A roadmap for the digital management of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets (LLINs) distribution campaigns in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

The use of the long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito net (LLIN) is one of the basic interventions recommended by the Global technical strategy for Malaria 2016-2030. Since the start of the LLIN distribution campaigns in 2006 in Democatic Republic of Congo (DRC), it was based on paper tools leading to poor quality data. The first digital campaigns date back to 2014 through “Interchurch medical assistance” (IMA), which used the ODK collect application for recording household count data and LLIN distribution data. In 2020 “Soins de santé primaire en milieu Rurale” (SANRU) developed both household registration and LLIN distribution data recording forms as well as additional modules for supervision, monitoring and training. This article briefly describes the status of the implementation process of this digital-based management of LIIN mass distribution. During the first half of 2020, a roadmap was developed between Sanru and the Global fund to fight Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria (GFTAM) on the objectives of digitization, the data to be digitized, and the timelines for implementing the changes. In the last quarter of 2021, an internal Sanru team composed of some members of its technical management, and staff in charge of the digitization of LLIN mass distribution campaign data participated in a document review of the deliverables in comparison with the roadmap and in group discussions. For recording household enumeration data and distribution data, forms configured on smartphones allow data recording and uploading without going through manual calculations and previously necessary transcriptions with management based on paper tools, thus removing sources of errors. Online data delivery and automated production of dashboards allow real-time sharing of information to all stakeholders and shorten data validation times. Feedback to actors in the field is possible thanks to access to information and maps generated on the basis of geolocation data from households. ODK forms for supervision and monitoring have been put in place to ensure that these activities are effectively deployed in the field in accordance with the standards set by geolocating the actors and using the data transmitted online for interactive feedback. The next step is to develop a material flow management module to improve the traceability of inputs.