Study protocol for a mixed methods approach to optimize colorectal cancer screening in Malaysia: Integrating stakeholders insights and knowledge-to-action framework.

INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer is a growing global health concern and the number of reported cases has increased over the years. Early detection through screening is critical to improve outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer. In Malaysia, there is an urgent need to optimize the colorectal cancer screening program as uptake is limited by multiple challenges. This study aims to systematically identify and address gaps in screening service delivery to optimize the Malaysian colorectal cancer screening program. METHODS: This study uses a mixed methods design. It focuses primarily on qualitative data to understand processes and strategies and to identify specific areas that can be improved through stakeholder engagement in the screening program. Quantitative data play a dual role in supporting the selection of participants for the qualitative study based on program monitoring data and assessing inequalities in screening and program implementation in healthcare facilities in Malaysia. Meanwhile, literature review identifies existing strategies to improve colorectal cancer screening. Additionally, the knowledge-to-action framework is integrated to ensure that the research findings lead to practical improvements to the colorectal cancer screening program. DISCUSSION: Through this complex mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, this study will explore the complex interplay of population- and systems-level factors that influence screening rates. It involves identifying barriers to effective colorectal cancer screening in Malaysia, comparing current strategies with international best practices, and providing evidence-based recommendations to improve the local screening program.

Prevalence and sociodemographic predictors of high-risk vaginal human papillomavirus infection: findings from a public cervical cancer screening registry.

INTRODUCTION: High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) screening is vital for early cervical cancer detection and treatment. With the introduction of the national cervical cancer screening programme and screening registry in Malaysia, there is a need to monitor population-based HPV screening uptake and high-risk HPV prevalence as part of cervical cancer surveillance. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and sociodemographic factors predicting high-risk HPV infection in Malaysia based on a public, community-based cervical cancer screening registry targeting women at risk of getting HPV infection. METHODS: The study used data from the Malaysian cervical cancer screening registry established by the Family Health Development Division from 2019 to 2021. The registry recorded sociodemographic data, HPV test details and results of eligible women who underwent HPV screening at public primary healthcare facilities. A vaginal sample (via self-sampling or assisted by a healthcare provider) was used for DNA extraction for HPV detection and genotyping. Registry data were extracted and analysed to determine prevalence estimates of high-risk HPV infection. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine predictors of high-risk HPV infection. All analyses were performed using Stata version 14. RESULTS: The programme screened a total of 36,738 women during the study period. Women who attended the screening programme were mainly from urban areas, aged 30-39 years, and of Malay ethnicity. The prevalence of high-risk HPV infection was 4.53% among women screened, with the yearly prevalence ranging from 4.27 to 4.80%. A higher prevalence was observed among urban settling women, those aged 30-49 years, those of Indian ethnicity, and those without children. The results from logistic regression showed that women from urban areas, lower age groups, of Indian or Chinese ethnicity, and who are self-employed were more likely to be infected with high-risk HPV. CONCLUSION: Targeted and robust strategies to reach identified high-risk groups are needed in Malaysia. In addition, the registry has the potential to be expanded for an improved cervical cancer elimination plan. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registration number: NMRR ID-22-00187-DJU.

Embedding rapid reviews in health policy and systems decision-making: Impacts and lessons learned from four low- and middle-income countries.

BACKGROUND: Demand for rapid evidence-based syntheses to inform health policy and systems decision-making has increased worldwide, including in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To promote use of rapid syntheses in LMICs, the WHO's Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR) created the Embedding Rapid Reviews in Health Systems Decision-Making (ERA) Initiative. Following a call for proposals, four LMICs were selected (Georgia, India, Malaysia and Zimbabwe) and supported for 1 year to embed rapid response platforms within a public institution with a health policy or systems decision-making mandate. METHODS: While the selected platforms had experience in health policy and systems research and evidence syntheses, platforms were less confident conducting rapid evidence syntheses. A technical assistance centre (TAC) was created from the outset to develop and lead a capacity-strengthening program for rapid syntheses, tailored to the platforms based on their original proposals and needs as assessed in a baseline questionnaire. The program included training in rapid synthesis methods, as well as generating synthesis demand, engaging knowledge users and ensuring knowledge uptake. Modalities included live training webinars, in-country workshops and support through phone, email and an online platform. LMICs provided regular updates on policy-makers' requests and the rapid products provided, as well as barriers, facilitators and impacts. Post-initiative, platforms were surveyed. RESULTS: Platforms provided rapid syntheses across a range of AHPSR themes, and successfully engaged national- and state-level policy-makers. Examples of substantial policy impact were observed, including for COVID-19. Although the post-initiative survey response rate was low, three quarters of those responding felt confident in their ability to conduct a rapid evidence synthesis. Lessons learned coalesced around three themes - the importance of context-specific expertise in conducting reviews, facilitating cross-platform learning, and planning for platform sustainability. CONCLUSIONS: The ERA initiative successfully established rapid response platforms in four LMICs. The short timeframe limited the number of rapid products produced, but there were examples of substantial impact and growing demand. We emphasize that LMICs can and should be involved not only in identifying and articulating needs but as co-designers in their own capacity-strengthening programs. More time is required to assess whether these platforms will be sustained for the long-term.

Effect of supplementary private health insurance on inpatient utilisation: Evidence from Malaysia.

Supplementary private health insurance (PHI) provides better access to healthcare, improves health outcomes, potentially lowers the costs for health systems and supports the social security system. Improperly regulated PHI, however, may aggravate inequity of access towards preferential care and encourage moral hazard among PHI purchasers, altering the health-seeking behaviour, which is often observed through the pattern of health care utilisation. We investigated the effect of PHI ownership on private inpatient care utilisation, its frequency of admission and length of stay by conducting secondary data analysis of the Malaysian National Health Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2015 data, a nationally representative community health survey. Malaysian adults 18 years of age and above who utilised inpatient healthcare facilities were included. In this cross-sectional study, we addressed the endogeneity effect of health insurance by employing instrumental variable estimation and a two-stage residual inclusion analysis. We found a significant increase in private inpatient utilisation among those who owned PHI compared to those who did not (ß = 4.39, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the frequency of admission and length of stay. The increase in private inpatient utilisation among PHI owners may reflect the demand for timely care and hospitality provided by the private sector, potentially exacerbating the moral hazard behaviour among PHI owners. Further exploration of this issue could impact future healthcare systems financing designs and PHI regulation.

Health system preparedness in infectious diseases: perspective of Malaysia, a middle-income country, in the face of monkeypox outbreaks.

The World Health Organization declared monkeypox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on July 23, 2022. As of July 25th, 2022, there were 16,016 laboratory-confirmed cases reported worldwide with 5 deaths. Malaysia's Health Ministry has developed a five-point strategy to prepare for the impending threat of the infectious disease, encompassing early detection of monkeypox, consolidation of laboratory diagnostic facilities, case management and treatment, cluster management, and strengthening public awareness. Crisis and disaster preparedness within a nation's health system is paramount to preventing disease spread. Various strategies for developing resilience in the face of global infectious disease spread were discussed. The current disease preparedness and response framework and guidelines in Malaysia have established a health system that is proactive and responsive to any potential infectious disease outbreaks. Despite this, the future remains unpredictable, and ongoing fortification is required as events unfold.

Factors Affecting the Use of Private Outpatient Services among the Adult Population in Malaysia.

The proportion of Malaysians of all ages who use private outpatient services has dropped over time, highlighting the overstretched condition of public outpatient facilities compared to their private counterparts. This paper aims to determine the prevalence of outpatient care, characteristics of outpatient care users by sector, and the factors affecting the utilisation of private outpatient services among the adult population of Malaysia using Andersen's behavioural model. Data from the National Health Morbidity Survey 2019 (NHMS 2019), a nationwide survey, were analysed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the association of predisposing (locality, age, sex, ethnicity, education level, and marital status), enabling (working status, health care coverage, and household income), and need factors (perceived and evaluated needs) with the use of private outpatient services. Variables with a statistical significance ≤ 0.25 in the univariate regression analysis were included in the final multivariable logistic regression analysis. A total of 11,674 respondents, estimated to represent 22.4 million adults aged 18 years and above in Malaysia, were included for analysis. Overall, 8.3% of the adult population of Malaysia used outpatient care and 33.9% used the private sector. Those living in urban areas (OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.02, 3.18), non-Malays (OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.04, 2.93), those working (OR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.48, 4.10), those with employer coverage (OR = 4.73, 95% CI = 2.79, 8.01), and those with health problems (OR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.26, 4.05) were more likely to utilise private outpatient services. Those who self-rated their health status as fair (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.33, 0.91) and who had diabetes, hypertension, or hypercholesterolemia (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.31, 1.02) were less likely to utilise private outpatient services. The predisposing and enabling factors were associated with the use of private outpatient services, and the need factors were strong predictors of private outpatient care utilisation among adults. Understanding the factors associated with the utilisation of private outpatient services could aid in the development of effective initiatives designed to enhance outpatient care access among the population of Malaysia and balance the burden of outpatient care provision on the public and private sector.

Healthcare provider person-centred practice: relationships between prerequisites, care environment and care processes using structural equation modelling.

BACKGROUND: The translation of person-centred care concepts into practice requires fulfilment of necessary components, including person-centred values and practice held by the employees and having a supportive system. The objectives of this study were multifold: firstly, to evaluate the measurement model, secondly, to examine the roles of prerequisite or attributes of healthcare providers and care environment and how they affect delivery of person-centred processes; and finally, to examine the mediating effect of care environment towards the relationship between prerequisite and care processes. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted among healthcare providers working in primary care facilities in a state in Malaysia. The Person-centred Practice Inventory-Staff instrument (PCPI-S) was distributed and completed by respondents. The instrument structure, reliability and validity were assessed through confirmatory factor analysis, while the framework's unidirectional hypothesis and the mediation path hypothesis were analysed using structural equation modelling. RESULTS: The overall goodness of fit verifies the original Person-centred Practice Framework, allowing some correlation errors. There were significant relationships between prerequisites of healthcare providers and care environment (ß = 0.826, p < 0.001), as well as between care environment and care processes (ß = 0.785, p < 0.001). This analysis also proved that care environment plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between prerequisites and care processes. CONCLUSIONS: In order to successfully move towards delivering person-centred practice, it is imperative to equip healthcare providers with person-centred values and beliefs, while at the same time transform current work culture to align with person-centred care. This will allow successful delivery of person-centred processes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NMRR-18-309-40,447.

Fall determinants in hospitalised older patients: a nested case control design - incidence, extrinsic and intrinsic risk in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: The older person is at greater risk of falls due to multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This is compounded when the elderly is admitted to hospitals, as they are acutely ill and placed in an unfamiliar environment. Delirium and polypharmacy further complicate these problems. As falls reflect quality of care with potential for grave outcomes, this study aimed to identify the extent and risk of falls in public hospitals. METHODS: We conducted a nested case control study in 12 public hospitals in Malaysia. In the cohort section, we screened all inpatients 60 years of age and above daily until discharge, or the end of the study period. Daily, we identified those who fell, inclusive of near falls, in the preceding 24 h. Our enumerators interviewed patients on experience of fall, and supplemented data from the nurses and caregivers. For each case, ten controls were chosen. RESULTS: The incidence of falls/near falls was 1.0 per 1000 patient days (95% CI: 0.9, 1.1). Intrinsic risk factors found to be significant included patients who were not from a nursing home or not cared for by a domestic helper prior to admission, had prior history of indoor fall either in home or hospital, had four or more clinical diagnoses or exited from the bed on the weak side. Significant extrinsic factors were the absence of transfer bar in toilet, call bells, light switches or walking aids that were not within reach, as well as not having a walking aid. Non-sturdy chair was associated with lesser falls than when sturdy chairs with armrests were present. CONCLUSION: Querying patients for falls produced better results than incident reporting. Several intrinsic factors such as history of indoor or in-hospital fall, having four or more clinical diagnoses or exiting from weaker side and residence history may help to identify those at higher risk. Addressing significant extrinsic factors such as transfer bars and the identification of switches may help in reducing falls risk in hospitals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered in National Medical Research Register of Malaysia ( NMRR-07-772-1044 ; date 26/05/2008) with Ethics Approval from Medical Research and Ethics Committee (MREC: MRG-07-LOI-HSR-1).

Applying Discrete Event Simulation to Reduce Patient Wait Times and Crowding: The Case of a Specialist Outpatient Clinic with Dual Practice System.

Long wait times and crowding are major issues affecting outpatient service delivery, but it is unclear how these affect patients in dual practice settings. This study aims to evaluate the effects of changing consultation start time and patient arrival on wait times and crowding in an outpatient clinic with a dual practice system. A discrete event simulation (DES) model was developed based on real-world data from an Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) clinic in a public hospital. Data on patient flow, resource availability, and time taken for registration and clinic processes for public and private patients were sourced from stakeholder discussion and time-motion study (TMS), while arrival times were sourced from the hospital's information system database. Probability distributions were used to fit these input data in the model. Scenario analyses involved configurations on consultation start time/staggered patient arrival. The median registration and clinic turnaround times (TT) were significantly different between public and private patients (p < 0.01). Public patients have longer wait times than private patients in this study's dual practice setting. Scenario analyses showed that early consultation start time that matches patient arrival time and staggered arrival could reduce the overall TT for public and private patients by 40% and 21%, respectively. Similarly, the number of patients waiting at the clinic per hour could be reduced by 10-21% during clinic peak hours. Matching consultation start time with staggered patient arrival can potentially reduce wait times and crowding, especially for public patients, without incurring additional resource needs and help narrow the wait time gap between public and private patients. Healthcare managers and policymakers can consider simulation approaches for the monitoring and improvement of healthcare operational efficiency to meet rising healthcare demand and costs.

Midwifery Qualification in Selected Countries: A Rapid Review.

BACKGROUND: While the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) shows a decreasing trend, there is room for improvement. Midwifery education has been under scrutiny to ensure that graduates acquire knowledge and skills relevant to the local context. OBJECTIVE: To review the basic professional midwifery qualification and pre-practice requirements in countries with lower MMR compared with Malaysia. METHODS: A rapid review of country-specific Ministry of Health and Midwifery Association websites and Advanced Google using standardised key words. English-language documents reporting the qualifications of midwives or other requirements to practise midwifery from countries with a lower MMR than Malaysia were included. RESULTS: Sixty-three documents from 35 countries were included. The minimum qualification required to become a midwife was a bachelor's degree. Most countries require registration or licensing to practise, and 35.5% have implemented preregistration national midwifery examinations. In addition, 13 countries require midwives to have nursing backgrounds. CONCLUSION: In countries achieving better maternal outcomes than Malaysia, midwifes often have a degree or higher qualification. As such, there is a need to reinvestigate and revise the midwifery qualification requirements in Malaysia.

Malaysia's Health Systems Response to COVID-19.

This study aimed to highlight the COVID-19 response by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Government of Malaysia in order to share Malaysia's lessons and to improve future pandemic preparedness. The team conducted a rapid review using publicly available information from MOH, PubMed, and World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Research on Coronavirus Disease Database to compile Malaysia's responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures taken between 31 December 2019 and 3 June 2020 were classified into domains as well as the pillars described in the WHO COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (WHO SPRP). Malaysia's response incorporated all pillars in the WHO SPRP and consisted of five domains, (i) whole-of-government, (ii) cordon sanitaire/lockdown, (iii) equity of access to services and supports, (iv) quarantine and isolation systems, and (v) legislation and enforcement. Some crucial measures taken were activation of a centralised multi-ministerial coordination council where MOH acted as an advisor, with collaboration from non-government organisations and private sectors which enabled an effective targeted screening approach, provision of subsidised COVID-19 treatment and screening, isolation or quarantine of all confirmed cases, close contacts and persons under investigation, with all strategies applied irrespective of citizenship. This was provided for by way of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988. A combination of these measures enabled the nation to contain the COVID-19 outbreak by the end of June 2020.

Implications of Dual Practice on Cataract Surgery Waiting Time and Rescheduling: The Case of Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Dual practice was implemented in selected Ministry of Health Malaysia hospitals to reduce brain drain and provide an alternative for patients willing to pay higher user fees to seek prompt treatment from the specialist of their choice. This study aimed to assess the implications of dual practice on waiting time and rescheduling for cataract surgery. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in a referral hospital. Inpatient medical records of patients who underwent cataract procedures were used to study the waiting times to surgery and rescheduling between private and public groups. RESULTS: Private patients had a considerably shorter waiting time for cataract surgery, seven times shorter compared to public patients where all surgeries were conducted after hours on weekdays or weekends. Additionally, 14.9% of public patients experienced surgery rescheduling, while all private patients had their surgeries as planned. The main reason for surgery rescheduling was the medical factor, primarily due to uncontrolled blood pressure and upper respiratory tract infection. CONCLUSION: Private service provision utilizing out-of-office hours slots for cataract surgery optimizes public hospital resources, allowing shorter waiting times and providing an alternative to meet healthcare needs.

Redesigning a Healthcare Demand Questionnaire for National Population Survey: Experience of a Developing Country.

Since its inception in 1986, the contents of the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) have been periodically updated to support emerging health data needs for evidence-based policy and program development. In 2018, the healthcare demand questionnaire was redesigned to capture diverse and changing population demand for healthcare services and their utilization pattern. This paper describes the methods and processes undertaken in redesigning the questionnaire. We aim to highlight the systematic and inclusive approach, enabling all potential evidence users to be involved, indirectly encouraging research evidence uptake for policy and program planning. We applied a systematic approach of comprehensive literature search for national-level population survey instruments implemented globally and translated non-English tools to English. The development phases were iterative, conducted in parallel with active stakeholder engagements. Here, we detailed the processes in the planning and exploratory phase as well as a qualitative assessment of the questionnaire. We included instruments from 45 countries. The majority were from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and focused on perceived health, health-related behavior, and healthcare use. Thirty-four stakeholders from 14 areas of expertise were involved. Stakeholders identified additional content areas required, such as chronic pain, alternative use of healthcare services (community pharmacy, home-visit, and private medical laboratory), family doctor, and informal caregiving. The questionnaire, redesigned based on existing literature with concordant involvement and iterative feedback from stakeholders, improved the choice of health topics through the identification of new topics and modification of existing questions to better meet future evidence needs on health problems, strategy, and program planning towards strengthening the nation's health systems.

Private Health Insurance in Malaysia: Who Is Left Behind?

Despite various efforts introduced, private health insurance coverage is still low in Malaysia. The objective of this article is to find the factors associated with not having a private health insurance in Malaysia. We analyze data involving 19 959 respondents from the 2015 National Health Morbidity Survey. In this article, we describe the prevalence of not having health insurance and conducted binary logistic regression to identify determinants of uninsured status. A total of 56.6% of the study population was uninsured. After adjusting for other variables, the likelihood of being uninsured was higher among those aged 50 years and above, females, Malay/other Bumiputra ethnicities, rural, government/semigovernment, self-employed, unpaid workers and retirees, unemployed, lower education level, without home ownership and single/widowed/divorced, daily smoker, underweight body mass index, and current drinker. The likelihood of being uninsured also increased with increasing household size while the inversed trend was seen for household income. A substantial proportion of population in Malaysia did not have private health insurance, and these subgroups have limited preferential choices for provider, facility, and care.

Cross-cultural adaptation and exploratory factor analysis of the Person-centred Practice Inventory - Staff (PCPI-S) questionnaire among Malaysian primary healthcare providers.

BACKGROUND: The Person-centred Practice Inventory-Staff (PCPI-S) instrument was developed to measure healthcare providers' perception towards their person-centred practice. The study aimed to explore the influence of culture, context, language and local practice towards the PCPI-S instrument adaptation process for use among public primary care healthcare providers in Malaysia. METHODS: The original PCPI-S was reviewed and adapted for cultural suitability by an expert committee to ensure conceptual and item equivalence. The instrument was subsequently translated into the local Malay language using the forward-backward translation by two independent native speakers, and modified following pre-tests involving cognitive debriefing interviews. The psychometric properties of the corresponding instrument were determined by assessing the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and correlation of the instrument, while the underlying structure was analysed using exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS: Review by expert committee found items applicable to local context. Pre-tests on the translated instrument found multiple domains and questions were misinterpreted. Many translations were heavily influenced by culture, context, and language discrepancies. Results of the subsequent pilot study found mean scores for all items ranged from 2.92 to 4.39. Notable ceiling effects were found. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha > 0.9). Exploratory factor analysis found formation of 11 components as opposed to the original 17 constructs. CONCLUSION: The results of this study provide evidence regarding the reliability and underlying structure of the PCPI-S instrument with regard to primary care practice. Culture, context, language and local practice heavily influenced the adaptation as well as interpretation of the underlying structure and should be given emphasis when translating person-centred into practice.

Socio-Economic Factors Related to Drinking Water Source and Sanitation in Malaysia.

Access to improved water and sanitation is essential. We describe these practices in Malaysia using data from a nationwide community survey and used logistic regression to assess the determinants. Of the 7978 living quarters (LQs), 58.3% were in urban areas. About 2.4%, 0.5% and 27.4% of LQs had non-improved water sources, non-improved toilet types and improper domestic waste disposal, respectively. Open burning was practiced by 26.1%. Water source was a problem for long houses (10.5%), squatters (8.5%) and shared houses (4.0%). Non-improved toilet types were 11.9% for squatters and 4.8% for shared houses. Improper domestic waste disposal practices were higher for occupants of village houses (64.2%), long houses (54.4%), single houses (45.8%) and squatters (35.6%). An increase in education or income level was associated with a decrease in improper domestic waste disposal methods. House type significantly affected water and sanitation after adjusting for the effects of other variables. Lower household income was associated with non-improved toilet types and improper domestic waste disposal. Lower education and rural location influenced domestic waste disposal. The water and toilet facilities in Malaysia were generally good, while domestic waste management practices could be improved. There remain pockets of communities with environmental challenges for the nation.

Protocol for a cross-sectional study measuring person-centredness among healthcare providers in Malaysian primary care clinics: the adaptation and validation of the Person-Centred Practice Inventory-Staff (PCPI-S) Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION: Person-centred care (PCC) has become a global movement in healthcare. Despite this, the level of PCC is not routinely assessed in clinical practice. This protocol describes the adaptation and validation of the Person-Centred Practice Inventory-Staff (PCPI-S) tool that will be used to assess person-centred practices of primary healthcare providers in Malaysia. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: To ensure conceptual and item equivalence, the original version of the PCPI-S will be reviewed and adapted for cultural context by an expert committee. The instrument will subsequently be translated into Malay language using the forward-backward translation method by two independent bilingual speaking individuals. This will be pretested in four primary care clinics and refined accordingly. The instrument will be assessed for its psychometric properties, such as test-retest reliability, construct and internal validity, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Study findings will be disseminated to healthcare professionals and academicians in the field through publication in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations, as well as at managerial clinic sites for practice improvement. The study was approved by the Medical Research and Ethics Committee (MREC), Ministry of Health Malaysia (KKM/NIHSEC/ P18-766 (14) and Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (2018-14363-19627).

Pertussis clinical case definition: Time for change in developing countries?

BACKGROUND: Developing countries still struggle with late detection and mortality from pertussis. A review of clinical case definitions is necessary for early disease detection. This paper aimed to study possible clinical characteristics for earlier pertussis detection in a sporadic setting. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of medical and laboratory records in a general paediatric ward of a district hospital in a developing country. Inclusion criteria were all children hospitalised with nasopharyngeal swab taken for Bordetella pertussis. We compared sensitivity and specificity of World Health Organization diagnostic criteria with other clinical characteristics. Polymerase chain reaction Bordetella pertussis was the gold standard used. RESULTS: Out of 207 eligible admissions, the study retrieved 128 complete records. Approximately half of the children were less than 3 months old. The World Health Organization diagnostic criteria had a low sensitivity (15%), but high specificity (92%). In comparison, combinations that included paroxysmal cough, ill contact and facial congestion had higher sensitivity. Increasing cough duration improved specificity while compromising sensitivity. CONCLUSION: Several clinical characteristics such as paroxysmal cough, facial congestion and a history of ill contact have potential for early clinical detection. Conventional emphasis on cough duration may hamper early detection.

Research funding impact and priority setting - advancing universal access and quality healthcare research in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Health Research Priority Setting (HRPS) in the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia was initiated more than a decade ago to drive effort toward research for informed decision and policy-making. This study assessed the impact of funded prioritised research and identified research gaps to inform future priority setting initiatives for universal access and quality healthcare in Malaysia. METHODS: Research impact of universal access and quality healthcare projects funded by the National Institutes of Health Malaysia were assessed based on the modified Payback Framework, addressing categories of informing policy, knowledge production, and benefits to health and health sector. For the HRPS process, the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative methodology was adapted and adopted, with the incorporation of stakeholder values using weights and monetary allocation survey. Workshop discussions and interviews with stakeholders and research groups were conducted to identify research gaps, with the use of conceptual frameworks to guide the search. RESULTS: Seventeen ongoing and 50 completed projects were identified for research funding impact analysis. Overall, research fund allocation differed from stakeholders' expectation. For research impact, 48 out of 50 completed projects (96.0%) contributed to some form of policy-making efforts. Almost all completed projects resulted in outputs that contributed to knowledge production and were expected to lead to health and health sector benefits. The HRPS process led to the identification of research priority areas that stemmed from ongoing and new issues identified for universal access and quality healthcare. CONCLUSION: The concerted efforts of evaluation of research funding impact, prioritisation, dissemination and policy-maker involvement were valuable for optimal health research resource utilisation in a resource constrained developing country. Embedding impact evaluation into a priority setting process and funding research based on national needs could facilitate health research investment to reach its potential.

Empanelment: A foundational component of primary health care.

Empanelment is a foundational strategy for building or improving primary health care systems and a critical pathway for achieving effective universal health coverage. However, there is little international guidance for defining empanelment or understanding how to implement empanelment systems in low- and middle-income countries. To fill this gap, a multi-country collaborative within the Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage developed this empanelment overview, proposing a people-centered definition of empanelment that reflects the responsibility to proactively deliver primary care services to all individuals in a target population. This document, building on existing literature on empanelment and representing input from 10 countries, establishes standard concepts of empanelment and describes why and how empanelment is used. Finally, it identifies key domains that may influence effective empanelment and that must be considered in deciding how empanelment can be implemented. This document is designed to be a useful resource for health policymakers, planners and decision-makers in ministries of health, as well as front line providers of primary care service delivery who are working to ensure quality people-centered primary care to everyone everywhere.