Quality of clinical management of children diagnosed with malaria: A cross-sectional assessment in 9 sub-Saharan African countries between 2007–2018

[...]reductions in malaria morbidity and mortality will require new insights into gaps in the effectiveness of malaria control programs, including evidence on health system performance in the clinical management of pediatric malaria. Children with P. falciparum malaria require prompt, appropriate antimalarial treatment in order to prevent progression of the disease to severe morbidity or death [4,5]. Since the symptoms of malaria overlap with a number of other common viral and bacterial diseases, blood test confirmation of the disease through microscopy or rapid test is strongly recommended [6,7]. [...]even children who are seen by a formal provider may not receive appropriate care [28]. While a number of studies have assessed quality of care for malaria patients, most are based on interviews with patients or record reviews, though some studies at the national or subnational level also include direct observation of clinical practice [22,24,34–36].