At the end of September and beginning of October, our project staff members presented their respective studies through poster presentations at the Research Dissemination Conference at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Malawi, and at the Research Day (Tag der Forschung) at Witten/Herdecke University in Germany.
Below, we report a brief summary of each study.
- Evaluation of the NCD-Paeds-MW app: sustained adoption and engagement following practitioner training in Malawi
Analysis of 18 months of anonymous usage data demonstrated that app adoption increased significantly after successive training sessions, with monthly active devices peaking at nearly 400. The evaluation identified strong long-term engagement, with a stable 10-15% of users remaining active up to 10 months post-training, showing the app successfully supports a core group of frontline healthcare workers.
The session also provided an opportunity to discuss policy alignment with the Ministry of Health, emphasizing how the tool can be integrated into the national Digital Health framework. The activity contributed to demonstrating the value of smartphone-based clinical guidance in low-resource settings to improve paediatric care in Malawi.
Special acknowledgement was given to Christian Neumann, the freelance software developer, who was the main contributer to the data collection and analysis. During the process of the app development, his technical expertise was instrumental in building a robust, user-friendly, and offline-capable platform that successfully supports a core group of frontline healthcare workers
Report by Emmanuel Mphepo, M&E Officer
- Perceptions of Barriers to Accessing Paediatric NCD Care in Malawi: A Comparison of Caregivers’ and Healthcare Workers’ Views
Drawing on perspectives from 122 caregivers and 478 healthcare workers, the study identified critical challenges, including medicine and equipment shortages, high treatment and transport costs, limited specialist expertise, and communication gaps between care givers and health care workers. The findings emphasise the need for stronger health systems, improved caregiver-provider communication, and equitable access to quality paediatric NCD care. The research contributes to a broader initiative to strengthen childhood NCD care through national guidelines, healthcare worker training, and a digital guideline application.
Report by Chifundo Mchawa, Project Manager
