Browsing by Author "B. Ostyn"

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Determinants of bednet ownership and use in visceral leishmaniasis-endemic areas of the Indian subcontinent
(2010) V. Vanlerberghe; S.P. Singh; I.S. Paudel; B. Ostyn; A. Picado; A. Sánchez; S. Rijal; S. Sundar; C. Davies; M. Boelaert
Objective To document ownership and use of bednets with its determinants in the visceral leishmaniasis (VL)-endemic region where mainly non-insecticide impregnated nets are available through commercial channels, and bednets are being considered as a leishmaniasis vector control measure. Methods In August-September 2006, semi-structured household (HH) questionnaires and observation guides were used in a random sample of 1330 HHs in VL-endemic districts of India and Nepal to collect data on VL knowledge, HH socio-economic status, bednet ownership and use patterns. An asset index was constructed to allow wealth ranking of the HH. A binary logistic response General Estimating Equations model was fitted to evaluate the determinants of bednet ownership and use. Results The proportion of HHs with at least one bednet purchased on the commercial market was 81.5% in India and 70.2% in Nepal. The bednets were used in all seasons by 50.6% and 54.1% of the Indian and Nepalese HH owning a bed net. There was striking inequity in bednet ownership: only 38.3% of the poorest quintile in Nepal owned at least one net, compared to 89.7% of the wealthiest quintile. In India, the same trend was observed though somewhat less pronounced (73.6%vs. 93.7%). Multivariate analysis showed that poverty was an important independent predictor for not having a bednet in the HH [OR 5.39 (2.90-10.03)]. Conclusion Given the inequity in commercial bednet ownership, free distribution of insecticide-treated bednets to the general population seems imperative to achieve a mass effect on vector density. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Monitoring drug effectiveness in kala-azar in Bihar, India: Cost and feasibility of periodic random surveys vs. a health service-based reporting system
(2011) P. Malaviya; R.P. Singh; S.P. Singh; E. Hasker; B. Ostyn; R. Shankar; M. Boelaert; S. Sundar
Objective In 2009, a random survey was conducted in Muzaffarpur district to document the clinical outcomes of visceral leishmaniasis patients (VL) treated by the public health care system in 2008, to assess the effectiveness of miltefosine against VL. We analysed the operational feasibility and cost of such periodic random surveys as compared with health facility-based routine monitoring. Methods A random sample of 150 patients was drawn from registers kept at Primary Health Care centres. Patient records were examined, and the patients were located at their residence. Patients and physicians were interviewed with the help of two specifically designed questionnaires by a team of one supervisor, one physician and one field worker. Costs incurred during this survey were properly documented, and vehicle log books maintained for analysis. Results Hundred and 39 (76.7%) of the patients could be located. Eleven patients were not traceable. Per patient, follow-up cost was US$ 15.51 and on average 2.27 patients could be visited per team-day. Human resource involvement constituted 75% of the total cost whereas involvement of physician costs 51% of the total cost. Conclusion A random survey to document clinical outcomes is costly and labour intensive but gives probably the most accurate information on drug effectiveness. A health service-based retrospective cohort reporting system modelled on the monitoring system developed by tuberculosis programmes could be a better alternative. Involvement of community health workers in such monitoring would offer the additional advantage of treatment supervision and support. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Risk Factors associated with defaulting from visceral leishmaniasis treatment: analysis under routine programme conditions in Bihar, India
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2017) S. Kansal; J. Chakravarty; A. Kumar; P. Malaviya; M. Boelaert; E. Hasker; B. Ostyn; S. Sundar
Objective: To assess the rate of default from treatment in the visceral leishmaniasis (VL) elimination programme and to identify risk factors and its underlying causes. Methods: Case–control study conducted between December 2009 and June 2012 in three primary health centres (PHCs) of Muzaffarpur district, India. Patients who defaulted from treatment from the PHCs were considered as ‘cases’ and those who completed their treatment as ‘controls’. Two controls were included in the study for each case. Respondents' opinion and satisfaction with the services provided at the PHCs were also elicited. Logistic regression was performed to assess the contribution of sociodemographic variables on patient status, and a discriminant analysis was used (after decomposing the original data) to identify factors that can predict the patient status as defaulter or not, based on factor scores of the components as predictor variables. Results: During the study period, 16.3% (89/544) of patients defaulted; 87 cases and 188 controls were interviewed through a semistructured questionnaire. Women tended to be more at risk for default (OR, 1.6, 95% CI (0.9 -2.9). Treatment received was miltefosine in 55.6% and sodium stibogluconate (SSG) in 44.4%. Most (86%) defaulters completed their treatment at other healthcare facilities; 70% of them preferred non-governmental institutions. Most cited reasons for default were seeking a second opinion for VL treatment and preferring to be treated in specialised VL centres. Discriminant analysis showed only one significant predictor: dissatisfaction with the medical care received in PHCs. Conclusion: Efforts are needed to enhance the quality of VL care at PHC level, which will be beneficial in increasing treatment completion rates. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd