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Table 1 Health facility and patient characteristics in malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) evaluation in Blantyre, Malawi, 2009

From: Comparative field performance and adherence to test results of four malaria rapid diagnostic tests among febrile patients more than five years of age in Blantyre, Malawi

RDT name

Bioline SD

First response malaria

ICT diagnostics

Paracheck

Total

P value*

Health centre name

Mdeka (N = 476)

Lilangwe (N = 508)

Chileka (N = 683)

Bangwe (N = 573)

Mdeka (N = 333)

(N = 2,573)

 

Health facility characteristics

       

   Location

Rural

Rural

Semi-urban

Urban

Rural

  

   Person performing RDT

CHW‡

CHW‡

Laboratory Technician

Laboratory Technician

CHW‡

  

Patient characteristics

       

   Female

59%

60%

59%

56%

65%

59%

0.13

   Child 5-15 years old

44%

56%

37%

36%

30%

42%

< 0.001

Owns a mosquito net

Used a mosquito net the previous night

54%

50%

62%

63%

51%

48%

43%

41%

58%

61%

53%

52%

< 0.001

< 0.001

   Self treated with antimalarial in past 2 weeks

8%

5%

29%

8%

2%

12%

< 0.001

   Presumptive malaria diagnosis

100%

99%

27%

92%

100%

89%

< 0.001

   Local microscopy positive†

na

na

69%

29%

na

51%

< 0.001

   RDT positive

76%

72%

53%

25%

66%

56%

< 0.001

   Expert microscopy positive

41%

40%

16%

3%

34%

25%

< 0.001

  1. * Statistical testing using chi square test for trend
  2. † Local microscopy available only in Chileka and Bangwe Health Centres
  3. ‡ CHW = Community health worker