Validation of the Emergency Department-Paediatric Early Warning Score (ED-PEWS) for use in low- and middle-income countries: A multicentre observational study.

Early recognition of children at risk of serious illness is essential in preventing morbidity and mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aimed to validate the Emergency Department-Paediatric Early Warning Score (ED-PEWS) for use in acute care settings in LMICs. This observational study is based on previously collected clinical data from consecutive children attending four diverse settings in LMICs. Inclusion criteria and study periods (2010-2021) varied. We simulated the ED-PEWS, consisting of patient age, consciousness, work of breathing, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and capillary refill time, based on the first available parameters. Discrimination was assessed by the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity (previously defined cut-offs < 6 and ≥ 15). The outcome measure was for each setting a composite marker of high urgency. 41,917 visits from Gambia rural, 501 visits from Gambia urban, 2,608 visits from Suriname, and 1,682 visits from Tanzania were included. The proportion of high urgency was variable (range 4.6% to 24.9%). Performance ranged from AUC 0.80 (95%CI 0.70-0.89) in Gambia urban to 0.62 (95%CI 0.55-0.67) in Tanzania. The low-urgency cut-off showed a high sensitivity in all settings ranging from 0.83 (95%CI 0.81-0.84) to 1.00 (95%CI 0.97-1.00). The high-urgency cut-off showed a specificity ranging from 0.71 (95%CI 0.66-0.75) to 0.97 (95%CI 0.97-0.97). The ED-PEWS has a moderate to good performance for the recognition of high urgency children in these LMIC settings. The performance appears to have potential in improving the identification of high urgency children in LMICs.

[2023 scientific breakthroughs in ambulatory general internal medicine]. / Avancées scientifiques de 2023 en médecine interne générale ambulatoire.

The timing of taking antihypertensive medication does not have an impact on the cardiovascular plan. Geniculate block is an alternative to oral analgesic treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Feedback and audits are ineffective in reducing the inappropriate prescription of antibiotics in Switzerland. The intervention of community health professionals in collaboration with general practitioners allows for the control of arterial hypertension. In the case of peripheral facial paralysis, it is relevant to systematically consider performing magnetic resonance imaging. Aspirin is an alternative to enoxaparin in thromboembolic prophylaxis after surgery for a traumatic fracture. Walking 8,000 steps a few days a week reduces mortality. Opioids are not effective for acute neck and lower back pain.

Le moment de prise des antihypertenseurs n'a pas d'impact sur le plan cardiovasculaire. Le bloc géniculé est une alternative au traitement antalgique oral de la gonarthrose. Le feedback et les audits sont inefficaces dans la diminution de la prescription inappropriée d'antibiotiques en Suisse. L'intervention de professionnelsa de santé communautaire en collaboration avec des généralistes permet de contrôler l'hypertension artérielle. Lors d'une paralysie faciale périphérique, il s'avère pertinent de réfléchir de manière systématique à la réalisation d'une IRM. L'aspirine est une alternative à l'énoxaparine dans la prophylaxie thromboembolique après la chirurgie d'une fracture traumatique. Marcher 8000 pas quelques jours par semaine diminue la mortalité. Les opioïdes ne sont pas efficaces pour les cervicalgies et les lombalgies aiguës.

A digital health algorithm to guide antibiotic prescription in pediatric outpatient care: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Excessive antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance are major global public health threats. We developed ePOCT+, a digital clinical decision support algorithm in combination with C-reactive protein test, hemoglobin test, pulse oximeter and mentorship, to guide health-care providers in managing acutely sick children under 15 years old. To evaluate the impact of ePOCT+ compared to usual care, we conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial in Tanzanian primary care facilities. Over 11 months, 23,593 consultations were included from 20 ePOCT+ health facilities and 20,713 from 20 usual care facilities. The use of ePOCT+ in intervention facilities resulted in a reduction in the coprimary outcome of antibiotic prescription compared to usual care (23.2% versus 70.1%, adjusted difference -46.4%, 95% confidence interval (CI) -57.6 to -35.2). The coprimary outcome of day 7 clinical failure was noninferior in ePOCT+ facilities compared to usual care facilities (adjusted relative risk 0.97, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.10). There was no difference in the secondary safety outcomes of death and nonreferred secondary hospitalizations by day 7. Using ePOCT+ could help address the urgent problem of antimicrobial resistance by safely reducing antibiotic prescribing. Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT05144763.

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.

Modular Clinical Decision Support Networks (MoDN)-Updatable, interpretable, and portable predictions for evolving clinical environments.

Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) have the potential to improve and standardise care with probabilistic guidance. However, many CDSS deploy static, generic rule-based logic, resulting in inequitably distributed accuracy and inconsistent performance in evolving clinical environments. Data-driven models could resolve this issue by updating predictions according to the data collected. However, the size of data required necessitates collaborative learning from analogous CDSS's, which are often imperfectly interoperable (IIO) or unshareable. We propose Modular Clinical Decision Support Networks (MoDN) which allow flexible, privacy-preserving learning across IIO datasets, as well as being robust to the systematic missingness common to CDSS-derived data, while providing interpretable, continuous predictive feedback to the clinician. MoDN is a novel decision tree composed of feature-specific neural network modules that can be combined in any number or combination to make any number or combination of diagnostic predictions, updatable at each step of a consultation. The model is validated on a real-world CDSS-derived dataset, comprising 3,192 paediatric outpatients in Tanzania. MoDN significantly outperforms 'monolithic' baseline models (which take all features at once at the end of a consultation) with a mean macro F1 score across all diagnoses of 0.749 vs 0.651 for logistic regression and 0.620 for multilayer perceptron (p < 0.001). To test collaborative learning between IIO datasets, we create subsets with various percentages of feature overlap and port a MoDN model trained on one subset to another. Even with only 60% common features, fine-tuning a MoDN model on the new dataset or just making a composite model with MoDN modules matched the ideal scenario of sharing data in a perfectly interoperable setting. MoDN integrates into consultation logic by providing interpretable continuous feedback on the predictive potential of each question in a CDSS questionnaire. The modular design allows it to compartmentalise training updates to specific features and collaboratively learn between IIO datasets without sharing any data.

[Paediatric digital clinical decision support for global health]. / Systèmes d'aide à la décision clinique pour la pédiatrie en santé globale.

Effective, scalable and sustainable strategies to improve quality of care are needed to address the substantial burden of preventable deaths of children under-five in resource-constrained settings. Clinical decision support systems (CDSS), digital tools which generate recommendations for healthcare providers based on patient-specific information, show promise. By strengthening adherence to evidence-based assessment, diagnosis and management and generating high-quality data, CDSS can improve quality care - care that is effective, safe, people-centered, timely, equitable, integrated and efficient. Designing and implementing CDSS that deliver this impact is a complex and iterative process. We advocate for collaboration on developing and evaluating these tools to guide their implementation for maximal impact.

Des stratégies efficaces pour améliorer la qualité des soins sont nécessaires pour réduire les nombreux décès évitables d'enfants de moins de cinq ans dans des contextes aux ressources limitées. Les systèmes d'aide à la décision clinique (SADC) sont des outils numériques générant des recommandations aux prestataires de soins sur la base des informations du patient. En orientant l'évaluation et la prise en charge de façon méthodique, ils peuvent permettre d'améliorer la qualité des soins et de générer des données de qualité. Ainsi, les soins peuvent être plus sûrs, centrés sur la personne, opportuns, équitables, intégrés et efficients. La conception et la mise en œuvre d'un SADC de manière durable est un processus complexe et continu. Nous plaidons pour la collaboration afin de guider leur mise en œuvre pour un impact maximal.

ePOCT+ and the medAL-suite: Development of an electronic clinical decision support algorithm and digital platform for pediatric outpatients in low- and middle-income countries.

Electronic clinical decision support algorithms (CDSAs) have been developed to address high childhood mortality and inappropriate antibiotic prescription by helping clinicians adhere to guidelines. Previously identified challenges of CDSAs include their limited scope, usability, and outdated clinical content. To address these challenges we developed ePOCT+, a CDSA for the care of pediatric outpatients in low- and middle-income settings, and the medical algorithm suite (medAL-suite), a software for the creation and execution of CDSAs. Following the principles of digital development, we aim to describe the process and lessons learnt from the development of ePOCT+ and the medAL-suite. In particular, this work outlines the systematic integrative development process in the design and implementation of these tools required to meet the needs of clinicians to improve uptake and quality of care. We considered the feasibility, acceptability and reliability of clinical signs and symptoms, as well as the diagnostic and prognostic performance of predictors. To assure clinical validity, and appropriateness for the country of implementation the algorithm underwent numerous reviews by clinical experts and health authorities from the implementing countries. The digitalization process involved the creation of medAL-creator, a digital platform which allows clinicians without IT programming skills to easily create the algorithms, and medAL-reader the mobile health (mHealth) application used by clinicians during the consultation. Extensive feasibility tests were done with feedback from end-users of multiple countries to improve the clinical algorithm and medAL-reader software. We hope that the development framework used for developing ePOCT+ will help support the development of other CDSAs, and that the open-source medAL-suite will enable others to easily and independently implement them. Further clinical validation studies are underway in Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Senegal, and India.

[Eco-tourism: what recommendations?] / Voyager écolo : quelles recommandations ?

Which recommendations family doctors and travel health practitioners can provide to their patients, to reduce their environmental footprint when travelling? Avoiding flying is the biggest action a traveler can take to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Staying at eco-lodges, or carbon offsetting, may help, but one must be aware of false or exaggerated claims on their impact. Using UV light, filters, halogens or boiling water, are effective ways to disinfect water and reduce the waste created from plastic water bottles. Given the large carbon footprint of medications and laboratory exams, limiting prescription of antibiotics or antimalarials in pre-travel consultations, or limiting unnecessary laboratory exams in returning travelers by following the latest recommendations, could reduce greenhouse emissions of the medical practice.

Quelles recommandations les généralistes et médecins du voyage peuvent-ils fournir à leur patientèle pour réduire les impacts environnementaux de leurs voyages ? Éviter les trajets en avion est l'action la plus efficace pour réduire ses émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Séjourner dans des éco-lodges ou la compensation carbone financière peuvent être positifs mais leur bénéfice est souvent surestimé. Filtres, UV, halogènes ou cuisson permettent la désinfection efficace de l'eau et la réduction des déchets dus aux bouteilles en plastique. Au vu de l'empreinte carbone des traitements et examens de laboratoire, limiter la prescription d'antibiotiques et d'antimalariques en consultation prévoyage ainsi que les examens inutiles au retour selon les recommandations actuelles réduisent aussi les impacts de la pratique médicale.

Primary Care Case Management of Febrile Children: Insights From the ePOCT Routine Care Cohort in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Aim: To provide insight in the primary health care (PHC) case management of febrile children under-five in Dar es Salaam, and to identify areas for improving quality of care. Methods: We used data from the routine care arm of the ePOCT trial, including children aged 2-59 months who presented with an acute febrile illness to two health centers in Dar es Salaam (2014-2016). The presenting complaint, anthropometrics, vital signs, test results, final diagnosis, and treatment were prospectively collected in all children. We used descriptive statistics to analyze the frequencies of diagnoses, adherence to diagnostics, and prescribed treatments. Results: We included 547 children (47% male, median age 14 months). Most diagnoses were viral: upper respiratory tract infection (60%) and/or gastro-enteritis (18%). Vital signs and anthropometric measurements taken by research staff and urinary testing failed to influence treatment decisions. In total, 518/547 (95%) children received antibiotics, while 119/547 (22%) had an indication for antibiotics based on local guidelines. Antibiotic dosing was frequently out of range. Non-recommended treatments were common (29%), most often cough syrup and vitamins. Conclusion: Our study points to challenges in using diagnostic test results, concerns regarding quality of antibiotic prescriptions, and frequent use of non-evidence-based complementary medicines in PHC in Tanzania. Larger studies on diagnostic and treatments processes in PHC in Tanzania are needed to inform effective solutions to support PHC workers in case management of children.

Predictors of disease severity in children presenting from the community with febrile illnesses: a systematic review of prognostic studies.

INTRODUCTION: Early identification of children at risk of severe febrile illness can optimise referral, admission and treatment decisions, particularly in resource-limited settings. We aimed to identify prognostic clinical and laboratory factors that predict progression to severe disease in febrile children presenting from the community. METHODS: We systematically reviewed publications retrieved from MEDLINE, Web of Science and Embase between 31 May 1999 and 30 April 2020, supplemented by hand search of reference lists and consultation with an expert Technical Advisory Panel. Studies evaluating prognostic factors or clinical prediction models in children presenting from the community with febrile illnesses were eligible. The primary outcome was any objective measure of disease severity ascertained within 30 days of enrolment. We calculated unadjusted likelihood ratios (LRs) for comparison of prognostic factors, and compared clinical prediction models using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs). Risk of bias and applicability of studies were assessed using the Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool and the Quality In Prognosis Studies tool. RESULTS: Of 5949 articles identified, 18 studies evaluating 200 prognostic factors and 25 clinical prediction models in 24 530 children were included. Heterogeneity between studies precluded formal meta-analysis. Malnutrition (positive LR range 1.56-11.13), hypoxia (2.10-8.11), altered consciousness (1.24-14.02), and markers of acidosis (1.36-7.71) and poor peripheral perfusion (1.78-17.38) were the most common predictors of severe disease. Clinical prediction model performance varied widely (AUROC range 0.49-0.97). Concerns regarding applicability were identified and most studies were at high risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: Few studies address this important public health question. We identified prognostic factors from a wide range of geographic contexts that can help clinicians assess febrile children at risk of progressing to severe disease. Multicentre studies that include outpatients are required to explore generalisability and develop data-driven tools to support patient prioritisation and triage at the community level. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019140542.

Vaccine-associated measles in a patient treated with natalizumab: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Safety of live vaccines in patients treated with immunosuppressive therapies is not well known, resulting in contradictory vaccination recommendations. We describe here the first case of vaccine-associated measles in a patient on natalizumab treatment. CASE PRESENTATION: A young female patient with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis on natalizumab treatment received the live attenuated measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine in preparation for a change in her treatment in favour of fingolimod, with established immunosuppressive qualities. Seven days after receiving the vaccine, our patient experienced diffuse muscle pain, fatigue, and thereafter developed a fever and then an erythematous maculopapular rash, compatible with vaccine associated measles. This was later confirmed by a positive measles RT-PCR throat swab. The patient's symptoms resolved without any sequelae. CONCLUSION: In this case report we review the immunosuppressive qualities of natalizumab and the evidence in favour and against live vaccines in patients on this treatment. Our findings reveal the insufficient understanding of the immunosuppressive effects of new immunomodulators, and thus of the safety of live vaccines in patients on such medications. While this case triggers precaution, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that natalizumab treatment could favor the onset of vaccine-associated measles.

Clinical Outcome of Febrile Tanzanian Children with Severe Malnutrition Using Anthropometry in Comparison to Clinical Signs.

Children with malnutrition compared with those without are at higher risk of infection, with more severe outcomes. How clinicians assess nutritional risk factors in febrile children in primary care varies. We conducted a post hoc subgroup analysis of febrile children with severe malnutrition enrolled in a randomized, controlled trial in primary care centers in Tanzania. The clinical outcome of children with severe malnutrition defined by anthropometric measures and clinical signs was compared between two electronic clinical diagnostic algorithms: ePOCT, which uses weight-for-age and mid-upper arm circumference to identify and manage severe malnutrition, and ALMANACH, which uses the clinical signs of edema of both feet and visible severe wasting. Those identified as having severe malnutrition by the algorithms in each arm were prescribed antibiotics and referred to the hospital. From December 2014 to February 2016, 106 febrile children were enrolled and randomized in the parent study, and met the criteria to be included in the present analysis. ePOCT identified 56/57 children with severe malnutrition using anthropometric measures, whereas ALMANACH identified 2/49 children with severe malnutrition using clinical signs. The proportion of clinical failure, defined as the development of severe symptoms by day 7 or persisting symptoms at day 7 (per-protocol), was 1.8% (1/56) in the ePOCT arm versus 16.7% (8/48) in the Algorithm for the MANagement of Childhood illnesses arm (risk difference -14.9%, 95% CI -26.0%, -3.8%; risk ratio 0.11, 95% CI 0.01, 0.83). Using anthropometric measures to identify and manage febrile children with severe malnutrition may have resulted in better clinical outcomes than by using clinical signs alone.

Malaria standby emergency treatment (SBET) for travellers visiting malaria endemic areas: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Malaria prevention methods for travellers to low or moderate malaria risk areas vary and remain controversial. Standby emergency treatment (SBET) for malaria is one possible strategy increasingly recommended since 1988 with little evidence on its effectiveness or how it is truly being used. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed based on a structured search in Embase, Medline, PubMed, Cochrane and Web of Science on 7 September 2018. The primary outcome was the overall prevalence of SBET use in travellers, and secondary outcomes were the proportion carrying SBET, the response to fever [use of SBET, health facility attendance and use of malaria rapid diagnostic test (mRDT)], adverse events to SBET and the proportion using SBET incorrectly (incorrect dosage/duration). The pooled SBET use prevalence was analysed using a random effects model. A descriptive summary was done to present secondary outcomes. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO CRD42018103703. RESULTS: A total of 11 studies were eligible for inclusion among the 1027 titles identified by our search. The studies included 7/11 prospective cohort studies that recruited pre-travel clinic attendees in Europe and 4/11 cross-sectional studies, of which 3 recruited travellers at airports before their return home from Southeast Asia and Africa and 1 from an employee registry including long-term travellers. The overall pooled prevalence of SBET use among the 26 403 travellers was 2.5% (95% confidence interval, 1.1-4.3%; range, 0.4-10.8%). There was significant variation in the proportion of travellers carrying SBET medication (40-100%), the proportion of travellers with appropriate response to fever (23-100%), adverse events (0-33%) and incorrect dosage/duration of SBET (0-100%). CONCLUSION: Adherence to the proposed recommendations for SBET use, notably the response to fever, was poor. If the use of SBET is to be pursued, modifications to the current SBET strategy should be considered, such as better selection of travellers at higher risk for malaria and the potential addition of mRDTs.

Non-targeted HIV testing in the emergency department: not just how but where.

INTRODUCTION: The emergency department (ED) has the potential to enhance early HIV diagnosis through HIV testing programs. How these are implemented is a subject of debate. Areas covered: We describe the main HIV testing approaches: diagnostic testing, targeted screening, and non-targeted screening, and review ED-based non-targeted HIV screening studies conducted after 2006 among ≥5000 patients. As well as examining how testing is offered, we focus on where it is offered, through the patient's journey from registration, via triage and the waiting room, to the bedside. Barriers to the testing offer, acceptance and performance were examined at each location. While testing offer rates were higher at registration and triage, compared to the waiting room and bedside, this was sometimes at the expense of testing acceptance and performance. Variables affecting testing rates included type of consent, employment of external staff and type of testing: fourth generation serological testing versus rapid testing. Expert commentary: These large studies shed light on the importance of where as well as how HIV testing is performed, and the ways in which the 'where' can influence non-targeted screening yields. This perspective enables testing approaches to be tailored to specific ED settings in order to maximize testing rates.