© PATH/Jordan Gantz Creative.<br />Samuel Oduor is a community relations officer at the Kenya Medical Research Institute-Walter Reed Project in Kombewa, Kenya, and shown here with his son.

The impact of research for implementation: a series of case studies.

This is one of several case studies illustrating the scope and impact of “research for implementation.” These were originally published in the report, Bridging the gaps in malaria R&D: An analysis of funding—from basic research and product development to research for implementation. It summarized the findings of a pilot study comparing this field to funding for basic research and product development.

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Case study 1: Drug packaging increases access to malaria treatment
Case study 2: Reducing deaths with bednets
Case study 3: Two approaches to managing fever, a symptom shared by three diseases—malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea
Case study 4: Ensuring appropriate health care use during malaria vaccine introduction
Case study 5: Reaching malaria elimination through strengthened national research capacity
Case study 6: Increasing access to new insecticidal products
 

 

THE PROBLEM

The first malaria vaccine, RTS,S, will soon be rolled out in parts of Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. There are a range of factors that could hurt or help uptake of the vaccine. It is unknown whether the vaccine will impact the use of other important malaria interventions—such as bednets, diagnostics, and treatment drugs—or other immunizations.

 

THE APPROACH

An intensive health care utilization study is one of the evaluation components comprising the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme. The Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme is a country-led, World Health Organization coordinated assessment of the feasibility, impact, and safety of RTS,S in routine use. Relying heavily on interviews with primary caregivers, health care providers, and other community members, the health care utilization study will use proven qualitative methods over several years to document adoption of and adherence to the recommended four-dose RTS,S schedule, malaria prevention behaviors, malaria care-seeking for febrile illness in children, and non-RTS,S immunization seeking behavior.

 

THE IMPACT

Approximately 360,000 children will receive the RTS,S vaccine annually, across the three countries leading the pilot introduction. While the health care utilization study will be conducted in a small subset of the communities where RTS,S will be introduced, its research findings will inform health service, communications, and related strategies and practices across the implementation program.

 

RELATED RESOURCES

Q&A on the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme

Researching and addressing on community perceptions of vaccines and malaria
(see also the related journal articles on research in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, and Mozambique)

Ghana, Kenya and Malawi to take part in WHO malaria vaccine pilot program

 

PROJECT FUNDERS AND IMPLEMENTERS

The project is funded by the World Health Organization, with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and Unitaid. PATH will lead the health care utilization study, working in collaboration with partners in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.