Tavares Madede

An Epidemiological Study of Stroke Hospitalizations in Maputo, Mozambique A High Burden of Disease in a Resource-Poor Country

Background and Purpose— Already a major cause of death and disability in high-income countries, the burden of stroke in sub-Saharan Africa is also expected to be high. However, specific stroke data are scarce from resource-poor countries. We studied the incidence, characteristics, and short-term consequences of hospitalizations for stroke in Maputo, Mozambique. Methods— Over 12 months, comprehensive data from all local patients admitted to any hospital in Maputo with a new stroke event were prospectively captured according to the World Health Organizations STEPwise approach to stroke surveillance program. Disability levels (pre- and posthospital discharge) and short-term case-fatality (in-hospital and 28 days) were also studied. Results— Overall, 651 new stroke events (mean age 59.1±13.2 years and 53% men) were captured by the registry with 601 confirmed by CT scan (83.4%) or necropsy (8.9%). Crude and adjusted (world reference population) annual incidence rates of stroke were 148.7 per 100 000 and 260.1 per 100 000 aged ≥25 years, respectively. Of these, 531 (81.6%) represented a first-ever stroke event comprising 254 ischemic (42.0%) and 217 (36.1%) an intracerebral hemorrhage. Before admission, 561 patients (86.2%) had hypertension and 271 (41.6%) had symptoms for >24 hours. In-hospital and 28-day case-fatality were 33.3% and 49.6% (72.3% for hemorrhagic stroke), respectively. From almost no preadmission disability, 64.4% of 370 survivors at 28 days had moderate-to-severe disability. Conclusions— The burden of disease associated with stroke is high in Maputo, emphasizing the importance of primary prevention and improvement of the standards of care in a developing country under epidemiological transition.

Analysis of human resources for health strategies and policies in 5 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, in response to GFATM AND Pepfar-funded HIV-activities

BackgroundGlobal Health Initiatives (GHIs), aiming at reducing the impact of specific diseases such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), have flourished since 2000. Amongst these, PEPFAR and GFATM have provided a substantial amount of funding to countries affected by HIV, predominantly for delivery of antiretroviral therapy (ARV) and prevention strategies. Since the need for additional human resources for health (HRH) was not initially considered by GHIs, countries, to allow ARV scale-up, implemented short-term HRH strategies, adapted to GHI-funding conditionality. Such strategies differed from one country to another and slowly evolved to long-term HRH policies. The processes and content of HRH policy shifts in 5 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa were examined.MethodsA multi-country study was conducted from 2007 to 2011 in 5 countries (Angola, Burundi, Lesotho, Mozambique and South Africa), to assess the impact of GHIs on the health system, using a mixed methods design. This paper focuses on the impact of GFATM and PEPFAR on HRH policies. Qualitative data consisted of semi-structured interviews undertaken at national and sub-national levels and analysis of secondary data from national reports. Data were analysed in order to extract countries’ responses to HRH challenges posed by implementation of HIV-related activities. Common themes across the 5 countries were selected and compared in light of each country context.ResultsIn all countries successful ARV roll-out was observed, despite HRH shortages. This was a result of mostly short-term emergency response by GHI-funded Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and to a lesser extent by governments, consisting of using and increasing available HRH for HIV tasks. As challenges and limits of short-term HRH strategies were revealed and HIV became a chronic disease, the 5 countries slowly implemented mid to long-term HRH strategies, such as formalisation of pilot initiatives, increase in HRH production and mitigation of internal migration of HRH, sometimes in collaboration with GHIs.ConclusionSustainable HRH strengthening is a complex process, depending mostly on HRH production and retention factors, these factors being country-specific. GHIs could assist in these strategies, provided that they are flexible enough to incorporate country-specific needs in terms of funding, that they coordinate at global-level and minimise conditionality for countries.

The Effect of Season and Temperature Variation on Hospital Admissions for Incident Stroke Events in Maputo, Mozambique

BACKGROUND Identifying locale-specific patterns regarding the variation in stroke incidence throughout the year and with atmospheric temperature may be useful to the organization of stroke care, especially in low-resource settings. GOAL We aimed to describe the variation in the incidence of stroke hospitalizations across seasons and with short-term temperature variation, in Maputo, Mozambique. METHODS Between August 1, 2005, and July 31, 2006, we identified 651 stroke events in Maputo dwellers, according to the World Health Organizations STEPwise approach. The day of symptom onset was defined as the index date. We computed crude and adjusted (humidity, precipitation and temperature) incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with Poisson regression. RESULTS Stroke incidence did not vary significantly with season (dry versus wet: crude IRR = .98, 95% CI: .84-1.15), atmospheric temperature at the index date, or average atmospheric temperature in the preceding 2 weeks. The incidence rates of stroke were approximately 30% higher when in the previous 10 days there was a decline in the minimum temperature greater than or equal to 3 °C between any 2 consecutive days (variation in minimum temperature -5.1 to -3.0 versus -2.3 to -.4, adjusted IRR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.09-1.57). No significant associations were observed according to the variation in maximum temperatures. CONCLUSIONS Sudden declines in the minimum temperatures were associated with a higher incidence of stroke hospitalizations in Maputo. This provides important information for prediction of periods of higher hospital affluence because of stroke and to understand the mechanisms underlying the triggering of a stroke event.

Determinants of early case‐fatality among stroke patients in Maputo, Mozambique and impact of in‐hospital complications

The burden of stroke is increasing in developing countries that struggle to manage it efficiently. We identified determinants of early case-fatality among stroke patients in Maputo, Mozambique, to assess the impact of in-hospital complications. Patients admitted to any hospital in Maputo with a new stroke event were prospectively registered (n = 651) according to the World Health Organizations STEPwise approach, in 2005–2006. We assessed the determinants of in-hospital and 28-day fatality, independently of age, gender and education, and computed population attributable fractions. In-hospital mortality was higher among patients with Glasgow score at admission ≤6 (more than fivefold) or needing cardiopulmonary resuscitation during hospitalization (approximately 2·5-fold). Pneumonia and deep vein thrombosis/other cardiovascular complications during hospitalization were responsible for 19·6% (95% confidence interval, 5·3 to 31·7) of ischaemic stroke and 15·9% (95% confidence interval, 5·8 to 24·9) of haemorrhagic stroke deaths until the 28th day. Ischaemic stroke patients with systolic blood pressure 160–200 mmHg had lower in-hospital mortality (relative risk = 0·32, 95% confidence interval, 0·13 to 0·78), and, for those with haemorrhagic events (haemorrhagic stroke), 28-day mortality was higher when systolic blood pressure was over 200 mmHg (hazard ratio = 3·42; 95% confidence interval, 1·02 to 11·51), compared with systolic blood pressure 121–140 mmHg. Regarding diastolic blood pressure, the risk was lowest at 121–150 mmHg for ischaemic stroke and at 61–90 mmHg for haemorrhagic stroke. Early case-fatality was mostly influenced by stroke severity and in-hospital complications. The allocation of resources to the latter may have a large impact on the reduction of the burden of stroke in this setting.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring profile in urban African black and European white untreated hypertensive patients matched for age and sex.

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to compare the 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) profile in never-treated black hypertensive patients living in Africa, Mozambique (20–80 years), versus never-treated white hypertensive patients living in Europe. Patients and methodsABP recordings of untreated black hypertensive patients and white hypertensive patients with 24-h ABP of 130/80 mmHg or more were retrospectively selected from two computerized database records of ABP and matched for age by decades, sex, and BMI. ResultsBlack hypertensive patients were n=548, 47±12 years, 52% women, BMI=28.0±8.2 kg/m2, 7% smokers, 7% diabetics; white hypertensive patients were n=604, 47±15 years, 52% women, BMI=27.4±5.1 kg/m2, 8.4% diabetics, and 18% smokers (P<0.02). Black hypertensive patients versus white hypertensive patients showed higher casual blood pressure (BP) 160/104±19/14 versus 149/97±18/12 mmHg, 24-h ABP 146/92±16/13 versus 139/85±11/10 mmHg, daytime ABP 150/95±16/13 versus 143/88±13/11 mmHg, night-time BP 139/84±17/13 versus 130/78±13/10 mmHg (all P<0.001) and lower night-time BP fall 8.3±6.9 versus 10.1±8.7% (P<0.02) and higher BP variability. Differences were still significant in all decades above 30 years of age and when calculations were carried out separately for both men and women. The average 24-h heart rate did not differ between groups. ConclusionOur data suggest that untreated black hypertensive patients systematically present higher clinic and ABP values and a lower night-time BP fall than untreated white hypertensive patients for all spectra of age distribution. This might be the reason for the worse cardiovascular prognosis described in black hypertensive patients compared with white hypertensive patients.

The impact of a supportive supervision intervention on health workers in Niassa, Mozambique: a cluster-controlled trial

BackgroundRegular supportive supervision is critical to retaining and motivating staff in resource-constrained settings. Previous studies have shown the particular contribution that supportive supervision can make to improving job satisfaction amongst over-stretched health workers in such settings.MethodsThe Support, Train and Empower Managers (STEM) study designed and implemented a supportive supervision intervention and measured its’ impact on health workers using a controlled trial design with a three-arm pre- and post-study in Niassa Province in Mozambique. Post-intervention interviews with a small sample of health workers were also conducted.ResultsThe quantitative measurements of job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion and work engagement showed no statistically significant differences between end-line and baseline. The qualitative data collected from health workers post the intervention showed many positive impacts on health workers not captured by this quantitative survey.ConclusionsHealth workers perceived an improvement in their performance and attributed this to the supportive supervision they had received from their supervisors following the intervention. Reports of increased motivation were also common. An unexpected, yet important consequence of the intervention, which participants directly attributed to the supervision intervention, was the increase in participation and voice amongst health workers in intervention facilities.

On the Causal Paths Underlying the Relation between Atmospheric Temperature and Acute Stroke

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Progress in Mozambique: Changes in the availability, use, and quality of emergency obstetric and newborn care between 2007 and 2012

Introduction Maternal mortality in Mozambique has not declined significantly in the last 10–15 years, plateauing around 480 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Good quality antenatal care and routine and emergency intrapartum care are critical to reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths. Materials and methods We compare the findings from two national cross-sectional facility-based assessments conducted in 2007 and 2012. Both were designed to measure the availability, use and quality of emergency obstetric and neonatal care. Indicators for monitoring emergency obstetric care were used as were descriptive statistics. Results The availability of facilities providing the full range of obstetric life-saving procedures (signal functions) decreased. However, an expansion in the provision of individual signal functions was highly visible in health centers and health posts, but in hospitals, performance was less satisfactory, with proportionally fewer hospitals providing assisted vaginal delivery, obstetric surgery and blood transfusions. All other key indicators showed signs of improvements: the institutional delivery rate, the cesarean delivery rate, met need for emergency obstetric care (EmOC), institutional stillbirth and early neonatal death rates, and cause-specific case fatality rates (CFRs). CFRs for most major obstetric complications declined between 17% and 69%. The contribution of direct causes to maternal deaths decreased while the proportion of indirect causes doubled during the five-year interval. Conclusions The indicator of EmOC service availability, often used for planning and developing EmONC networks, requires close examination. The standard definition can mask programmatic weaknesses and thus, fails to inform decision makers of what to target. In this case, the decline in the use of assisted vaginal delivery explained much of the difference in this indicator between the two surveys, as did faltering hospital performance. Despite this backsliding, many signs of improvement were also observed in this 5-year period, but indicator levels continue below recommended thresholds. The quality of intrapartum care and the adverse consequences from infectious diseases during pregnancy point to priority areas for programmatic improvement.

Hypertension in Mozambique: trends between 2005 and 2015

Objective: To assess the current prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of arterial hypertension in Mozambican population, including adolescents and young adults, and to appraise their trends over the past decade, for the 25–64 years old population. Methods: A cross-sectional study of a representative sample of the population aged 15–64 years (n = 2965) was conducted in 2014–2015, following the Stepwise Approach to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance. Data from a survey conducted in 2005 using the same methodological approach was used to assess trends in the age group of 25–64 years. Results: The prevalence of hypertension increased significantly, from 33.1 to 38.9% (P = 0.048), whereas awareness (2005 vs. 2014–2015: 14.8 vs. 14.5%, P = 0.914) and treatment among the aware (2005 vs. 2014–2015: 51.9 vs. 50.1%, P = 0.770) remained similar. Control among the treated increased (from 39.9 to 44.5%, P = 0.587), although not significantly. Mean blood pressure values increased (SBP: from 132.1 to 134.6 mmHg, P = 0.089; DBP: from 78.2 to 82.5 mmHg, P < 0.001). Among participants aged 15–24 years, in 2014–2015 the prevalence of hypertension was 13.1% (95% confidence interval: 9.8–16.4). Conclusion: Our findings show that the prevalence of hypertension in Mozambique is among the highest in developing countries, both in adults and adolescents, portraying an ample margin for reduction of the morbidity and mortality burden because of high blood pressure.

Maternity care system in Maputo, Mozambique: Plans and practice?

Abstract Mixed methods were used with various data sources to describe organisation and delivery of maternity care in Maputo city, Mozambique in early 2010s and to compare the plans with the service provision in practice. In the public health sector, maternity care was organised to be area based and hierarchical with a planned referral system. The provision of basic and emergency maternity care was publicly funded, largely dependent of donor funds, and free of charge for users. Even though Maputo City was better resourced than the rest of the country, there was a large lack of health professionals. Women’s choices and self-referrals, even to higher levels of care, were common, which broke the plans of areas responsibility, gate keeping and care by medical needs. Private services for maternity care had emerged for those who were able to pay, leading to dual practices of health professionals and shortage of care providers in the public system at odd hours. Information of maternity care was aggregate and poorly stored. The gap between “planned” services delivery and “practice” in a real-life requires overall health system strengthening to improve efficiency and effectiveness of health services delivery.