Muac as the sole discharge criterion from community‐based management of severe acute malnutrition in Burkina Faso

Bibliographic Data

ID15535491
AuthorsSheila Isanaka (0000-0002-4503-2861, Harvard University, corresponding author), Kerstin E Hanson (0000-0003-1800-1565, Médecins Sans Frontières), Severine Frison (0000-0002-1586-9564, Epicentre Paris France), Christopher T Andersen (0000-0001-5599-6130, Harvard University), Sandra Cohuet (Epicentre Paris France), Rebecca F Grais (0000-0002-5037-8218, Epicentre Paris France)
Year2018
Volume15
Issue2
Pagese12688-e12688
Publication date2018-09-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMaternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mcn.12688
PMID30194814
OpenAlexW2891905985
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited25

The use of mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurement to screen and determine eligibility for admission to therapeutic feeding programs has been established, but evidence and programmatic experience to inform guidance on the use of MUAC as a discharge criterion is limited. We present results from a large-scale nutritional program using MUAC for admission and discharge and compare program outcomes and response to treatment when determining eligibility for discharge by proportional weight gain versus discharge by MUAC. The study population included all children admitted to the Ministry of Health therapeutic feeding program supported by Médecins Sans Frontières in northern Burkina Faso from September 2007 to December 2011 (n = 50,841). Recovery was high overall using both discharge criteria, with low risks of death, nonresponse, and transfer to inpatient care and high daily gains in weight, MUAC, weight-for-height Z score, and height. When discharge was made by MUAC only, recovery increased, while all adverse program outcomes and length of stay decreased, with increasing MUAC on admission. MUAC-based programming, where MUAC is integrated into program screening, admission, and discharge, is one of several new approaches that can be used to target resources to the most at-risk malnourished children and improve program efficiency and coherency. This analysis provides additional programmatic experience on the use of MUAC-based discharge criterion, but more work may be needed to inform optimal discharge thresholds across settings

Christian ministry · Discharge planning · Environmental health · Hospital discharge · Intensive care medicine · Malnutrition · MEDLINE · Patient discharge · Physical therapy · Population · Severe Acute Malnutrition · Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Medicine · Nursing · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Emergency Medicine · Internal Medicine · Pediatrics

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access