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Background The prevalence of multimorbidity (the presence of two or more chronic health conditions) is rapidly increasing in sub–Saharan Africa. Hospital care pathways that focus on single presenting complaints do not address this pressing problem. This has the potential to precipitate frequent hospital readmissions, increase health system and out-of-pocket expenses, and may lead to premature disability and death. We aim to present a description of inpatient multimorbidity in a multicentre prospective cohort study in Malawi and Tanzania. Primary objectives Determine prevalence of multimorbid disease among adult medical admissions and measure patient outcomes. Health Economic: Measure economic costs incurred and changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at 90 days post-admission. Situation analysis: Qualitatively describe pathways of patients with multimorbidity through the health system. Secondary objectives Determine hospital readmission free survival and markers of disease control 90 days after admission. Health Economic: Present economic costs from patient and health system perspective, sub-analyse costs and HRQoL according to presence of different diseases. Situation analysis: Understand health literacy related to their own diseases and experience of care for patients with multimorbidity and their caregivers. Methods This is a prospective longitudinal cohort study of adult (≥18 years) acute medical hospital admissions with nested health economic and situation analysis in four hospitals: 1) Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi; 2) Chiradzulu District Hospital, Malawi; 3) Hai District Hospital, Boma Ng’ombe, Tanzania; 4) Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. Follow-up duration will be 90 days from hospital admission. We will use consecutive recruitment within 24 hours of emergency presentation and stratified recruitment across four sites. We will use point-of-care tests to refine estimates of disease pathology. We will conduct qualitative interviews with patients, caregivers, healthcare providers and policymakers; focus group discussions with patients and caregivers, and observations of hospital care pathways.

Background Hospital admission due to breathlessness carries a significant burden to patients and healthcare systems, particularly impacting people in low-income countries. Prompt appropriate treatment is vital to improve outcomes, but this relies on accurate diagnostic tests which are of limited availability in resource-constrained settings. We will provide an accurate description of acute breathlessness presentations in a multicentre prospective cohort study in Malawi, a low resource setting in Southern Africa, and explore approaches to strengthen diagnostic capacity. Objectives Primary objective: Delineate between causes of breathlessness among adults admitted to hospital in Malawi and report disease prevalence. Secondary objectives: Determine patient outcomes, including mortality and hospital readmission 90 days after admission; determine the diagnostic accuracy of biomarkers to differentiate between heart failure and respiratory infections (such as pneumonia) including brain natriuretic peptides, procalcitonin and C-reactive protein. Methods This is a prospective longitudinal cohort study of adults (≥18 years) admitted to hospital with breathlessness across two hospitals: 1) Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi; 2) Chiradzulu District Hospital, Chiradzulu, Malawi. Patients will be consecutively recruited within 24 hours of emergency presentation and followed-up until 90 days from hospital admission. We will conduct enhanced diagnostic tests with robust quality assurance and quality control to determine estimates of disease pathology. Diagnostic case definitions were selected following a systematic literature search. Discussion This study will provide detailed epidemiological description of adult hospital admissions due to breathlessness in low-income settings, which is currently poorly understood. We will delineate between causes using established case definitions and conduct nested diagnostic evaluation. The results have the potential to facilitate development of interventions targeted to strengthen diagnostic capacity, enable prompt and appropriate treatment, and ultimately improve both patient care and outcomes.

Background The prevalence of multimorbidity (the presence of two or more chronic health conditions) is rapidly increasing in sub–Saharan Africa. Hospital care pathways that focus on single presenting complaints do not address this pressing problem. This has the potential to precipitate frequent hospital readmissions, increase health system and out-of-pocket expenses, and may lead to premature disability and death. We aim to present a description of inpatient multimorbidity in a multicentre prospective cohort study in Malawi and Tanzania. Primary objectives Clinical: Determine prevalence of multimorbid disease among adult medical admissions and measure patient outcomes. Health Economic: Measure economic costs incurred and changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at 90 days post-admission. Situation analysis: Qualitatively describe pathways of patients with multimorbidity through the health system. Secondary objectives Clinical: Determine hospital readmission free survival and markers of disease control 90 days after admission. Health Economic: Present economic costs from patient and health system perspective, sub-analyse costs and HRQoL according to presence of different diseases. Situation analysis: Understand health literacy related to their own diseases and experience of care for patients with multimorbidity and their caregivers. Methods This is a prospective longitudinal cohort study of adult (≥18 years) acute medical hospital admissions with nested health economic and situation analysis in four hospitals: 1) Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi; 2) Chiradzulu District Hospital, Malawi; 3) Hai District Hospital, Boma Ng’ombe, Tanzania; 4) Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. Follow-up duration will be 90 days from hospital admission. We will use consecutive recruitment within 24 hours of emergency presentation and stratified recruitment across four sites. We will use point-of-care tests to refine estimates of disease pathology. We will conduct qualitative interviews with patients, caregivers, healthcare providers and policymakers; focus group discussions with patients and caregivers, and observations of hospital care pathways.

Abstract Background Asthma education, a key component of long-term asthma management, is challenging in resource-limited settings with shortages of clinical staff. Task-shifting educational roles to lay (non-clinical) staff is a potential solution. We conducted a randomised controlled trial of an enhanced asthma care intervention for children in Malawi, which included reallocation of asthma education tasks to lay-educators. In this qualitative sub-study, we explored the experiences of asthmatic children, their families and lay-educators, to assess the acceptability, facilitators and barriers, and perceived value of the task-shifting asthma education intervention. Methods We conducted six focus group discussions, including 15 children and 28 carers, and individual interviews with four lay-educators and a senior nurse. Translated transcripts were coded independently by three researchers and key themes identified. Results Prior to the intervention, participants reported challenges in asthma care including the busy and sometimes hostile clinical environment, lack of access to information and the erratic supply of medication. The education sessions were well received: participants reported greater understanding of asthma and their treatment and confidence to manage symptoms. The lay-educators appreciated pre-intervention training, written guidelines, and access to clinical support. Low education levels among carers presented challenges, requiring an open, non-critical and individualised approach. Discussion Asthma education can be successfully delivered by lay-educators with adequate training, supervision and support, with benefits to the patients, their families and the community. Wider implementation could help address human resource shortages and support progress towards Universal Health Coverage. Trial registration The RCT was registered in the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry: PACTR201807211617031