Observational follow-up study on a cohort of children with severe pneumonia after discharge from a day-care clinic in Dhaka, Bangladesh

J Health Popul Nutr. 2014 Jun;32(2):183-9.

Abstract

Compliance, morbidity, mortality, and hospitalization during fortnightly follow-up were evaluated by an observational study on a cohort of children with severe and very severe pneumonia after day-care treatment at an urban clinic. The primary outcome measures were proportions of success (compliance) and failure (non-compliance) of follow-up visits at the day-care clinic. In total, 251 children were followed up, with median (IQR) age of 5.0 (3.0-9.0) months, and their compliance dropped from 92% at the first to 85% at the sixth visit. Cough (28%), fever (20%), and rapid breathing (13%) were common morbidities. Successful follow-up visits were possible in 180 (95.2%) and 56 (90.3%) of the children with severe and very severe pneumonia respectively. Eleven (4.4%) needed hospitalization, and four (1.6%) died. Majority (approximately 90%) of the children could be successfully followed up; some failed to attend their scheduled follow-up visits due to hospitalization and death. The common morbidities indicate the importance of follow-up for detecting medical problems and early treatment, thus reducing risk of death.

Publication types

  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Ambulatory Care Facilities / statistics & numerical data*
  • Bangladesh / epidemiology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Patient Compliance / statistics & numerical data*
  • Pneumonia / epidemiology*
  • Pneumonia / therapy*
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Urban Population / statistics & numerical data