Trial of Proactive Community Case Management to Reduce Child Mortality

NCT ID: NCT02694055

Last Updated: 2023-06-12

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

135149 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2016-12-31

Study Completion Date

2020-07-31

Brief Summary

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The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the addition of Proactive Case Detection to Community Case Management will provide an increase in early access to health care and a reduction in deaths among children aged 0-59 months. Integrated Community Case Management is the package of community-based services for children delivered by Community Health Workers (CHW), including diagnosis and treatment of malaria, pneumonia, diarrheal disease and malnutrition. In many iCCM interventions, CHWs are stationed in their villages and available in a passive, reactive manner to provide care to patients who seek them out. This study seeks to determine whether the addition of proactive case detection by CHWs to a standard iCCM intervention (ProCCM), in which they conduct daily door-to-door home visits to find and care for patients, will improve early access to care and reduce child mortality.

Village-clusters will be randomised to receive Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) from a passive CHW or Proactive Community Case Management (ProCCM) from a CHW that conducts daily active case finding home visits. All villages in both study arms will receive additional interventions that could significantly reduce under-five mortality, including removal of point-of-care fees, clinical staff training at primary health centres, and improvement in primary health centre infrastructure.

All women of reproductive age eligible for inclusion in the study will be surveyed at baseline, and again at 12, 24 and 36 months. The study hypothesis is a significant reduction in child mortality in both study arms, with a significantly larger reduction where there is proactive case detection, or ProCCM, by CHWs. A survey of all women enrolled in the three-year study (eligible and consenting) has 82% power to detect an absolute difference in under-five mortality of 0.75% (a relative difference of 25%) between the two study arms.

Detailed Description

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The trial is an un-blinded, cluster-randomised controlled trial, with 69 clusters in the intervention arm and 68 clusters in the comparison arm. The cluster is defined as a geographical grouping of homes greater than one kilometre from the next nearest geographical grouping of homes (determined by the cardinal distances between GPS coordinates collected at the public gathering space). In practice, this means a cluster can consist of one village or one hamlet, or a collection of neighbouring villages and/or hamlets.

Clusters were randomised to receive either iCCM from a stationary CHW based at a community health post (control) or ProCCM from a CHW who conducts daily active case-finding home visits for at least two hours a day, six days per week. Randomisation was stratified by distance to PHC (1.0-5.0 km vs. greater than 5.0 km); an additional stratum was defined for all villages where the PHC was located to ensure balanced assignment of PHC villages across arms. Within each strata, villages were randomly assigned to the control or treatment arm using a computer-generated random number, then rank ordered based on this number.

All clusters receive PHC infrastructure improvements and staff training, the removal of user fees at all levels of care, and CHW(s) who provide iCCM of common childhood illnesses in accordance with national and international standards, as well as other community-based services, including a reproductive health package for women of child-bearing age. CHW coverage is based on Mali's national iCCM strategy, which assigns each CHW to an average population of 700 in the southern region. Clusters with less than 200 people and within three kilometres of another cluster assigned to the same study arm share a CHW, provided there is no geographic barrier (i.e. river) between the two clusters and no linguistic barrier for the CHW. CHWs in both arms are required to be on call, available to receive and care for patients who seek them out, 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

The primary outcome is a cluster-level outcome, the under-five mortality rate. It is measured within each cluster as the number of deaths among children under five years of age per 1,000 person-years at risk of mortality. After 36 months, we hypothesize that there will be an absolute difference of 0.75% (or a relative difference of 25%) in under-five child mortality between the two study arms, as measured by the number of deaths per 1,000 person-years among children aged 0 to 59 months. Secondary endpoints include a number of reproductive, maternal, and child health outcomes, as well as access and service delivery outcomes. Secondary objectives also include an economic evaluation of the cost-effectiveness, equity, and affordability at scale of ProCCM compared to iCCM.

An exhaustive census will be administered to the population of the study area (both arms) at baseline. The census will assign a unique identification number to each person surveyed. At each household, a screening will take place to identify women eligible for inclusion. Eligible women identified in the study area will be asked to give written informed consent for their inclusion in the study (or their legal guardians in the case of unemancipated minors). The baseline survey will be administered after consent is obtained. Using the unique census ID number, the same participants will be identified and surveyed again at 12, 24 and 36 months.

The survey tool is excerpted and adapted from Mali's Demographic and Health Survey. The survey tool will collect qualitative and quantitative data on health seeking behaviour and health outcomes. It will include a life-table tracking all live births occurring in the 59 months prior to enrolment and during the 36 months of study follow up. Surveyors will not be members of the villages they survey, nor will they be members of the intervention health care delivery staff. All surveyors will be female, as the survey tool contains potentially sensitive questions on family planning.

Community Health Workers will collect data on the number of active case finding visits they conduct, the number of patients they treat, the delay from symptom onset to treatment onset for each patient, the gestational age at pregnancy diagnosis and first prenatal consultation, and the care services they provide. This data is collected during patient care by CHWs on smartphones using the Medic Mobile for CHWs platform customized for ProCCM. Primary care health centre providers will collect patient care data per village on an electronic medical records system.

Conditions

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Under-five Child Mortality Access to Health Care

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Proactive Community Case Management (ProCCM)

Villages assigned to the experimental arm will receive the following health system strengthening interventions: training of primary health centre staff, infrastructure improvements at primary health centre, removal of point-of-care user fees, and the presence of Community Health Workers providing proactive case detection in addition to integrated Community Case Management (ProCCM).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Proactive Community Case Management

Intervention Type OTHER

CHWs will be trained and deployed to conduct daily active case finding home visits door-to-door for at least two hours each day, with the goal of visiting each household at least two times each month. At these active case finding home visits, CHWs will screen each household of sick children and will offer home pregnancy testing and family planning services to reproductive aged women. For patients they identify, they will offer counselling, diagnostic services, care, accompaniment, and referral according to an iCCM service delivery package.

Removal of point-of-care user fees

Intervention Type OTHER

User fees will be removed across the catchment areas for both study and control villages. No fees will be charged for care by CHWs or at all primary care centres.

Infrastructure improvements at primary health centre

Intervention Type OTHER

Targeted infrastructure improvements to rehabilitate, expand and equip the capacity of the seven government primary care centres in the study area. Each health center will be equipped with solar power.

Training of primary health centre staff

Intervention Type OTHER

Health center staff will receive targeted training in

* Integrated management of childhood illness
* Diagnosis and treatment of simple and severe cases of malaria
* Helping babies breathe
* Managing post-partum haemorrhage
* Gestational dating using frontal height, last menstrual period and ultrasound
* Family planning counselling and administration of long-acting contraceptives
* Pharmacy stock management
* Health center management

integrated Community Case Management (iCCM)

Villages assigned to the active comparator arm will receive the following health system strengthening interventions: training of primary health centre staff, infrastructure improvements at primary health centre, removal of point-of-care user fees, and the presence of Community Health Workers providing passive integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) exclusively at a fixed health post to patients who initiate their own care-seeking.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Integrated Community Case Management

Intervention Type OTHER

CHWs will be trained offer counselling, diagnostic services, care, accompaniment, and referral according to an iCCM service delivery package to patients that visit them at their work post.

Removal of point-of-care user fees

Intervention Type OTHER

User fees will be removed across the catchment areas for both study and control villages. No fees will be charged for care by CHWs or at all primary care centres.

Infrastructure improvements at primary health centre

Intervention Type OTHER

Targeted infrastructure improvements to rehabilitate, expand and equip the capacity of the seven government primary care centres in the study area. Each health center will be equipped with solar power.

Training of primary health centre staff

Intervention Type OTHER

Health center staff will receive targeted training in

* Integrated management of childhood illness
* Diagnosis and treatment of simple and severe cases of malaria
* Helping babies breathe
* Managing post-partum haemorrhage
* Gestational dating using frontal height, last menstrual period and ultrasound
* Family planning counselling and administration of long-acting contraceptives
* Pharmacy stock management
* Health center management

Interventions

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Proactive Community Case Management

CHWs will be trained and deployed to conduct daily active case finding home visits door-to-door for at least two hours each day, with the goal of visiting each household at least two times each month. At these active case finding home visits, CHWs will screen each household of sick children and will offer home pregnancy testing and family planning services to reproductive aged women. For patients they identify, they will offer counselling, diagnostic services, care, accompaniment, and referral according to an iCCM service delivery package.

Intervention Type OTHER

Integrated Community Case Management

CHWs will be trained offer counselling, diagnostic services, care, accompaniment, and referral according to an iCCM service delivery package to patients that visit them at their work post.

Intervention Type OTHER

Removal of point-of-care user fees

User fees will be removed across the catchment areas for both study and control villages. No fees will be charged for care by CHWs or at all primary care centres.

Intervention Type OTHER

Infrastructure improvements at primary health centre

Targeted infrastructure improvements to rehabilitate, expand and equip the capacity of the seven government primary care centres in the study area. Each health center will be equipped with solar power.

Intervention Type OTHER

Training of primary health centre staff

Health center staff will receive targeted training in

* Integrated management of childhood illness
* Diagnosis and treatment of simple and severe cases of malaria
* Helping babies breathe
* Managing post-partum haemorrhage
* Gestational dating using frontal height, last menstrual period and ultrasound
* Family planning counselling and administration of long-acting contraceptives
* Pharmacy stock management
* Health center management

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

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ProCCM iCCM Removal of user fees Improvements to health centre infrastructure Clinical staff training at primary health centres

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Reproductive age women (aged 15-49 years)
* Permanently living in the study area
* No plans to leave the study area in the subsequent three years
* Written informed consent is obtained

Exclusion Criteria

* Non-permanent community members (i.e. seasonal migrants)
* Plans to leave study area in the subsequent three years
Minimum Eligible Age

15 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

49 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Muso, Inc.

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Malaria Research and Training Center, Bamako, Mali

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of California, Berkeley

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Michigan

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, Mexico

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Ministère de la Santé et l'Hygiène Publique, Mali

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of California, San Francisco

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Ari D Johnson, MD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

University California San Francisco

Kassoum Kayantao, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Malaria Research & Training Centre, University of Bamako

Nancy S Padian, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

School of Public Health University of California San Francisco

References

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Johnson AD, Thomson DR, Atwood S, Alley I, Beckerman JL, Kone I, Diakite D, Diallo H, Traore B, Traore K, Farmer PE, Murray M, Mukherjee J. Assessing early access to care and child survival during a health system strengthening intervention in Mali: a repeated cross sectional survey. PLoS One. 2013 Dec 11;8(12):e81304. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081304. eCollection 2013.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24349053 (View on PubMed)

Ogbuoji O, Shahid M, Zimmerman A, Liu JX, Kayentao K, Whidden C, Treleaven E, Traore C, Sogoba M, Doumbia S, Boettiger DC, Cisse AB, Keita Y, Berthe M, Johnson A. Cost-effectiveness analysis of proactive home visits compared with site-based community health worker care on antenatal care outcomes in Mali: a cluster-randomised trial. BMJ Glob Health. 2024 Dec 27;9(12):e014940. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-014940.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 39732474 (View on PubMed)

Ghosh R, Konipo AN, Treleaven E, Rozenshteyn S, Beckerman J, Whidden C, Johnson A, Kayentao K, Liu J. Factors influencing pregnancy care and institutional delivery in rural Mali: a secondary baseline analysis of a cluster-randomised trial. BMJ Open. 2024 Apr 9;14(4):e084315. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-084315.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 38594181 (View on PubMed)

Whidden C, Kayentao K, Kone N, Liu J, Traore MB, Diakite D, Coumare M, Berthe M, Guindo M, Greenwood B, Chandramohan D, Leyrat C, Treleaven E, Johnson A. Effects of proactive vs fixed community health care delivery on child health and access to care: a cluster randomised trial secondary endpoint analysis. J Glob Health. 2023 Apr 21;13:04047. doi: 10.7189/jogh.13.04047.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 37083317 (View on PubMed)

Kayentao K, Ghosh R, Guindo L, Whidden C, Treleaven E, Chiu C, Lassala D, Traore MB, Beckerman J, Diakite D, Tembely A, Idriss BM, Berthe M, Liu JX, Johnson A. Effect of community health worker home visits on antenatal care and institutional delivery: an analysis of secondary outcomes from a cluster randomised trial in Mali. BMJ Glob Health. 2023 Mar;8(3):e011071. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-011071.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 36948531 (View on PubMed)

Oliphant NP, Manda S, Daniels K, Odendaal WA, Besada D, Kinney M, White Johansson E, Doherty T. Integrated community case management of childhood illness in low- and middle-income countries. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Feb 10;2(2):CD012882. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012882.pub2.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 33565123 (View on PubMed)

Whidden C, Treleaven E, Liu J, Padian N, Poudiougou B, Bautista-Arredondo S, Fay MP, Samake S, Cisse AB, Diakite D, Keita Y, Johnson AD, Kayentao K. Proactive community case management and child survival: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2019 Aug 26;9(8):e027487. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027487.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 31455700 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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http://musohealth.org

Muso is an international non-governmental organization working to strengthen the health care system in Mali

Other Identifiers

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Pro-CCM-028

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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