In The News
PLOS ONE Publishes IDCAP Facility Performance Results
WASHINGTON DC, August 19, 2014 - In a new paper, published today, Professor Marcia Weaver and colleagues report an overview of the findings from the Integrated Infectious Disease Capacity-Building Evaluation (IDCAP).
Accordia Global Health Foundation, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, launched IDCAP to better equip mid-level practitioners to manage infectious diseases and to advance the global health community’s understanding of the cost-effectiveness of innovative training approaches. IDCAP created a state-of-the-art package of training interventions that incorporated three key elements: 1) a focus on mid-level practitioners, 2) integration across infectious diseases, and 3) on-site support.
The impact of training was tested on three levels: individual clinician capacity and practice, facility performance, and patient health outcomes. Professor Weaver's article, entitled Improving Facility Performance in Infectious Disease Care in Uganda: a Mixed Design Study with Pre/Post and Cluster Randomized Trial Components , describes the impact of the IDCAP interventions on 23 facility performance indicators.
IDCAP improved the quality of care in several areas with a combination of infectious disease training, on-site team training and mentoring, and quality improvement interventions. The IDCAP interventions resulted in statistically significant improvements in six facility performance indicators related to emergency triage, assessment and treatment (ETAT), malaria diagnosis and treatment, pneumonia assessment, and enrollment in HIV care. However, the on-site support intervention alone, significantly improved performance in only one of the 23 facility indicators.
Kelly Willis, Accordia’s Executive Director and a co-author, explained, “The majority of research in medicine and public health focuses on a single disease and a single outcome, which is often appropriate. This vertical focus however, may sometimes be to the detriment of professional training and processes of care at a clinic. Accordia is proud to be at the forefront of exploring the integration of training and clinical care.”
For additional details about IDCAP, please visit our website.
