BACKGROUND In assessing quality of care in developing countries, retrospectively collected data are usually used given their availability. Retrospective data however suffer from such biases as recall bias and non-response bias. Comparing results obtained using prospectively and retrospectively collected data will help validate the use of the easily available retrospective data in assessing qual...

I am a pediatric emergency physician in Calgary, Alta, and have been active in international health for more than 25 years. The last time I had been in Africa was in 1985 when I ran a district hospital in Lesotho in southern Africa. My husband and I had always wanted to return to the continent but career, children, and time got in the way. When those factors finally aligned, we were able to onc...

The diagnosis of Buruli ulcer should be considered in all painless undermined ulcers in the tropics. The diagnosis and treatment are a challenge in rural settings despite the well established tuberculosis programmes. Immediate commencement on rifampicin and streptomycin is essential to halt the progression of disease and to, hopefully, reverse it. Surgery is indicated in those with complex ulc...

Case detection, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis 1 B) in children are challenging issues vorldwide. This study in Afghanistan aimed to evaluate paediatric TB case management, including contact investigation, at health facilities where all diagnostic processes were available. In 7 out of 8 regions of the country 1 province was selected. Documents used for management of paediatric TB cases...

The study examined the patterns of disclosing the HIV diagnosis to infected children and family members, and determined the demographic characteristics associated with disclosure. Semi structured interviews were conducted with caregivers of HIV infected children aged 4 17 years receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART). A total of 149 caregivers were recruited from a paediatric HIV clinic of a d...

A nonsystematic survey of plagiarism, misrepresentation, and fraud in British medical research found that such cases are known to only a few people, that little of the published work is retracted, and that few institutions have any formal mechanism for dealing with instances of medical misconduct. The author believes that the problem is considerably larger than indicated by the survey, particu...

BACKGROUND Aim of this study was to determine the dimensions of the service quality in the public hospitals and evaluate the determinants of client satisfaction in obstetric health in the context of Pakistan. METHODS The present research evaluates the application of an integrated client satisfaction model that draws mainly from the original SERVQUAL framework in obstetric health services. We ...

Improving national prevention of mother-to-child (PMTCT) services in South Africa has been challenging. PMTCT outcomes were analysed at 58 primary and secondary level antenatal facilities across seven high HIV-burden sub-districts in three provinces, over an 18 month period during which new South African PMTCT clinical guidelines were implemented and a nurse quality mentor program was expanded....

BACKGROUND There is increasing focus on the strength of primary health care systems in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). There are important roles for higher quality district hospital care within these systems. These hospitals are also sources of information of considerable importance to health systems, but this role, as with the wider roles of district hospitals, has been neglected. KE...