Protocol for an intervention development and pilot implementation evaluation study of an e-health solution to improve newborn care quality and survival in two low-resource settings, Malawi and Zimbabwe: Neotree

Hassan Haghparast-Bidgoli; Michelle Heys; Caroline Crehan; Erin Kesler; Monica Lakhanpaul; Emma Wilson; Fabiana Lorencatto; Felicity Fitzgerald; Mario Cortina Borja; Msandeni Chiume; Hannah Gannon; Simbarashe Chimhuya; Gwendoline Chimhini; Tim Hull-Bailey; Tarisai Chiyaka; Yali Sassoon; Deliwe Nkhoma; Nushrat Khan; Alexander G. Stevenson; Kristina Curtis

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056605

BMJ Open (Jul 2022)

Protocol for an intervention development and pilot implementation evaluation study of an e-health solution to improve newborn care quality and survival in two low-resource settings, Malawi and Zimbabwe: Neotree

Hassan Haghparast-Bidgoli,
Michelle Heys,
Caroline Crehan,
Erin Kesler,
Monica Lakhanpaul,
Emma Wilson,
Fabiana Lorencatto,
Felicity Fitzgerald,
Mario Cortina Borja,
Msandeni Chiume,
Hannah Gannon,
Simbarashe Chimhuya,
Gwendoline Chimhini,
Tim Hull-Bailey,
Tarisai Chiyaka,
Yali Sassoon,
Deliwe Nkhoma,
Nushrat Khan,
Alexander G. Stevenson,
Kristina Curtis

Affiliations

Hassan Haghparast-Bidgoli: UCL Institute for Global Health, London, UK
Michelle Heys: Department of Population, Policy & Practice, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
Caroline Crehan: Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
Erin Kesler: 3 Department of Pediatric General, Thoracic, and Fetal Surgery, The Children`s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Monica Lakhanpaul: Department of Population, Policy and Practice, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
Emma Wilson: Centre for Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
Fabiana Lorencatto: Centre for Behaviour Change, University College London, London, UK
Felicity Fitzgerald: 2 Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
Mario Cortina Borja: Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
Msandeni Chiume: Department of Pediatrics, Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi
Hannah Gannon: Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
Simbarashe Chimhuya: Unit of Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
Gwendoline Chimhini: 3 Child and Adolescent Health Unit, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
Tim Hull-Bailey: Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
Tarisai Chiyaka: Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research (CeSHHAR) Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
Yali Sassoon: Snowplow Analytics, London, UK
Deliwe Nkhoma: Parent and Child Health Initiative Trust, Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi
Nushrat Khan: Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
Alexander G. Stevenson: Mbuya Nehanda Maternity Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe
Kristina Curtis: UCL Centre for Behaviour Change, London, UK

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056605
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12, no. 7

Abstract

Read online

Introduction Every year 2.4 million deaths occur worldwide in babies younger than 28 days. Approximately 70% of these deaths occur in low-resource settings because of failure to implement evidence-based interventions. Digital health technologies may offer an implementation solution. Since 2014, we have worked in Bangladesh, Malawi, Zimbabwe and the UK to develop and pilot Neotree: an android app with accompanying data visualisation, linkage and export. Its low-cost hardware and state-of-the-art software are used to improve bedside postnatal care and to provide insights into population health trends, to impact wider policy and practice.Methods and analysis This is a mixed methods (1) intervention codevelopment and optimisation and (2) pilot implementation evaluation (including economic evaluation) study. Neotree will be implemented in two hospitals in Zimbabwe, and one in Malawi. Over the 2-year study period clinical and demographic newborn data will be collected via Neotree, in addition to behavioural science informed qualitative and quantitative implementation evaluation and measures of cost, newborn care quality and usability. Neotree clinical decision support algorithms will be optimised according to best available evidence and clinical validation studies.Ethics and dissemination This is a Wellcome Trust funded project (215742_Z_19_Z). Research ethics approvals have been obtained: Malawi College of Medicine Research and Ethics Committee (P.01/20/2909; P.02/19/2613); UCL (17123/001, 6681/001, 5019/004); Medical Research Council Zimbabwe (MRCZ/A/2570), BRTI and JREC institutional review boards (AP155/2020; JREC/327/19), Sally Mugabe Hospital Ethics Committee (071119/64; 250418/48). Results will be disseminated via academic publications and public and policy engagement activities. In this study, the care for an estimated 15 000 babies across three sites will be impacted.Trial registration number NCT0512707; Pre-results

Published in BMJ Open

ISSN: 2044-6055 (Online)
Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Medicine
Website: https://bmjopen.bmj.com

About the journal