Enrollment of dengue patients in a prospective cohort study in Umphang District, Thailand, during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Implications for research and policy
Background and Aims Dengue is endemic in Thailand and imposes a high burden on the health system and society. We conducted a prospective cohort study in Umphang District, Tak Province, Thailand, to investigate the share of dengue cases with long symptoms and their duration. Here we present the resul...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Health science reports 2023-11, Vol.6 (11), p.e1657-n/a |
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Zusammenfassung: | Background and Aims
Dengue is endemic in Thailand and imposes a high burden on the health system and society. We conducted a prospective cohort study in Umphang District, Tak Province, Thailand, to investigate the share of dengue cases with long symptoms and their duration. Here we present the results of the enrollment process during the COVID‐19 pandemic with implications and challenges for research and policy.
Methods
In a prospective cohort study conducted in Umphang District, Thailand, we examined the prevalence of persistent symptoms in dengue cases. Clinically diagnosed cases were offered free laboratory testing, We enrolled ambulatory dengue patients regardless of age who were confirmed through a highly sensitive laboratory strategy (positive NS1 and/or IgM), agreed to follow‐up visits, and gave informed consent. We used multivariate logistic regressions to assess the probability of clinical dengue being laboratory confirmed. To determine the factors associated with study enrollment, we analyzed the relationship of patient characteristics and month of screening to the likelihood of participation. To identify underrepresented groups, we compared the enrolled cohort to external data sources.
Results
The 150 clinical cases ranged from 1 to 85 years old. Most clinical cases (78%) were confirmed by a positive laboratory test, but only 19% of those confirmed enrolled in the cohort study. Women, who were half as likely to enroll as men, were underrepresented in the cohort.
Conclusions
The Thai physicians' clinical diagnoses at this rural district hospital had good agreement with laboratory diagnoses. By identifying underrepresented groups and disparities, future studies can ensure the creation of statistically representative cohorts to maximize their scientific value. This involves recruiting and retaining underrepresented groups in health research, such as women in this study. Promising strategies for meaningful inclusion include multi‐site enrollment, offering in‐home or virtual services, and providing in‐kind benefits like childcare for underrepresented groups.
Key points
Cohort studies are a powerful tool for examining correlates of major diseases, such as dengue
The validity of the resulting data, however, depends on the representativeness of the underlying cohort
During the COVID‐19 pandemic, only a small share of eligible patients were willing to join the cohort study in Thailand's Tak Province
Comparisons with external data showed that adult women |
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ISSN: | 2398-8835 2398-8835 |
DOI: | 10.1002/hsr2.1657 |