Integrated Community Case Management of Childhood Illness: What Have We Learned?

Bernadette Daelmans,Awa Seck,Mark Young,Shelby Wilson,Humphreys Nsona

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.94-3intro2

Bernadette Daelmans, Awa Seck + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.94-3intro2

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Abstract

The evaluations of integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illness in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Burkina Faso published in this issue provide important new information to guide program design and implementation. Recognizing that in most countries with a high burden of child mortality, access to health services is limited for many families and their children, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) identified iCCM as an effective evidence-based strategy to increase coverage of lifesaving interventions and reduce preventable child deaths.1 Few program evaluations of iCCM at scale exist.2 The reports therefore are unique and valuable. However, none of the three reports demonstrated the desired iCCM objectives of increasing care seeking for childhood illness and improved coverage of effective treatment interventions at the population level.

Highlights

The results of these three studies are humbling, they provide a new impetus to analyze prerequisites for successful integrated community case management (iCCM) implementation at national scale
By early 2015, 47 of 75 countries accounting for the highest burden of maternal and child mortality had adopted a national policy allowing community health workers to treat childhood conditions.[3]
As partners who assisted governments in the introduction, scale-up, and periodic review of iCCM implementation in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Malawi, we have summarized in Table 1 key characteristics of policy and implementation in each country

Summary

Introduction

The results of these three studies are humbling, they provide a new impetus to analyze prerequisites for successful iCCM implementation at national scale. As partners who assisted governments in the introduction, scale-up, and periodic review of iCCM implementation in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Malawi, we have summarized in Table 1 key characteristics of policy and implementation in each country.

Results

Conclusion