干预(咨询)
可视化
医学
社区卫生工作者
医疗保健
环境卫生
家庭医学
护理部
计算机科学
人工智能
人口
卫生服务
经济增长
经济
作者
Eve Ameen,Simon Nin Zhu,Cesar Morales Guzman,Erin Taub,Crystyan Siles,Graciela Meza Sanchez,Stalin Vilcarromero,Cesar Ramal,Nolberto Tangoa,Luis A. Marcos
出处
期刊:American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
[American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene]
日期:2023-04-17
标识
DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.22-0210
摘要
The prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths (STH) is high in communities within the Peruvian Amazon despite repeated mass-drug administration, demanding alternative strategies of control. Smartphone-attached microscopy (SAM) permits visualization of STH from a small portable microscope through a smartphone screen, potentially providing an inexpensive and rapid method of STH visualization in communities where diagnostic laboratories with microscopes are inaccessible. In this study, a total of 45 community health workers who work within the health systems of Loreto, Peru, attended a 1-day training session with lectures and practicums on STH and SAM. Participants received a pre- and post-intervention questionnaire. Post-intervention, participants were significantly more confident using SAM and identifying parasite images, symptoms, transmission, and treatment ( P ≤ 0.0045). Post-intervention, participants correctly labeled a median of five of seven SAM apparatus components and five of eight steps of Kato–Katz technique, were less likely to choose taking medicine to prevent parasite infection ( P = 0.0075), and were more likely to select Kato–Katz technique as a type of diagnostic test ( P < 0.0001). Most participants felt ready to use SAM in their communities and stated that it could help rural communities far from health centers or laboratories (24%); provide faster identification, results, diagnosis (19%); permit at-home or on-the-spot visualization (14%); and save money (14%). Results show that community health workers show a high level of willingness and competency to learn about both STH and SAM and may be a yet-unexplored practical method of augmenting STH visualization, bringing healthcare to communities in Loreto with poor access to diagnostic laboratories and clinics.
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