scholarly journals Costing interventions in the field: preliminary cost estimates and lessons learned from an evaluation of community-wide mass drug administration for elimination of soil-transmitted helminths in the DeWorm3 trial

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e049734
Author(s):  
Katya Galactionova ◽  
Maitreyi Sahu ◽  
Samuel Paul Gideon ◽  
Saravanakumar Puthupalayam Kaliappan ◽  
Chloe Morozoff ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo present a costing study integrated within the DeWorm3 multi-country field trial of community-wide mass drug administration (cMDA) for elimination of soil-transmitted helminths.DesignTailored data collection instruments covering resource use, expenditure and operational details were developed for each site. These were populated alongside field activities by on-site staff. Data quality control and validation processes were established. Programmed routines were used to clean, standardise and analyse data to derive costs of cMDA and supportive activities.SettingField site and collaborating research institutions.Primary and secondary outcome measuresA strategy for costing interventions in parallel with field activities was discussed. Interim estimates of cMDA costs obtained with the strategy were presented for one of the trial sites.ResultsThe study demonstrated that it was both feasible and advantageous to collect data alongside field activities. Practical decisions on implementing the strategy and the trade-offs involved varied by site; trialists and local partners were key to tailoring data collection to the technical and operational realities in the field. The strategy capitalised on the established processes for routine financial reporting at sites, benefitted from high recall and gathered operational insight that facilitated interpretation of the estimates derived. The methodology produced granular costs that aligned with the literature and allowed exploration of relevant scenarios. In the first year of the trial, net of drugs, the incremental financial cost of extending deworming of school-aged children to the whole community in India site averaged US$1.14 (USD, 2018) per person per round. A hypothesised at-scale routine implementation scenario yielded a much lower estimate of US$0.11 per person treated per round.ConclusionsWe showed that costing interventions alongside field activities offers unique opportunities for collecting rich data to inform policy toward optimising health interventions and for facilitating transfer of economic evidence from the field to the programme.Trial registration numberNCT03014167; Pre-results.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel H. de Vries ◽  
John Kinsman ◽  
Judit Takacs ◽  
Svetla Tsolova ◽  
Massimo Ciotti

Abstract Background: This paper describes a participatory methodology that supports investigation of the collaboration between communities affected by infectious disease outbreak events and relevant official institutions. The core principle underlying the methodology is the recognition that synergistic relationships, characterised by mutual trust and respect, between affected communities and official institutions provide the most effective means of addressing outbreak situations. Methods: The methodological approach and lessons learned were derived from four qualitative case studies including (i) two tick-borne disease events: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Spain, and tick-borne encephalitis in the Netherlands (2016); and (ii) two outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis (norovirus in Iceland, 2017, and verocytotoxin-producingEscherichia coli [VTEC] in Ireland, 2018). These studies were conducted in collaboration with the respective national public health authorities in the affected countries by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Results: An after-event qualitative case study approach was taken using mixed methods. Lessons highlight the critical importance of collaborating with national focal points during preparation and planning, and interviewer reflexivity during fieldwork. Field work for each case study was conducted over one working week, which although limiting the number of individuals and institutions involved, still allowed for rich data collection due to the close collaboration with local authorities. The analysis focused on the specific actions undertaken by the participating countries’ public health and other authorities in relation to community engagement, as well as the view from the perspective of the community. Conclusions: The overall objective of the assessment to identify synergies between institutional decision-making bodies and community actors and networks before, during and after an outbreak response to a given public health emergency. The methodology is generic and could be applied to a range of public health emergencies, zoonotic or otherwise. The methodology emphasises reflexivity among fieldworkers, a relatively short time needed for data collection, potential generalisability of findings, insider-outsider perspectives, politically sensitive findings, and how to deal with ethical and language issues.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Legese Chelkeba ◽  
Tsegaye Melaku ◽  
Daniel Emana ◽  
Worku Jimma

Abstract Background: Comprehensive nationwide on prevalence, geographic distribution of different species and time trends of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide a summary and location of the available data on STHs infection among preschool and school-age children in Ethiopia. Methods: The search were carried out in Medline via PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science and Google Scholar on data published between 1995 to Fabruary 2020 for studies describing rate of STHs infection among preschool and school-age in Ethiopian. We followed Patient, intervention, Comparsion and Outcome (PICO) approach to identify the studies. Endnote citation manager software version X9 for Windows was utilized to collect and organize search outcomes (into relevant and irrelevant studies) and for removal duplicate articles . We conducted meta-regression to understand the trends and the source of heterogeneity and pooled the prevalence using ‘metaprop’ command using STATA software version 14.Results: A total of 29,311 of the 61,690 children examined during the period under review were infected with one or more species of intestinal parasites yielding an overall prevalence of 48 % (95%CI: 43-53%). The overall pooled estimate of STHs was 33% (95% CI: 28-38%). The prevalence was 44% (95%CI : 31% - 58%) in SNNPR, 34%((95%CI : 28% - 41%) in Amhara region, 31% (95%CI : 19% - 43%) in Oromia region and 10% (95%CI : 7% - 12%) in Tigray region. Soil-transmitted helminths infection rate has been decreasing from 44% (95% CI:30-57%) pre-Mass Drug Administration (MDA) era (1997-2012) to 30% (95% CI:25-34%) post-MDA (2013-2020), although statistically not significant (p = 0.45). A. lumbricoides was the predominant species with a prevalence of 17%. Conclusion: Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region , Amhara and Oromia regions carry the highest burden and are categorized to Moderate Risk Zones (MRZ) and therefore, requiring mass drug administration (MDA) once annually with Albendazole or Mebendazole. Prevalence of SHTs decreased after MDA compared to before MDA, but the decline was not statistically significant. A. lumbricoides was the predominant species of STHs among preschool and school-age children in Ethiopia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. e0008258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Legge ◽  
Stella Kepha ◽  
Mateo Prochazka ◽  
Katherine Halliday ◽  
Rachel Pullan ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Richard S Bradbury ◽  
Patricia M Graves

Soil transmitted helminths (STH), comprising Ascaris, Trichuris, Strongyloides and the hookworms remain a significant cause of morbidity amongst people in many parts of the world, including Australia. Other important helminth infections include lymphatic filariasis (LF), schistosomiasis and onchocerciasis. Preventive chemotherapy (mass drug administration [MDA]) campaigns are frequently conducted for these helminth infections in endemic areas, but the target population groups, duration of campaigns, cointerventions (e.g. vector control) criteria for inclusion, drugs used and doses of drugs differ.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (Suppl 2) ◽  
pp. A58.2-A58
Author(s):  
Buhari Adamu Hamidu ◽  
Tettevi Edward Jenner ◽  
Larbi John Asiedu ◽  
Mike Osei-Atweneboana

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e004193
Author(s):  
Mark Donald C Reñosa ◽  
Chanda Mwamba ◽  
Ankita Meghani ◽  
Nora S West ◽  
Shreya Hariyani ◽  
...  

In-person interactions have traditionally been the gold standard for qualitative data collection. The COVID-19 pandemic required researchers to consider if remote data collection can meet research objectives, while retaining the same level of data quality and participant protections. We use four case studies from the Philippines, Zambia, India and Uganda to assess the challenges and opportunities of remote data collection during COVID-19. We present lessons learned that may inform practice in similar settings, as well as reflections for the field of qualitative inquiry in the post-COVID-19 era. Key challenges and strategies to overcome them included the need for adapted researcher training in the use of technologies and consent procedures, preparation for abbreviated interviews due to connectivity concerns, and the adoption of regular researcher debriefings. Participant outreach to allay suspicions ranged from communicating study information through multiple channels to highlighting associations with local institutions to boost credibility. Interviews were largely successful, and contained a meaningful level of depth, nuance and conviction that allowed teams to meet study objectives. Rapport still benefitted from conventional interviewer skills, including attentiveness and fluency with interview guides. While differently abled populations may encounter different barriers, the included case studies, which varied in geography and aims, all experienced more rapid recruitment and robust enrollment. Reduced in-person travel lowered interview costs and increased participation among groups who may not have otherwise attended. In our view, remote data collection is not a replacement for in-person endeavours, but a highly beneficial complement. It may increase accessibility and equity in participant contributions and lower costs, while maintaining rich data collection in multiple study target populations and settings.


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