Improving newborn and child admission care in Mwanza with smartphone-based training for health workers
Official title: Using adaptive e-learning and smartphones to improve newborn and pediatric admission care outcomes in Mwanza, Tanzania
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11392148 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses smartphone lessons plus hands-on practice to help health workers give better care to newborns and young children admitted to hospitals in Mwanza, Tanzania.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $16,488 |
| NIH project number | 3R21TW012612-02S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11392148 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Newborns and children up to 11 years old who are admitted to participating hospitals and clinics in the Mwanza region of Tanzania are the patients most likely to be affected by this project.
✕Less likely to help
Children seen only as outpatients, those treated outside the Mwanza region, or patients at facilities not participating in the project are unlikely to directly benefit during this project.
What this research studies
This project brings a smartphone-based adaptive e-learning program called PACE to hospitals and clinics in Mwanza and pairs it with in-person skills practice tailored to each facility. Health workers will receive short, personalized lessons on admission care for newborns and children and rapid updates to training content as needs change. The team will track whether provider performance improves and whether patient outcomes (such as complications or deaths after admission) change across different facility types. Study leaders will refine the delivery approach so the program can be adopted more widely if it works.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to faster, more accurate admission care and fewer complications or deaths among newborns and young children treated at participating facilities.
How similar studies have gone: Pilot work with the PACE program showed significant improvements in health worker knowledge, but larger studies measuring patient outcomes are still needed.
Where this research is happening
-
Stanford University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Meaney, Peter a — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Meaney, Peter a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.