IntroductionThe decline of malaria and scale-up of rapid diagnostic tests calls for a revision of IMCI. A new algorithm (ALMANACH) running on mobile technology was developed based on the latest evidence. The objective was to ensure that ALMANACH was safe, while keeping a low rate of antibiotic prescription.MethodsConsecutive children aged 2–59 months with acute illness were managed using ALMANACH (2 intervention facilities), or standard practice (2 control facilities) in Tanzania. Primary outcomes were proportion of children cured at day 7 and who received antibiotics on day 0.Results130/842 (15∙4%) in ALMANACH and 241/623 (38∙7%) in control arm were diagnosed with an infection in need for antibiotic, while 3∙8% and 9∙6% had malaria. 815/838 (97∙3%;96∙1–98.4%) were cured at D7 using ALMANACH versus 573/623 (92∙0%;89∙8–94∙1%) using standard practice (p<0∙001). Of 23 children not cured at D7 using ALMANACH, 44% had skin problems, 30% pneumonia, 26% upper respiratory infection and 13% likely viral infection at D0. Secondary hospitalization occurred for one child using ALMANACH and one who eventually died using standard practice. At D0, antibiotics were prescribed to 15∙4% (12∙9–17∙9%) using ALMANACH versus 84∙3% (81∙4–87∙1%) using standard practice (p<0∙001). 2∙3% (1∙3–3.3) versus 3∙2% (1∙8–4∙6%) received an antibiotic secondarily.ConclusionManagement of children using ALMANACH improve clinical outcome and reduce antibiotic prescription by 80%. This was achieved through more accurate diagnoses and hence better identification of children in need of antibiotic treatment or not. The building on mobile technology allows easy access and rapid update of the decision chart.Trial RegistrationPan African Clinical Trials Registry PACTR201011000262218

BackgroundPoor adherence to the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) protocol reduces the potential impact on under-five morbidity and mortality. Electronic technology could improve adherence; however there are few studies demonstrating the benefits of such technology in a resource-poor settings. This study estimates the impact of electronic technology on adherence to the IMCI protocols as compared to the current paper-based protocols in Tanzania.MethodsIn four districts in Tanzania, 18 clinics were randomly selected for inclusion. At each site, observers documented critical parts of the clinical assessment of children aged 2 months to 5 years. The first set of observations occurred during examination of children using paper-based IMCI (pIMCI) and the next set of observations occurred during examination using the electronic IMCI (eIMCI). Children were re-examined by an IMCI expert and the diagnoses were compared. A total of 1221 children (671 paper, 550 electronic) were observed.ResultsFor all ten critical IMCI items included in both systems, adherence to the protocol was greater for eIMCI than for pIMCI. The proportion assessed under pIMCI ranged from 61% to 98% compared to 92% to 100% under eIMCI (p < 0.05 for each of the ten assessment items).ConclusionsUse of electronic systems improved the completeness of assessment of children with acute illness in Tanzania. With the before-after nature of the design, potential for temporal confounding is the primary limitation. However, the data collection for both phases occurred over a short period (one month) and so temporal confounding was expected to be minimal. The results suggest that the use of electronic IMCI protocols can improve the completeness and consistency of clinical assessments and future studies will examine the long-term health and health systems impact of eIMCI.

Digital health is having a profound effect on health systems, changing the balance of power between provider and patient, enabling new models of care, and shifting the focus of health systems toward client-centered health care within low-and middle-income countries. Though many of these changes are just being felt due to resistance by organizations and individuals reluctant to change the status quo, the explosive growth of digital technology globally means that these changes are inevitable. We can expect to see increasing use of telemedicine for remote diagnostics and treatment, protocol-driven health care to improve quality of care, and better access to goods and services through changes in the organization of transportation and delivery services. Data will become central to health systems, whether big data and artificial intelligence tools for surveillance, planning, and management or "personalized data" in the form of universal electronic record systems and customized treatment protocols. As with any disruptive innovation, the growth of digital health will also bring challenges, including who owns, controls, and manages the data being collected and how to maintain privacy and confidentiality in this data-rich world.