Table 1 Patient, health facility and laboratory personnel characteristics
Characteristic | n (%) |
|---|---|
Health facility characteristics (n = 16) | |
Number of laboratory personnel per facility | |
1 | 10 (62.5) |
2 | 5 (31.3) |
3 | 1 (6.3) |
Type of services | |
Out-patient only | 6 (37.5) |
Out and in-patient | 10 (62.6) |
Sufficient lighting in the laboratory | 12 (75.0) |
Sufficient laboratory space | 11 (68.8) |
Average malaria smears read by technicians per day | |
< 5 patients | 4 (25.0) |
≥ 5 patients | 12 (75.0) |
Slide re-used | 8 (50.0) |
Laboratory personnel characteristics (n = 23) | |
Sex (female) | 4 (18.1) |
Age (years) | |
< 30 | 15 (65.2) |
≥ 30 | 8 (34.8) |
Working experience (years) | |
< 5 | 11 (47.8) |
≥ 5 | 12 (52.2) |
Qualification | |
Lab assistant | 12 (52.2) |
Lab technician | 11 (47.8) |
Recent refresher training in malaria diagnosis | 10 (43.5) |
Patient characteristics (n = 321) | |
Sex (female) | 174 (54.2) |
Age (years) | |
< 5 | 50 (15.6) |
5–15 | 42 (13.1) |
> 15 | 229 (71.3) |
Reported bed net use the night prior to visit | 273 (85.1) |
Fever as a presenting complaint | 160 (49.8) |