Health ... Malaria
ASTMH (American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene)

Title: MDA-A: an android-based ODK tool to support field data collection and management for a malaria mass drug administration trial in Zambia

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Session: Poster Session C Presentations and Light Lunch

Abstract Number: 1625

Title: MDA-A: an android-based ODK tool to support field data collection and management for a malaria mass drug administration trial in Zambia

Presentation Start: 10/28/2015 12:00:00 PM Presentation End: 10/28/2015 1:45:00 PM

Authors: Chris Lungu1, Benjamin Kayungwa1, Timothy Finn2, Thom Eisele2, John M. Miller1
1PATH MACEPA, Lusaka, Zambia,
2Department of Global Health Systems and Development, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States

Abstract: Since 2011, the Zambia Ministry of Health (MoH) has developed time-limited antimalarial treatment campaigns conducted by trained community health workers (CHWs) to reduce the malaria parasite reservoir in an area of Southern Province with current high levels of malaria prevention coverage. These operational research activities focused on mass drug administration (MDA) or focal MDA (fMDA) targeting 60 health facility catchment areas (HFCAs) randomized for participation. Key to monitoring uptake of treatment interventions is collection of intervention data on a large scale across all HFCAs. Data collection tools were developed and have been used by CHWs and enumerators that visit households as part of a cross-sectional campaign or longitudinal cohort study. An application, MDA-a, was developed on an Android platform using ODK survey software. It is used to document data of all eligible household participants including their existing coverage and use of prevention interventions, travel histories, and results from malaria parasite tests. Adherence monitoring to taking DHAp (anti-malaria drug dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine) for mass and focal treatment administration is also done by in-field data exchange among adherence officers accompanying testing pairs. The application monitors the campaign process by the CHW-enumerator pair team and adherence to treatment administered by the testing pair team matched to individuals from a household. We will describe the development of MDA-a, using android-based smart phones at catchment level for large volume data handling, to effectively plan, implement, and monitor MDA activities. The implementation of MDA-a, its functionality, and field use experience during the two rounds of the MDA trial in Zambia will be discussed. Results show that in the first round a total of 35,996 households were involved in the MDA and fMDA arms, with 81% of household members tested for malaria in the fMDA arm, and 89% in the MDA arm. Malaria incidence in these areas was low to modest, with a rapid diagnostic test prevalence of 8.3%.