Pneumonia treatment (children)
Percent of children ages 0-59 months who are correctly prescribed an antibiotic for pneumonia.
Number of children ages 0-59 months with valid classification who are correctly prescribed an antibiotic for pneumonia (including doses, number of times per day and number of days).
Total number of children ages 0-59 months with diagnosed pneumonia.
Place of residence, provider, sex, age, socioeconomic status.
Patient records, registers and direct observation.
Presently collected in health facility surveys, hospital quality assessment tool.
This indicator assesses the ability of the health worker to provide correct treatment, given correct identification of common childhood diseases.
The indicator is a composite measure and is restricted to children with validated classifications. The data are collected through direct observation of sick child consultations during a health facility survey or routine supervisory visits.
The validator classification using the IMCI standard protocol is considered to be the gold standard and as close to the actual diagnosis as is possible to get in the outpatient setting.
One of the limitations of this indicator is that it is not straightforward to calculate. It addresses multiple dimensions of the quality of sick child assessment and has many components. First, the health worker must prescribe each drug correctly in terms of all three of the following elements: how many tablets
or capsules or spoonfuls to take each time; how many times a day to give the medication; and how many days to continue treatment. The age or weight of the child should also be considered in determining the correct dose of antibiotic. If a
child has multiple classifications, each classification and prescribed treatment should be considered in the calculations.
Given the number of components that are included in the calculations, it would be difficult to interpret change in the indicator. The indicator requires that all required screening and assessment tasks have been performed correctly and, therefore, may not demonstrate change until these other preliminary tasks have been mastered. Second, correct
classification may not be possible if the health worker does not have some item of essential equipment, such as a timing device for counting respiratory rate or a scale for measuring weight.
Pediatric care, Child health, Respiratory disease
World Health Organization (WHO). Consultation on Improving Measurement of the Quality of Maternal, Newborn and Child Care in Health Facilities.; 2013. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/128206/1/9789241507417_eng.pdf
World Health Organization (WHO). 2015 Global Reference List of 100 Core Health Indicators.; 2015. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/173589/1/WHO_HIS_HSI_2015.3_eng.pdf
World Health Organization. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Review of National Health Strategies: A Country-Led Platform for Information and Accountability.; 2011. http://www.who.int/healthinfo/country_monitoring_evaluation/1085_IER_131011_web.pdf
Gage AJ, Ali D, Suzuki C. A Guide for Monitoring and Evaluating Child Health Programs. MEASURE Evaluation. Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.; 2005. http://www.coregroup.org/storage/documents/Workingpapers/ms-05-15.pdf
