Participants
chronic disease
SECONDARY, MALNUTRITION, TUBERCULOSIS, CHRONIC DISEASE
Primary care health facilities (dispensaries or health centers) were eligible for inclusion if they performed on average 20 or more consultations per week with children aged from 2 months to 5 years, were government or government-designated health facilities, and were located less than 150 km from the research institutions. Acute outpatient care is routinely provided by nurses and clinical officers in primary health facilities, whereas medical doctors provide care occasionally at health centers. Clinical officers, the principal health providers at primary health facilities, are non-physician health professionals with 2–3 years of clinical training following secondary schoolInfants and children between 1 day old and 15 years old seeking care for an acute medical or surgical condition at participating health facilities were eligible. Children presenting solely for scheduled consultations for a chronic disease (for example HIV, tuberculosis, malnutrition) or for routine preventive care (for example growth monitoring, vaccination) were not eligible. Written informed consent was obtained from all parents or guardians of participants when attending the participating health facility during the enrollment period.