Tracking the testing and treatment of uncomplicated malaria using routine data in Public Health facilities in Kenya, 2022

Abstract

Objective: To assess consistency in testing and treating uncomplicated malaria in public health facilities, Kenya 2022. Specifically, the  study aimed at determining the treatment rate for malaria-positive cases, the proportion of health facility reports with correct treatment  of malaria-positive cases, the proportion of health facility reports with correct Artemether-Lumefantrine (AL) dosing, and concordance of  malariapositive cases and correct AL dosing.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional review of routinely collected data by public health  facilities reported on the Kenya Health Information System (KHIS).

Setting: Government-owned (public) primary health facilities in Kenya,  2022.

Main outcome measures: Concordance on malaria-positive cases treated and AL dosing.

Results: Overall treatment rate  was 98.2%, with health facilities in level 3 having the highest treatment rate (99.5%). Level 4 health facilities recorded a treatment rate (102.1%), hence an overtreatment rate of 2.1%. Reports on the treatment of only patients that tested positive were 53.7% across the three  levels of care, with level 2 (56.2%), level 3 (50.5%), and four health facilities having the lowest proportion (38.7%). Only 57.1% of the  reports had the correct number of tablets dispensed based on the patient's weight band. The overall performance on reports  concordance with patients who tested positive and were treated with the right number of tablets based on their weight band. Levels 2  and three achieved 43.8% and 39.5%, respectively, while level performed lowest at 26.3%.

Conclusion: Gaps in data concordance on  treating malaria-positive cases and AL dosing were evident, alluding to non-adherence to malaria treatment guidelines.