Prescriber and patient-oriented behavioural interventions to improve use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests in Tanzania

An article from BMC Medicine

Prescriber and patient-oriented behavioural interventions to improve use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests in Tanzania

From the results posted in PubMed: "Standard RDT training reduced pre-trial levels of antimalarial prescribing, which was sustained throughout the trial. Both interventions significantly lowered incorrect prescribing of recommended antimalarials from 8% (749/8,942) in the standard training arm to 2% (250/10,118) in the HW arm (adjusted RD (aRD) 4%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1% to 6%; P = 0.008) and 2% (184/10,163) in the HWP arm (aRD 4%; 95% CI 1% to 6%; P = 0.005). Small group training and SMS were incrementally effective. There was also a significant reduction in the prescribing of antimalarials to RDT-negatives but no effect on RDT-positives receiving an ACT. Antibiotic prescribing was significantly lower in the HWP arm but had increased in all arms compared with pre-trial levels."

Study RegionTanzania
OrganizationLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Issue or ProblemIncreasing malaria disease management
Tech MediumSMS
Technology DeviceMobile phones
mFHAST ImplicationOpportunity for use of SMS to improve health worker training within antimalarial
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