents was US$20.29 per episode. The total household cost for caregivers with high health literacy (Profile 1) (US$24.77) was higher than all other profiles, with the lowest cost (US$17.93) among the low health literacy profile (Profile 6). Compared with Profile 4, caregivers with high health literacy (Profile 1) spent more on managing malaria in children, while those with the lowest health literacy (Profile 7) spent less. CONCLUSION: The current study presents a snapshot of malaria treatment costs, and argues that low health literacy may lead to increased costs due to possible reinfections from delayed healthcare use. There is a need for longitudinal studies to understand causal relationship between health literacy and household expenses on malaria treatment to inform policy development and interventions. LAY SUMMARY: This study explores the impact of caregiver health literacy levels on the cost of managing malaria incidents in children under five in Ghana. High health-literate caregivers incurred the highest total household cost at US$24.77, with US$17.93 incurred by lower health-literate caregivers per malaria episode.

Healthcare provider cost of antimicrobial resistance in two teaching hospitals in Ghana.

Understanding the healthcare provider costs of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in lower-middle-income countries would motivate healthcare facilities to prioritize reducing the AMR burden. This study evaluates the extra length of stay and the associated healthcare provider costs due to AMR to estimate the potential economic benefits of AMR prevention strategies. We combined data from a parallel cohort study with administrative data from the participating hospitals. The parallel cohort study prospectively matched a cohort of patients with bloodstream infections caused by third-generation cephalosporin-resistant enterobacteria and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (AMR cohort) with two control arms: patients infected with similar susceptible bacteria and a cohort of uninfected controls. Data collection took place from June to December 2021. We calculated the cost using aggregated micro-costing and step-down costing approaches and converted costs into purchasing power parity in international US dollars, adjusting for surviving patients, bacterial species and cost centres. We found that the AMR cohort spent a mean of 4.2 extra days (95% CI: 3.7-4.7) at Hospital 1 and 5.5 extra days (95% CI: 5.1-5.9) at Hospital 2 compared with the susceptible cohort. This corresponds to an estimated mean extra cost of $823 (95% CI: 812-863) and $946 (95% CI: US$929-US$964) per admission, respectively. For both hospitals, the estimated mean annual extra cost attributable to AMR was approximately US$650 000. The cost varies by organism and type of resistance expressed. The result calls for prioritization of interventions to mitigate the spread of AMR in Ghana.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding antimicrobial use and resistance among healthcare seekers in two tertiary hospitals in Ghana: a quasi-experimental study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate knowledge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), to study how the judgement of health value (HVJ) and economic value (EVJ) affects antibiotic use, and to understand if access to information on AMR implications may influence perceived AMR mitigation strategies. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental study with interviews performed before and after an intervention where hospital staff collected data and provided one group of participants with information about the health and economic implications of antibiotic use and resistance compared with a control group not receiving the intervention. SETTING: Korle-Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals, Ghana. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients aged 18 years and older seeking outpatient care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured three outcomes: (1) level of knowledge of the health and economic implications of AMR; (2) HVJ and EVJ behaviours influencing antibiotic use and (3) differences in perceived AMR mitigation strategy between participants exposed and not exposed to the intervention. RESULTS: Most participants had a general knowledge of the health and economic implications of antibiotic use and AMR. Nonetheless, a sizeable proportion disagreed or disagreed to some extent that AMR may lead to reduced productivity/indirect costs (71% (95% CI 66% to 76%)), increased provider costs (87% (95% CI 84% to 91%)) and costs for carers of AMR patients/societal costs (59% (95% CI 53% to 64%)). Both HVJ-driven and EVJ-driven behaviours influenced antibiotic use, but the latter was a better predictor (reliability coefficient >0.87). Compared with the unexposed group, participants exposed to the intervention were more likely to recommend restrictive access to antibiotics (p<0.01) and pay slightly more for a health treatment strategy to reduce their risk of AMR (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: There is a knowledge gap about antibiotic use and the implications of AMR. Access to AMR information at the point of care could be a successful way to mitigate the prevalence and implications of AMR.

Attributable Patient Cost of Antimicrobial Resistance: A Prospective Parallel Cohort Study in Two Public Teaching Hospitals in Ghana.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the attributable patient cost of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Ghana to provide empirical evidence to make a case for improved AMR preventive strategies in hospitals and the general population. METHODS: A prospective parallel cohort design in which participants were enrolled at the time of hospital admission and remained until 30 days after the diagnosis of bacteraemia or discharge from the hospital/death. Patients were matched on age group (± 5 years the age of AMR patients), treatment ward, sex, and bacteraemia type. The AMR cohort included all inpatients with a positive blood culture of Escherichia coli or Klebsiella spp., resistant to third-generation cephalosporins (3GC), or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We matched the AMR cohort (n = 404) with two control arms, i.e., patients with the same bacterial infections susceptible to 3GC or S. aureus that was methicillin-susceptible (susceptible cohort; n = 152), and uninfected patients (uninfected cohort; n = 404). Settings were Korle-Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals, Ghana. The outcome measures were the length of hospital stay (LOS) and the associated patient costs. Outcomes were evaluated from the patient perspective. RESULTS: From a total of 5752 blood cultures screened, 1836 participants had growth in blood culture, of which, based on our inclusion criteria, 426 were enrolled into the AMR cohort; however, only 404 completed the follow-up and were matched with participants in the two control cohorts. Patients in the AMR cohort stayed approximately 5 more days (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.0-6.0) and 8 more days (95% CI 7.2-8.6) compared with the susceptible and uninfected cohorts, respectively. The mean extra patient cost due to AMR relative to the susceptible cohort was US$1300 (95% CI 1018-1370), of which about 30% resulted from productivity loss due to presenteeism and absenteeism from work. Overall, the estimated annual patient cost due to AMR translates to about US$1 million and US$1.4 million when compared with the susceptible and uninfected cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSION: We have shown that AMR is associated with a significant excess LOS and patient costs in Ghana using prospective data from two public tertiary hospitals. This calls for infection prevention and control strategies aimed at mitigating the prevalence of AMR.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of alcohol handrub for the prevention of neonatal bloodstream infections: Evidence from HAI-Ghana study.

Published evidence of the cost-effectiveness of alcohol-based handrub (ABH) for the prevention of neonatal bloodstream infections (BSI) is limited in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of a multimodal hand hygiene involving alcohol-based hand rub (ABH) for the prevention of neonatal BSI in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting in Ghana using data from HAI-Ghana study. Design was a before and after intervention study using economic evaluation model to assess the cost-effectiveness of a multimodal hand hygiene strategy involving alcohol-based hand rub plus soap and water compared to existing practice of using only soap and water. We measured effect and cost by subtracting outcomes without the intervention from outcomes with the intervention. The primary outcome measure is the number of neonatal BSI episode averted with the intervention and the consequent cost savings from patient and provider perspectives. The before and after intervention studies lasted four months each, spanning October 2017 to January 2018 and December 2018 to March 2019, respectively. The analysis shows that the ABH program was effective in reducing patient cost of neonatal BSI by 41.7% and BSI-attributable hospital cost by 48.5%. Further, neonatal BSI-attributable deaths and extra length of hospital stay (LOS) decreased by 73% and 50% respectively. Also, the post-intervention assessment revealed the ABH program contributed to 16% decline in the incidence of neonatal BSI at the NICU. The intervention is a simple and adaptable strategy with cost-saving potential when carefully scaled up across the country. Though the cost of the intervention may be more relative to using just soap and water for hand hygiene, the outcome is a good reason for investment into the intervention to reduce the incidence of neonatal BSI and the associated costs from patient and providers' perspectives.

Costs of shoulder disorders in Denmark: a nationwide cost-of-illness study investigating 617,334 patients and matched controls.

ABSTRACT: Shoulder disorders are very common musculoskeletal conditions. Few studies have focused on the costs associated with shoulder disorders, and the economic burden has never been established in a nationwide cost-of-illness study. We aimed to evaluate the healthcare costs and costs of productivity loss (sick leave) and to evaluate if costs were higher for specific subgroups. Using national Danish registers, we identified individuals with shoulder disorders (subacromial pain, stiffness, fracture, or dislocation) diagnosed between 2005 and 2017 and controls matched on age and gender without shoulder disorders. Health care usage, sick leave, and related costs were estimated. During the 13-year inclusion period, 617,334 unique individuals were identified and the incidence rate was 1215 per 100,000 person-years in 2017. The expected additional societal costs were €1.21 billion annually. The mean additional total costs for the 6-year period were €11,334 (11,014-11,654) for individuals aged ≥65 years and €25,771 (25,531-26,012) for individuals aged <65 years. For individuals in the working age, the costs of sick leave accounted for approximately 70% of the total costs. Individuals aged ≥65 years had healthcare costs that were twice as high as individuals aged <65 years. Additionally, the 20% of cases accruing the highest costs accounted for 66% of the total costs. In conclusion, incidence rates of shoulder disorders were high and costs of sick leave accounted for a large proportion of total costs associated with illness in working age people. Furthermore, a minority of patients accounted for a substantial share of the total costs.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of an active 30-day surgical site infection surveillance at a tertiary hospital in Ghana: evidence from HAI-Ghana study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost-effectiveness of an active 30-day surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance mechanism at a referral teaching hospital in Ghana using data from healthcare-associated infection Ghana (HAI-Ghana) study. DESIGN: Before and during intervention study using economic evaluation model to assess the cost-effectiveness of an active 30-day SSI surveillance at a teaching hospital. The intervention involves daily inspection of surgical wound area for 30-day postsurgery with quarterly feedback provided to surgeons. Discharged patients were followed up by phone call on postoperative days 3, 15 and 30 using a recommended surgical wound healing postdischarge questionnaire. SETTING: Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Ghana. PARTICIPANTS: All prospective patients who underwent surgical procedures at the general surgical unit of the KBTH. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measures were the avoidable SSI morbidity risk and the associated costs from patient and provider perspectives. We also reported three indicators of SSI severity, that is, length of hospital stay (LOS), number of outpatient visits and laboratory tests. The analysis was performed in STATA V.14 and Microsoft Excel. RESULTS: Before-intervention SSI risk was 13.9% (62/446) as opposed to during-intervention 8.4% (49/582), equivalent to a risk difference of 5.5% (95% CI 5.3 to 5.9). SSI mortality risk decreased by 33.3% during the intervention while SSI-attributable LOS decreased by 32.6%. Furthermore, the mean SSI-attributable patient direct and indirect medical cost declined by 12.1% during intervention while the hospital costs reduced by 19.1%. The intervention led to an estimated incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of US$4196 savings per SSI episode avoided. At a national scale, this could be equivalent to a US$60 162 248 cost advantage annually. CONCLUSION: The intervention is a simple, cost-effective, sustainable and adaptable strategy that may interest policymakers and health institutions interested in reducing SSI.

Co-creation and prototyping of an intervention focusing on health literacy in management of malaria at community-level in Ghana.

INTRODUCTION: Collaborating with end-users to develop interventions tailored to fit unique circumstances is proposed as a way to improve relevance and effectiveness of an intervention. This study used a local needs driven approach to develop a health literacy intervention for caregivers in Ghana concerning management of malaria in children under 5 years. METHOD: For the period, November 2017-February 2019, we carried out the study using a three-phase framework including: 1) Needs assessment based on data from questionnaires, focus groups, individual interviews and observations, 2) Co-creation of a board game and brochures for health education at Child Welfare Clinics to address needs in health literacy concerning malaria and 3) Development of a prototype of the game, brochures as well as determining feasibility. In addition to the research team, health administrators, community health workers, designers and caregivers contributed to the development of the intervention. FINDINGS: The needs assessment contributed to the development of interactive and useful materials including a board game and brochures, to help bridge the gaps in health literacy among caregivers. Co-creation of the materials and prototyping yielded a varying sense of ownership among stakeholders. End-users' engagement and participation in developing the intervention resulted in a high interest and adherence to interventions. However, high attrition rates of health workers and caregivers' inconsistent use of the Child Welfare Clinics challenged sustainability of this intervention. CONCLUSION: Co-creation led to an interactive intervention. The interactive nature of the board game and brochures resulted in a better caregiver-health provider relationship and a sense of recognition of a more participatory approach to health delivery. We recommend co-creation as an approach to develop needs-driven interventions in a context like Ghana. Still, a stronger buy-in at the top-level of health management would improve sustainability and reach a larger audience.

INTRODUCTION: To develop useful interventions, it is important to involve the users of the intervention in its development. Such interventions address the unique needs of the users. This study reports on the design and evaluation of an intervention which was designed to meet the health literacy needs of caregivers with children under 5 years in the management of malaria in Ghana. METHOD: The development process involved three phases. Firstly, the study identified the health literacy needs of caregivers using questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews and observations. Secondly, there was collaboration with stakeholders in the design of a board game and brochures as health education tools to be used at the Child Welfare Clinics and lastly, the practicality of the designed materials as health education tools for caregivers was assessed. FINDINGS: The intervention addressed the identified health literacy needs of caregivers. Stakeholders involved in the development process expressed ownership in varying degrees depending on the extent of their involvement. Users of the board game and brochures showed high interest and participation in the intervention delivery. Sustainability was challenged with periodic transfer and loss of health workers to career development, as well as irregular visits by some caregivers to the Child Welfare Clinics. CONCLUSION: The use of interactive game and brochures at the Child Welfare Clinics improved caregiver and health worker relationship and encouraged a participatory method of healthcare. For long-term sustainability and scale-out of the intervention, there is the need for more support of top-level management of health in the country.

Costs and Extra Length of Stay because of Neonatal Bloodstream Infection at a Teaching Hospital in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: There are no published studies on the costs of hospital-acquired neonatal bloodstream infection (BSI) in Ghana. Therefore, this study aims to calculate the cost and extra length of stay (LOS) of neonatal BSI. A prospective case-control study was undertaken at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Ghana. METHODS: The clinical data of 357 neonates were prospectively analysed. Overall, 100 neonates with BSI and 100 control neonates without BSI were matched by weight, sex and type of delivery. The direct and indirect costs to neonates and their caregivers was obtained on a daily basis. The cost of drugs was confirmed with the Pharmacy Department at KBTH. A count data model, specifically negative binomial regression, was employed to estimate the extra LOS in the NICU due to neonatal BSI. The study analyzed the total, average and marginal costs of neonatal BSI for the case and control groups from the perspective of the patients/carers/providers. RESULTS: Fifty-four percent of the total sample were born with a low birth weight. Neonates with BSI recorded higher costs compared with neonates without BSI. The highest difference in direct costs was recorded among neonates with extremely low birth weight (US$732), which is 67% higher than similar neonates without BSI. The regression estimates show a significant correlation between neonatal BSI and LOS in the NICU (p < 0.001). Neonates with BSI stayed an additional 10 days in the NICU compared with their matched cohort. The LOS varies significantly depending on the neonate's weight at birth. The extra days range from 1 day for neonates defined as macrosomia to 15 extra days for extremely low birth weight neonates. CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal BSI was significantly associated with prolonged LOS. The continuous presence of experienced medical staff, as well as parents, to monitor newborns during their stay on the ward has enormous economic burden on both hospitals and caregivers.

The financial impact of puerperal infections on patients, carers and public hospitals in two regions in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Puerperal infection (PI) is a known maternal health problem globally. However, there is limited information on its economic impact on patients, carers, and public hospitals in lower-middle-income countries, such as Ghana. METHODS: A prospective case-control study was undertaken in two regional hospitals to analyze the cost of PI. A total of 667 and 559 participants were enrolled in the study at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH) and the Eastern Regional Hospital (ERH), respectively. Total, average and marginal costs were analyzed between patients with and without PI. RESULTS: Within the study period, the prevalence of PI was 9.1% at ERH and 14.9% at GARH. Overall, patients with PI reported excess length of hospital stay (LOS), corresponding to 46.8% and 33.5% increases in average direct cost at ERH and GARH, respectively, compared with their control groups. In almost all cases, the attributable indirect cost was consistent with productivity loss. CONCLUSION: In both hospitals, patients with PI reported excess LOS and increased direct and indirect costs. The total cost of PI to society, which is the sum of the direct cost, productivity loss, and hospital cost, was higher in Greater Accra than in the Eastern region.

Translation, cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Ghanaian language (Akan; Asante Twi) version of the Health Literacy Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Patients' competencies and resources to manage their own health, which is termed health literacy, is a necessity for better health outcomes. Thus, it is relevant to have a comprehensive health literacy measurement tool suitable for populations of interest. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) is a tool useful for health literacy assessment covering nine dimensions/scales of health literacy. The HLQ has been translated and validated in diverse contexts but has so far not been assessed in any country in sub-Saharan Africa. We sought to translate this tool into the most common language used in Ghana and assess its validity. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional study using the HLQ concurrently with an assessment of a malaria programme for caregivers with children under 5 years. The HLQ was translated using a systematic translation procedure. We analysed the psychometric properties of the HLQ based on data collected by face-to-face interview of 1234 caregivers. The analysis covered tests on difficulty level of scales, composite reliability, Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). RESULTS: Cognitive testing showed that some words were ambiguous, which led to minor rewording of the questionnaire. A nine-factor CFA model was fitted to the 44 question items with no cross-loadings or correlated residuals allowed. Given the very restricted nature of the model, the fit was quite satisfactory: χ2 DWLS (866 df) = 17,177.58, p < 0.000, CFI = 0.971, TLI = 0.969, RMSEA = 0.126 and SRMR = 0.107. Composite reliability and Cronbach's alpha were > 0.65 for all scales except Cronbach's alpha for scale 9, 'Understanding health information well enough to know what to do' (0.57). The mean differences between most demographic groups among health literacy scales were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The Akan-Twi version of HLQ proved relevant in our description of the health literacy levels among the caregivers in our study. This validated tool will be useful to conduct health literacy needs assessments to guide policies addressing such needs. Further work is needed to validate this tool for use in Ghana and similar contexts.

Cost-consequence analysis of self-administration of medication during hospitalization: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial in a Danish hospital setting.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the costs and consequences of introducing "self-administration of medication" (SAM) during hospitalization as compared with nurse-led dispensing and administration of medication. METHODS: This pragmatic randomized controlled trial was performed in a Danish Cardiology Unit. Patients ⩾18 years old capable of self-administering medication were eligible. In the intervention group, patients self-administered their medication. In the control group, medication was dispensed and administered by nurses. The implementation of SAM was used to evaluate the cost-consequences. The micro-costing analysis used the hospital perspective and a short-term incremental costing approach. The costs for medication, materials, and nursing time were included. Consequences included the dispensing error proportion, patients' perceptions regarding medication, satisfaction, and deviations in the medication list at follow-up. In addition, the number of readmissions and general practitioner (GP) contacts within 30 days after discharge was included. RESULTS: The total cost (TC) per patient in the intervention group was 49.9€ (95% CI: 46.6-53.2) compared with 52.6€ (95% CI: 46.6-58.6) in the control group. The difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.09). Sensitivity analysis consistently showed TCs favoring the intervention. The dispensing error proportion was 9.7% (95% CI: 7.9-11.6) in the intervention group compared with 12.8% (95% CI: 10.9-15.6) in the control group. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.02). The analysis also found changes in the perceptions regarding medication (indicating higher medication adherence), increased satisfaction, and fewer patients with deviations in the medication list at follow-up. No statistically significant differences between the groups in relation to readmissions and GP contacts within 30 days were observed. CONCLUSIONS: SAM seems to cost less although the cost difference was small and not statistically significant. As SAM had positive effects on patient outcomes, the results indicate that SAM may be cost-effective. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Self-administration of medication: a research study of the costs and consequences Objectives To evaluate the costs and consequences of introducing "self-administration of medication" (SAM) during hospitalization compared to medication dispensed by nurses. Methods This research study included patients ≥18 years capable of self-administering medication and was performed in a Danish cardiology unit. Patients self-administered their own medication during hospitalization in the intervention group, whereas nurses dispensed and administered the medication in the control group. Patients were allocated between groups by randomization. The costs of SAM were analyzed from a hospital perspective and included costs for medication, materials, and nursing time. The consequences included the proportion of dispensing errors, patients' perceptions regarding medication, patient satisfaction, deviations in the medication list at follow-up, the number of readmissions and general practitioner (GP) contacts within 30 days after discharge. Results The total cost per patient was 49.9€ in the intervention group compared to 52.6€ in the control group (p = 0.09). The cost difference between groups was not significant. The proportion of dispensing errors was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group. In addition the research study found changes in the perceptions regarding medication, increased satisfaction, and fewer patients with deviations in the medication list at follow-up. For readmissions and GP contacts within 30 days no significant differences between groups were found. Conclusion SAM cost less or equal to medication dispensing and administration by nurse. SAM had positive impacts on patient outcomes. Therefore, SAM may be cost-effective.

Self-administration of medication during hospitalization-a randomized pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Self-administration of medication (SAM) during hospitalization is a complex intervention where patients are involved in their course of treatment. The study aim was to pilot test the SAM intervention. The objectives were to assess the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial on the safety and cost-consequences of SAM during hospitalization. METHODS: The study was performed in a Danish cardiology unit.Patients ≥ 18 years capable of self-administering medication during hospitalization were eligible. Patients were excluded if they did not self-administer medication at home, were incapable of self-administering medication, were not prescribed medication suitable for self-administration, did not bring their medication, or were unable to speak Danish.Feasibility was assessed as part of the pilot study. A future randomized controlled trial was considered feasible if it was possible to recruit 60 patients within 3 months, if outcome measurement method was capable of detecting dispensing errors in both groups, and if patients in the intervention group were more satisfied with the medication management during hospitalization compared to the control group.Forty patients were recruited to gain experience about the intervention (self-administration). Additionally, 20 patients were randomized to the intervention or control group (nurse-led dispensing) to gain experience about the randomization procedure.Dispensing error proportions were based on data collected through disguised observation of patients and nurses during dispensing. The error proportion in the control group was used for the sample size calculation. Patient acceptability was assessed through telephone calls. RESULTS: Of the 60 patients recruited, one withdrew and 11 were discharged before observation resulting in analysis of 39 patients in the intervention group and nine in the control group. A dispensing error proportion of 3.4% was found in the intervention group and 16.1% in the control group. A total of 91.7% of patients in the intervention group and 66.7% in the control group were highly satisfied with the medication management during hospitalization. The overall protocol worked as planned. Minor changes in exclusion criteria, intervention, and outcome measures were considered. CONCLUSIONS: It may be feasible to perform a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of the safety and cost-consequences of self-administration of medication during hospitalization. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03541421, retrospectively registered on 30 May 2018.

Self-administration of medication: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of the impact on dispensing errors, perceptions, and satisfaction.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to investigate whether self-administration of medication (SAM) during hospitalization affects the number of dispensing errors, perceptions regarding medication, and participant satisfaction when compared with nurse-led medication dispensing. METHODS: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial was performed in a Danish cardiology unit. Patients aged ⩾ 18 years capable of SAM were eligible for inclusion. Patients were excluded if they did not self-administer medication at home, were not prescribed medication suitable for self-administration, or did not speak Danish.Intervention group participants self-administered their medication. In the control group, medication was dispensed and administered by nurses.The primary outcome was the proportion of dispensing errors collected through modified disguised observation of participants and nurses. Dispensing errors were divided into clinical and procedural errors.Secondary outcomes were explored through telephone calls to determine participant perceptions regarding medication and satisfaction, and finally, deviations in their medication list two weeks after discharge. RESULTS: Significantly fewer dispensing errors were observed in the intervention group, with 100 errors/1033 opportunities for error (9.7%), compared with 132 errors/1028 opportunities for error (12.8%) in the control group. The number of clinical errors was significantly reduced, whereas no difference in procedural errors was observed. At follow up, those who were self-administering medication had fewer concerns regarding their medication, found medication to be less harmful, were more satisfied, preferred this opportunity in the future, and had fewer deviations in their medication list after discharge compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the reduced number of dispensing errors in the intervention group, indicate that SAM is safe. In addition, SAM had a positive impact on (a) perceptions regarding medication, thus suggesting increased medication adherence, (b) deviations in medication list after discharge, and (c) participant satisfaction related to medication management at the hospital.

Attributable cost and extra length of stay of surgical site infection at a Ghanaian teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available on the financial impact of healthcare associated infections in Sub-Saharan Africa. A prospective case-control study was undertaken at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana, to calculate the cost of surgical site infections (SSI). METHODS: We studied 446 adults undergoing surgery from the surgical department. In all, 40 patients with SSI and 40 control patients without SSI were matched by type of surgery, wound class, ASA, sex and age. The direct and indirect costs to patients were obtained from patients and their carers, daily. The cost of drugs was confirmed with the pharmacy at the department. RESULTS: The prevalence rate for SSI was 11% of the total 446 cases sampled between June and August 2017. On average patients with SSI who undertook hernia surgery paid approximately US$ 392 more than the matched controls without SSI. The least difference was recorded amongst patients who had thyroid surgery, a difference of US$ 42. The results show that for all surgical procedures, SSI patients report excess length of stay. The additional days range from 1 day for limb amputation, to 16 days for rectal surgery. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, patients with SSI experienced significant prolongation of hospitalisation and increased use of health care costs. In many cases, the indirect costs were much higher than direct costs. These findings support the need to implement preventative interventions for patients hospitalised for various surgical procedures at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Childhood mortality, intra-household bargaining power and fertility preferences among women in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Continuing population growth could be detrimental for social and economic wellbeing. Understanding the factors that influence family planning decisions will be important for policy. This paper examines the effect of childhood mortality and women's bargaining power on family planning decisions. METHODS: Data was from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). A sample of 3313 women in their reproductive age were included in this study. We created variables on women's exposure to and experience of child mortality risks. Three different indicators of women's bargaining power in the household were also used. Probit models were estimated in accordance with the nature of the dependent variable. RESULTS: Results from the probit models suggest that child mortality has a positive association with higher fertility preference. Also, child mortality risks and woman's bargaining power play important roles in a woman's fertility choices in Ghana. Women with higher bargaining power were likely to prefer fewer children in the face of child mortality risks, compared to women with lower bargaining power. CONCLUSION: In addition to public sensitization campaigns on the dangers of high fertility and use of contraceptives, the findings of this study emphasize the need to focus on reducing child mortality and improving women bargaining power in developing countries.

Socioeconomic inequality in maternal healthcare: An analysis of regional variation in Bangladesh.

Socioeconomic inequality in the utilisation of maternal healthcare services is well-documented in Bangladesh. However, the spatial dimension of this inequality is largely unexplored in the literature. This study examined the regional variation of wealth-related inequality in the utilisation of maternal healthcare services using data from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, 2014. The highest extent of pro-wealthy inequality was found in Chittagong and Sylhet for ANC services compared to Khulna and Rangpur where inequality was the lowest. Pro-wealthy inequality was the lowest in Rangpur while Dhaka and Barisal tended to have the greatest degree of inequality for delivery care services. Policy efforts aiming to tackle socioeconomic inequality in maternal healthcare should consider this spatial dimension of inequality in Bangladesh.

Inequalities in child immunization coverage in Ghana: evidence from a decomposition analysis.

Childhood vaccination has been promoted as a global intervention aimed at improving child survival and health, through the reduction of vaccine preventable deaths. However, there exist significant inequalities in achieving universal coverage of child vaccination among and within countries. In this paper, we examine rural-urban inequalities in child immunizations in Ghana. Using data from the recent two waves of the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, we examine the probability that a child between 12 and 59 months receives the required vaccinations and proceed to decompose the sources of inequalities in the probability of full immunization between rural and urban areas. We find significant child-specific, maternal and household characteristics on a child's immunization status. The results show that children in rural areas are more likely to complete the required vaccinations. The direction and sources of inequalities in child immunizations have changed between the two survey waves. We find a pro-urban advantage in 2008 arising from differences in observed characteristics whilst a pro-rural advantage emerges in 2014 dominated by the differences in coefficients. Health system development and campaign efforts have focused on rural areas. There is a need to also specifically target vulnerable children in urban areas, to maintain focus on women empowerment and pay attention to children from high socio-economic households in less favourable economic times.

Inclusion of the value of herd immunity in economic evaluations of vaccines. A systematic review of methods used.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this review were to identify vaccine economic evaluations that include herd immunity and describe the methodological approaches used. METHODS: We used Kim and Goldie's search strategy from a systematic review (1976-2007) of modelling approaches used in vaccine economic evaluations and additionally searched PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase for 2007-2015. Studies were classified according to modelling approach used. Methods for estimating herd immunity effects were described, in particular for the static models. RESULTS: We identified 625 economic evaluations of vaccines against human-transmissible diseases from 1976 to 2015. Of these, 172 (28%) included herd immunity. While 4% of studies included herd immunity in 2001, 53% of those published in 2015 did this. Pneumococcal, human papilloma and rotavirus vaccines represented the majority of studies (63%) considering herd immunity. Ninety-five of the 172 studies utilised a static model, 59 applied a dynamic model, eight a hybrid model and ten did not clearly state which method was used. Relatively crude methods and assumptions were used in the majority of the static model studies. CONCLUSION: The proportion of economic evaluations using a dynamic model has increased in recent years. However, 55% of the included studies used a static model for estimating herd immunity. Values from a static model can only be considered reliable if high quality surveillance data are incorporated into the analysis. Without this, the results are questionable and they should only be included in sensitivity analysis.

Cost-effectiveness of providing measles vaccination to all children in Guinea-Bissau.

BACKGROUND: Measles vaccination is associated with major reductions in child mortality and morbidity. In Guinea-Bissau, to limit vaccine wastage, children are only measles-vaccinated if at least six children aged 9-11 months are present at a vaccination session. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness of providing measles vaccine (MV) to all children regardless of age and number of children present. METHODS: We estimated MV coverage among children living in villages cluster-randomized to MV for all children and among children cluster-randomized to the current restrictive MV policy (status quo). Prices of MV and injection equipment were obtained from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Cost savings of hospital admissions averted were collected from a sample of health facilities. The non-specific mortality effects of MV were estimated and presented as deaths averted and life years gained (LYG) from providing MV-for-all. RESULTS: MV coverage at 36 months was 97% in MV-for-all clusters and 84% in restrictive MV policy clusters. Conservatively assuming 90% wastage of MV under the MV-for-all policy and 40% under the restrictive MV policy, cost per child vaccinated was USD 3.08 and USD 1.19, respectively. The incremental costs per LYG and death averted of the MV-for-all policy were USD 5.61 and USD 148, respectively. The MV-for-all policy became cost-saving at 88% wastage. CONCLUSIONS: Taking the low cost of MV and the beneficial non-specific effects of MV into consideration, a 10-dose MV vial should be reclassified as a '1+ dose vial'. The vial should be opened for a single child, irrespective of age, but can vaccinate up to 10 children.