Publication: Application of mobile-technology for disease and treatment monitoring of malaria in the "Better Border Healthcare Programme"
1
Issued Date
2010-08
Copyright Date
2010
Resource Type
Language
eng
ISSN
1475-2875 (electronic)
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Mahidol University
Rights Holder(s)
BioMed Central
Bibliographic Citation
Meankaew P, Kaewkungwal J, Khamsiriwatchara A, Khunthong P, Singhasivanon P, Satimai W. Application of mobile-technology for disease and treatment monitoring of malaria in the "Better Border Healthcare Programme". Malar J. 2010 Aug 19;9:237.
Suggested Citation
Pongthep Meankaew, พงษ์เทพ เมียนแก้ว, Jaranit Kaewkungwal, จรณิต แก้วกังวาล, Amnat Khamsiriwatchara, อำนาจ คำศิริวัชรา, Podjadeach Khunthong, พจเดช ขุนทอง, Pratap Singhasivanon, ประตาป สิงหศิวานนท์, Wichai Satimai Application of mobile-technology for disease and treatment monitoring of malaria in the "Better Border Healthcare Programme". Meankaew P, Kaewkungwal J, Khamsiriwatchara A, Khunthong P, Singhasivanon P, Satimai W. Application of mobile-technology for disease and treatment monitoring of malaria in the "Better Border Healthcare Programme". Malar J. 2010 Aug 19;9:237.. Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/731
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Title
Application of mobile-technology for disease and treatment monitoring of malaria in the "Better Border Healthcare Programme"
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: The main objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of
integrating the use of cell-phones into a routine malaria prevention and control
programme, to improve the management of malaria cases among an under-served
population in a border area. The module for disease and treatment monitoring of
malaria (DTMM) consisted of case investigation and case follow-up for treatment
compliance and patients' symptoms.
METHODS: The module combining web-based and mobile technologies was developed as
a proof of concept, in an attempt to replace the existing manual, paper-based
activities that malaria staff used in treating and caring for malaria patients in
the villages for which they were responsible. After a patient was detected and
registered onto the system, case-investigation and treatment details were
recorded into the malaria database. A follow-up schedule was generated, and the
patient's status was updated when the malaria staff conducted their routine home
visits, using mobile phones loaded with the follow-up application module. The
module also generated text and graph messages for a summary of malaria cases and
basic statistics, and automatically fed to predetermined malaria personnel for
situation analysis. Following standard public-health practices, access to the
patient database was strictly limited to authorized personnel in charge of
patient case management.
RESULTS: The DTMM module was developed and implemented at the trial site in late
November 2008, and was fully functioning in 2009. The system captured 534 malaria
patients in 2009. Compared to paper-based data in 2004-2008, the
mobile-phone-based case follow-up rates by malaria staff improved significantly.
The follow-up rates for both Thai and migrant patients were about 94-99% on Day 7
(Plasmodium falciparum) and Day 14 (Plasmodium vivax) and maintained at 84-93% on
Day 90. Adherence to anti-malarial drug therapy, based on self-reporting, showed
high completion rate for P. falciparum-infected cases, but lower rate for P.
vivax cases. Patients' symptoms were captured onto the mobile phone during each
follow-up visit, either during the home visit or at Malaria Clinic; most patients
had headache, muscle pain, and fatigue, and some had fever within the first
follow-up day (day 7/14) after the first anti-malarial drug dose.
CONCLUSIONS: The module was successfully integrated and functioned as part of the
malaria prevention and control programme. Despite the bias inherent in
sensitizing malaria workers to perform active case follow-up using the mobile
device, the study proved for its feasibility and the extent to which community
healthcare personnel in the low resource settings could potentially utilize it
efficiently to perform routine duties, even in remote areas. The DTMM has been
modified and is currently functioning in seven provinces in a project supported
by the WHO and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to contain multi-drug
resistant malaria on the Thai-Cambodian border.