Readiness of health facilities for the outpatient management of noncommunicable diseases in a low resource setting: an example from a facility-based cross-sectional survey in Tanzania

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dc.creatorBintabara, Deogratius
dc.creatorNgajilo, Dorothy
dc.date2021-05-11T09:15:17Z
dc.date2021-05-11T09:15:17Z
dc.date2020
dc.date.accessioned2022-10-20T12:01:04Z
dc.date.available2022-10-20T12:01:04Z
dc.descriptionFull text article. Also available at:http://dx.doi. org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040908
dc.descriptionThis study assessed the readiness of health facilities to provide outpatient management of non-communicable diseases using a nationally representative sample of health facilities from Tanzania as an example of a low-resource country. Facility-based cross-sectional survey. This study analysed data collected from public and private-owned dispensaries/clinics, health centres and hospitals during the 2014–2015 Tanzania Service Provision Assessment survey. Three outcome variables are included in this study, namely readiness of facilities to provide outpatient management for diabetes, hypertension and chronic respiratory diseases. These were composite variables measured based on availability of indicators identified in the WHO-Service Availability and Readiness Assessment manual. These indicators were grouped into three domains, viz staff training and guidelines, basic diagnostic equipment and basic medicines. Readiness was measured by assessing the presence of required indicators in each of these domains. Out of 1188 health facilities assessed, 52.1%, 64.8% and 60.9% reported providing services related to diabetes, hypertension and chronic respiratory diseases, respectively. A few facilities reported having treatment guidelines (33.2%) or staff trained to provide non-communicable disease services (10.4%). The availability of basic diagnostic equipment and medicines for these diseases was significantly lower in public lower level facilities than in their private counterparts (p<0.05). Facilities located in urban settings as well as higher level (health centre and hospitals) and publicly owned facilities were significantly associated with increased service readiness index for providing outpatient management of non-communicable diseases. A fair distribution of resources through the ‘push’ system of refresher training, treatment guidelines, medicines and diagnostic equipment from higher authorities or other agencies may be one way of strengthening the readiness of lower level and public facilities to cope with the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases in low-resource countries such as Tanzania.
dc.identifierBintabara, D., & Ngajilo, D. (2020). Readiness of health facilities for the outpatient management of non-communicable diseases in a low-resource setting: an example from a facility-based cross-sectional survey in Tanzania. BMJ open, 10(11), e040908.
dc.identifierDOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040908
dc.identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12661/3014
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12661/3014
dc.languageen
dc.publisherBMJ Publishing Group Ltd
dc.subjectHealth facilities
dc.subjectOutpatient management
dc.subjectNoncommunicable diseases
dc.subjectNCDs
dc.subjectCardiovascular diseases
dc.subjectDiabetes mellitus
dc.subjectChronic respiratory diseases
dc.titleReadiness of health facilities for the outpatient management of noncommunicable diseases in a low resource setting: an example from a facility-based cross-sectional survey in Tanzania
dc.typeArticle

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