INTRODUCTION: Palawan, where health care facilities are still limited, is one of the most @entity311 endemic provinces in the Philippines. Since 1999, microscopists (community health workers) have been trained in @entity311 diagnosis and feasibility of early diagnosis and treatments have been enhanced throughout the province. To accelerate the universal access of @entity311 @entity1 to diagnostic testing in Palawan, positive health seeking behavior should be encouraged when @entity281 is suspected. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, structured interviews were carried out with residents (N = 218) of 20 remote @entity311 -endemic villages throughout Palawan with a history of suspected @entity311 from January to February in 2012. @entity2383 ( @entity2383 ) was conducted to determine factors associated with appropriate treatment, which included: (1) socio-demographic characteristics; (2) proximity to a health facility; (3) health seeking behavior; (4) knowledge on @entity311 ; (5) participation in community awareness-raising activities. RESULTS: Three factors independently associated with appropriate treatment were identified by @entity2383 (CMIN = 10.5, df = 11, CFI = 1.000, RMSEA = .000): "living near microscopist" (p < 0.001), "not living near private pharmacy" (p < 0.01), and "having severe symptoms" (p < 0.01). "Severe symptoms" were positively correlated with more "knowledge on @entity311 symptoms" (p < 0.001). This knowledge was significantly increased by attending "community awareness-raising activities by microscopists" (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In the resource-limited settings, microscopists played a significant role in providing appropriate treatment to all @entity1 with severe @entity311 symptoms. However, it was considered that knowledge on @entity311 symptoms made @entity1 more aware of their symptoms, and further progressed self-triage. Strengthening this recognition sensitivity and making residents aware of nearby microscopists may be the keys to accelerating universal access to effective @entity311 treatment in Palawan.

XXXX Knowledge on Malaria Symptoms Is a Key to Promoting Universal Access of @entity1 to Effective Malaria Treatment in Palawan, the Philippines.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['participants', 'patients'] @entity311 :: ('MESH:D008288', 'Disease') :: ['malaria'] @entity281 :: ('MESH:D007239', 'Disease') :: ['malaria infection'] @entity2383 :: ('MESH:D028361', 'Disease') :: ['SEM', 'Structural equation modeling']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['Patient']
