Evaluating the Impact of a Symptom Checker on Healthcare-seeking Decisions: a Mixed-Methods Study

Completed

• Conditions: Maternal Health Care

• Registration Number: NCT06790069
• Lead Sponsor: Ada Health GmbH

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to evaluate the integration of a symptom checker (SC) into the MomConnect (MC) platform to support maternal healthcare in South Africa. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does the SC provide safe and appropriate medical advice?

* Does the SC help mothers make informed decisions about when and where to seek healthcare, saving time and money by avoiding unnecessary visits?

* Does the SC improve access to care for those facing significant healthcare barriers?

Participants will answer survey questions before and after using the SC. A subset of participants will also be invited to participate in structured telephone interviews.

The study will help researchers assess the SC's impact on healthcare decisions and resource use in South Africa.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2023-05-04
• Primary Completion: 2023-08-15
• Study Completion: 2023-08-15
• Status Verified: 2025-01
• Study First Submitted: 2025-01-16
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-01-22
• Study First Posted: 2025-01-23
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-01-28
• Last Update Posted: 2025-01-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 968

Inclusion Criteria

• Women registered with MomConnect, who would like to assess their or their child's symptoms
• At least 18 years of age
• Women with access to WhatsApp
• Capable of completing a symptom assessment in English

Exclusion Criteria

• Incapable of completing a symptom assessment in English via WhatsApp (e.g. due to illiteracy, language barrier, mental impairment or inebriation or other incapacity or lack of access to WhatsApp)

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Proportion of appropriate advice by the SC for mother and child	From data collection with participant enrolment to the completion of panel ratings, approximately 2-3 months after participant enrolment.
Proportion of safe advice by the SC for mother and child	From data collection with participant enrolment to the completion of panel ratings, approximately 2-3 months after participant enrolment.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Direct Healthcare costs	On the day of enrolment.
Potential prevention of a health problem in Perinatal Period for Mother or Child	From data collection with participant enrolment to the completion of panel ratings, approximately 2-3 months after participant enrolment.
Potential prevention of a SEVERE health problem in Perinatal Period for Mother or Child	From data collection with participant enrolment to the completion of panel ratings, approximately 2-3 months after participant enrolment.
Potential Occurrence of a health problem (adverse event) in Perinatal Period for Mother and Child	From data collection with participant enrolment to the completion of panel ratings, approximately 2-3 months after participant enrolment.
Potential Occurrence of a SEVERE health problem (severe adverse event) in Perinatal Period for Mother or Child	From data collection with participant enrolment to the completion of panel ratings, approximately 2-3 months after participant enrolment.
Health seeking behaviour before and after using Ada+MomConnect	From data collection with participant enrolment to the completion of the follow-up survey send out 1 week after enrolment.
Number of participants who consulted an HCP after using Ada+MomConnect	After completion of the follow-up survey send out 1 week after enrolment.
Gaining of health information in a fast and standardised way	On the day of enrolment.
Usability	On the day of enrolment.
Time saved from avoiding unnecessary healthcare consultations	On the day of enrolment.
Time saved and associated estimate of income retained through avoiding unnecessary healthcare consultations	On the day of enrolment.
Healthcare resource utilisation	On the day of enrolment.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Reach Digital Health (formerly Praekelt.org); 🇿🇦 Cape Town, South Africa