The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7194 p521-527
20 April 2002

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BMJ (www.bmj.com)

Malaria patients — in or out?

Patients with imported malaria can be treated safely as outpatients, provided that criteria for severity are considered, say Swiss researchers (BMJ 2002;324:875). They followed up 129 patients as outpatients (82 with Plasmodium falciparum) and found that only six needed subsequent readmission.

This finding is reassuring but potentially misleading, says an accompanying commentary (ibid, p876). "This study opens up [outpatient care] for debate, but it does not provide adequate justification for changing practice — yet," it concludes.