Efficacy of mobile phone short message service (SMS) on malaria treatment adherence and post-treatment review

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: Infections and Infestations
Other parasitologically confirmed malaria
Malaria treatment adherence and post treatment review

Registration Number: ISRCTN39512726

Lead Sponsor: niversity of Oxford (UK)

Brief Summary: Not available

Detailed Description: Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: Completed

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 2000

Inclusion Criteria

1. Caregivers of male and female children aged < 5 years old
2. Body weight eligibility for artemether-lumefantrine (AL)
3. Microscopically confirmed, mono-infection of Plasmodium falciparum (parasitaemia = 500/µL to 200,000/µL)
4. History of fever in the last 24 hours or presence of fever (axillary temperature = 37.5 °C)
5. Network coverage at patients? household
6. Owning a mobile phone or have shared access to a mobile phone in household
7. Ability to access a mobile phone on a daily basis for the period of follow up
8. Ability to open and read short message service (SMS)
9. Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

1. Caregivers not owning a mobile phone and have no shared access to any phone in the household
2. Severe malaria
3. Danger signs: not able to drink or breast-feed, vomiting (> twice in 24hours), recent history of convulsions (>1 in 24h), unconscious state, unable to sit or stand
4. Presence of concomitant illness or any condition which in the judgement of the investigator would place the subject at undue risk or interfere with assessment
5. Severe malnutrition (weight for height < 70 % of the median NCHS/WHO reference)
6. Ongoing prophylaxis with drugs having antimalarial activity such as cotrimoxazole for the prevention of pneumocysti carini pneumonia in children born to HIV+ women
7. Having taken AL in the previous one month

Study & Design

Study Type: Interventional

Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
1. Adherence to a complete AL course (doses 2-6) measured in category 3 only and defined as: a) adherent, if they present blister packs with the appropriate number of pills used and report taking the medications as recommended (± 1 hour for dose 2 and ± 2 hours for doses 3-6); b) probably adherent if they do not present blister packs but report taking the medications as recommended, c) probably non adherent if they do not present blister packs and do not report taking the medications as recommended, and d) non adherent if they present blister packs with at least one tablet not used <br>2. The proportion of patients in the intervention and control arms reporting to the health facility for post treatment review and subsequent evaluation of clinical and parasitological cure at day 3 (only category 1 and 2) and at day 28 (all categories)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
1. Adherence and timing outcomes for individual AL doses measured in category 1 for AL dose 2 and category 2 for AL doses 3 and 4, and category 3 for AL doses 5 and 6 <br>2. Loss to follow up at day 3 defined as unable to return to the facility 24 hours after the scheduled appointment and loss to follow up at day 28 defined as unable to return to the facility 48 hours after the scheduled appointment