In endemic regions, the age distribution of malaria varies according to the infecting Plasmodium species. We aimed to delineate the pattern of malaria-related hospitalization from birth in Timika, Papua–an area co-endemic for P. falciparum and P. vivax
The sensitivity of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria is inadequate for detecting low-density, often asymptomatic infections, such as those that can occur when screening pregnant women for malaria. The performance of the Alere™ Ultra-sensitive Malaria Ag Plasmodium falciparum RDT (uRDT) was assessed retrospectively in pregnant women in Indonesia.
Intravenous artesunate and its follow on full course dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine are the standard treatment for severe malaria in Indonesia. The current policy suggests that intravenous and oral quinine could be used when standard therapy is not available. Its pragmatic use of both treatment combinations in a field hospital is evaluated.
Indonesia has been shifting from ensuring access to health services towards improving service quality. Accreditation has been used as quality assurance (QA) mechanism, first in hospitals and subsequently in primary health care facilities, including Puskesmas (community health centres). QA provides measures of whether services meet quality targets, but quality improvement (QI) is needed to make change and achieve improvements. QI is a cyclical process with cycles of problem identification, solution testing and observation. We investigated the factors which influenced the process of QI based on experience of maternal health QI teams in three Puskesmas in Cianjur district, West Java province, Indonesia.
