KUMASI - GHANA

Feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of community health workers using rapid diagnostic tests in home management malaria programme in Ghana

Malaria is among the main causes of mortality and morbidity in Ghana. The problem is particularly significant in rural communities with limited access to formal health service. The provision of treatment using community resources is a feasible strategy to mitigate the problem. The effectiveness of such initiative has to be investigated in the context of Ghana.

This operational research aims to assess the acceptability and effectiveness of an intervention targeting community health workers, caregivers and formal health service providers in managing malaria among children under 5 years in the community. Selected community members have been trained and regularly supervised to provide home management of malaria care since 2006.

The main outcome measures are the establishment of enhanced HMM programmes to improve the accuracy of diagnosis of fevers in children under five in order to offer appropriate treatment and assessment of effectiveness and safety of this intervention. The study will involve the development of a training manual, job aids and a working protocol to guide a group of 24 trained community health workers to use rapid diagnostic testing as part of the HMM programme. Communication and advocacy strategies will be developed to improve the knowledge and practice of community members on malaria and its management and to link the network of CHWs to the formal health service.

The study will provide information to national malaria control programmes on whether to add malaria rapid diagnosis test to the home management of malaria programme.