Health records from hospitalized adults with malaria during 2019 at Bo Government Hospital, Sierra Leone

We performed a chart review of adults admitted to Bo Government Hospital during 2019. Of 893 admissions,149 (59% female, mean age 58.5 years) had a laboratory diagnosis of malaria and 22 (14.8%) died. Mortality was significantly higher among patients with severe malaria compared with those who had non-severe malaria (6/20 [30%] versus 16/129 [12.4%], p=0.031). Our data suggest that malaria is a common cause of death in hospitalized Sierra Leonean adults.  

Methods
A retrospective chart review was conducted. Data were extracted from the medical charts of adults admitted to one of three adult medical wards during 2019. Collected data were entered into a spreadsheet, including age, sex, results of diagnostic testing for malaria, information on the severity of malaria, and patient outcome.