Moving towards the final study stage, the field evaluation

From September to November 2015, the field evaluation will explore the usability and acceptability of the nine devices that were tested during the accuracy evaluation.

Whilst the previous stage aimed to explore the accuracy of the devices in detecting signs and symptoms of pneumonia, this stage will assess the usability of the devices when used by community health workers and first level health facility workers during their regular care within the community, as well as the acceptability of the devices as perceived by the community health workers, frontline health facility workers, and caregivers (mothers or fathers in charge of the care of the children).

A sample of twenty community health workers and five first level health facility workers will be recruited in each country and receive a pair of devices (one respiratory rate timer and one pulse oximeter each) to use in during the three month evaluation. The device pairings will be as follows:

Malaria Consortium’s research team will conduct monthly visits and video-tape a total of 375 assessments in each country to explore the usability of the devices when used by health workers during regular care. To explore the acceptability of these devices, researchers will conduct a number of structured interviews with caregivers to gather their perceptions and opinions regarding the devices used on their children.