Dataset Information

Emergency care interventions for paediatric severe acute respiratory infections in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs) are the leading cause of paediatric death globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Given the potential rapid clinical decompensation and high mortality rate from SARIs, interventions that facilitate the early care are critical to improving patient outcomes. Through this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the impact of emergency care interventions on improving clinical outcomes of paediatric patients with SARIs in LMICs.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Global Health, and Global Index Medicus for peer-reviewed clinical trials or studies with comparator groups published before November 2020. We included all studies which evaluated acute and emergency care interventions on clinical outcomes for children (29 days to 19 years) with SARIs conducted in LMICs. Due to observed heterogeneity of interventions and outcomes, we performed narrative synthesis. We assessed bias using the Risk of Bias 2 and Risk of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions tools.

Results

We screened 20 583, 99 of which met the inclusion criteria. Conditions studied included pneumonia or acute lower respiratory infection (61.6%) and bronchiolitis (29.3%). Studies evaluated medications (80.8%), respiratory support (14.1%), and supportive care (5%). We found the strongest evidence of benefit for decreasing risk of death for respiratory support interventions. Results were inconclusive on the utility of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). We found mixed results for interventions for bronchiolitis, but a possible benefit for hypertonic nebulised saline to decrease hospital length of stay. Early use of adjuvant treatments such as Vitamin A, D, and zinc for pneumonia and bronchiolitis did not appear to have convincing evidence of benefit on clinical outcomes.

Conclusions

Despite the high global burden of SARI in paediatric populations, few emergency care (EC) interventions have high quality evidence for benefit on clinical outcomes in LMICs. Respiratory support interventions have the strongest evidence for benefit. Further research on the use of CPAP in diverse settings is needed, as is a stronger evidence base for EC interventions for children with SARI, including metrics on the timing of interventions.

Registration

PROSPERO (CRD42020216117).

SUBMITTER: Relan P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10248949 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Emergency care interventions for paediatric severe acute respiratory infections in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Relan Pryanka P Garbern Stephanie Chow SC O'Reilly Gerard G Bills Corey B CB Schultz Megan M Kivlehan Sean S Trehan Indi I Becker Torben K TK

Journal of global health 20230609

<h4>Background</h4>Severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs) are the leading cause of paediatric death globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Given the potential rapid clinical decompensation and high mortality rate from SARIs, interventions that facilitate the early care are critical to improving patient outcomes. Through this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate the impact of emergency care interventions on improving clinical outcomes of paediatric patients wi ...[more]

PMID: 37288550

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundSevere acute respiratory infections (SARIs) remain a leading cause of death globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Early intervention is critical, considering the potential for rapid decompensation in patients with SARIs. We aimed to evaluate the impact of acute and emergency care interventions on improving clinical outcomes in patients >10 years old with SARIs in LMICs.MethodsA systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Global Health, and Global Index Medicus databases to identify peer-reviewed studies containing SARI, LMICs, and emergency care interventions. Studies published prior to November 2020 focusing on patients >10 years old were included. A narrative synthesis was performed due to the heterogeneity of identified articles. Risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias 2 and Risk of Bias In Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions tools.Results20 223 studies were screened and 58 met the inclusion criteria. Thirty-four studies focused on coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19), 15 on pneumonia, seven on influenza, one study on severe acute respiratory syndrome, and one on undifferentiated SARI. Few COVID-19 studies found a benefit of the tested intervention on clinical status, mortality, or hospital length-of-stay. Little to no benefit was found for azithromycin, convalescent plasma, or zinc, and potential harm was found for hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine. There was mixed evidence for immunomodulators, traditional Chinese medicine, and corticosteroids among COVID-19 studies, with notable confounding due to a lack of consistency of control group treatments. Neuraminidase inhibitor antivirals for influenza had the highest quality of evidence for shortening symptom duration and decreasing disease severity.ConclusionsWe found few interventions for SARIs in LMICs with have high-quality evidence for improving clinical outcomes. None of the included studies evaluated non-pharmacologic interventions or were conducted in low-income countries. Further studies evaluating the impact of antivirals, immunomodulators, corticosteroids, and non-pharmacologic interventions for SARIs in LMICs are urgently needed.RegistrationPROSPERO registration number: CRD42020216117.

Project description:BackgroundMental health and substance use disorders (SUDs) are the world's leading cause of years lived with disability; in low-and-middle income countries (LIMCs), the treatment gap for SUDs is at least 75%. LMICs face significant structural, resource, political, and sociocultural barriers to scale-up SUD services in community settings.AimThis article aims to identify and describe the different types and characteristics of psychosocial community-based SUD interventions in LMICs, and describe what context-specific factors (policy, resource, sociocultural) may influence such interventions in their design, implementation, and/or outcomes.MethodsA narrative literature review was conducted to identify and discuss community-based SUD intervention studies from LMICs. Articles were identified via a search for abstracts on the MEDLINE, Academic Search Complete, and PsycINFO databases. A preliminary synthesis of findings was developed, which included a description of the study characteristics (such as setting, intervention, population, target SUD, etc.); thereafter, a thematic analysis was conducted to describe the themes related to the aims of this review.ResultsFifteen intervention studies were included out of 908 abstracts screened. The characteristics of the included interventions varied considerably. Most of the psychosocial interventions were brief interventions. Approximately two thirds of the interventions were delivered by trained lay healthcare workers. Nearly half of the interventions targeted SUDs in addition to other health priorities (HIV, tuberculosis, intimate partner violence). All of the interventions were implemented in middle income countries (i.e. none in low-income countries). The political, resource, and/or sociocultural factors that influenced the interventions are discussed, although findings were significantly limited across studies.ConclusionDespite this review's limitations, its findings present relevant considerations for future SUD intervention developers, researchers, and decision-makers with regards to planning, implementing and adapting community-based SUD interventions.

Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the effect of emergency transportation interventions on the outcome of labor and delivery in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).MethodsEleven databases were searched through December 2019: Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, EBSCO (PsycINFO and CINAHL), SCIELO, LILACS, JSTOR, POPLINE, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Specialized Register, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool.ResultsNine studies (three in Asia and six in Africa) were included: one cluster randomized controlled trial, three controlled before-and-after (CBA) studies, four uncontrolled before and after studies, and one case-control study. The means of emergency obstetric transportation evaluated by the studies included bicycle (n = 1) or motorcycle ambulances (n = 3), 4-wheel drive vehicles (n = 3), and formal motor-vehicle ambulances (n = 2). Transportation support was offered within multi-component interventions including financial incentives (n = 1), improved communication (n = 7), and community mobilization (n = 2). Two controlled before-and-after studies that implemented interventions including financial support, three-wheeled motorcycles, and use of mobile phones reported reduction of maternal mortality. One cluster-randomized study which involved community mobilization and strengthening of referral, and transportation, and one controlled before-and-after that implemented free-of-charge, 24-hour, 4 × 4 wheel ambulance and a mobile phone showed reductions in stillbirth, perinatal, and neonatal mortality. Six studies reported increases in facility delivery ranging from 12-50%, and one study showed a 19% reduction in home delivery. There was a significant increase of caesarian sections in two studies; use of motorcycle ambulances compared to car ambulance resulted in reduction in referral delay by 2 to 4.5 hours. Only three included studies had low risk of bias on all domains.ConclusionIntegrating emergency obstetric transportation with complimentary maternal health interventions may reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes and increase access to skilled obstetric services for women in LMICs. The strength of evidence is limited by the paucity of high-quality studies.

Project description:BackgroundBubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) is a low-cost, non-invasive respiratory support therapy for children with respiratory distress, but its effectiveness is dependent on the context. We aimed to understand contextual factors influencing bCPAP implementation for children aged 1-59 months in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to develop a theory explaining how these factors influence implementation outcomes.MethodsIn this realist review, we generated an initial programme theory comprising candidate context-mechanism-outcome configurations (CMOCs) via review of key references and team discussion. On July 25, 2023, we conducted a search for peer-reviewed and grey literature, without date restrictions, describing bCPAP use for paediatric respiratory distress in LMICs. We included references describing related contexts, mechanisms, or outcomes. We coded statements from the literature supporting each CMOC, iteratively revising and adding CMOCs using inductive and deductive logic. We assembled an international, interdisciplinary panel of 22 bCPAP stakeholders to refine CMOCs using iterative surveys, focus groups, and interviews until we reached thematic saturation. This realist review is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023403584).FindingsOf 1640 peer-reviewed references and eight grey literature references retrieved, 38 peer-reviewed articles and two grey literature documents were deemed eligible for inclusion after removal of duplicates and screening. After four rounds of expert surveys and three focus groups, we identified 18 CMOCs. CMOCs were synthesised into a final programme theory operating at five levels to influence implementation feasibility, fidelity, and sustainability: (1) the bCPAP device, (2) local partnerships and infrastructure, (3) clinical and technical teams, (4) caregivers and the community, and (5) institutional practices.InterpretationUsing realist methods with a diverse, international stakeholder panel, we generated a theory that could explain how bCPAP therapy works in different contexts. This theory could be leveraged to enhance the rigour of future bCPAP implementation trials.FundingYale National Clinician Scholars Program, US National Center for Advancing Translational Science (TL1TR001864), and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (T32HL155000).

Project description:BACKGROUND:Transportation interventions seek to decrease delay in reaching a health facility for emergency obstetric care and are, thus, believed to contribute to reductions in such adverse pregnancy and childbirth outcomes as maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, there is limited empirical evidence to support this hypothesis. The objective of the proposed review is to summarize and critically appraise evidence regarding the effect of emergency transportation interventions on outcomes of labor and delivery in LMICs. METHODS:The following databases will be searched from inception to March 31, 2018: MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, EBSCO (PsycINFO and CINAHL), the Cochrane Pregnancy and Child Birth Group's Specialized Register, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We will search for studies in the grey literature through Google and Google Scholar. We will solicit unpublished reports from such relevant agencies as United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DfID) among others. Data generated from the search will be managed using Endnote Version 7. We will perform quantitative data synthesis if studies are homogenous in characteristics and provide adequate outcome data for meta-analysis. Otherwise, data will be synthesized, using the narrative synthesis approach. DISCUSSION:Among the many barriers that women in LMICs face in accessing life-saving interventions during labor and delivery, lack of access to emergency transportation is particularly important. This review will provide a critical summary of evidence regarding the impact of transportation interventions on outcomes of pregnancy and childbirth in LMICs. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION:PROSPERO CRD42017080092.

Dataset Information

Emergency care interventions for paediatric severe acute respiratory infections in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Registration

Publications

Emergency care interventions for paediatric severe acute respiratory infections in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets