Phone app to help village doctors in Bangladesh choose antibiotics for children with diarrhea
A mobile health tool to improve antibiotic stewardship among village doctors in Bangladesh
A mobile app that helps village doctors in Bangladesh decide when children with diarrhea need antibiotics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Salt Lake City, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11192377 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you bring your child to a village doctor with diarrhea, this project will create a phone app that gives clear guidance on when antibiotics are needed. The team is adapting their existing electronic decision-support tool into a mobile mHealth app called ADEPT and tailoring it for rural clinics. They will run a small before-and-after pilot to see how the app changes doctors' antibiotic prescribing and whether it works in everyday practice. The work focuses on helping frontline providers give the right care while reducing unnecessary antibiotic use.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children (especially under age 5) with acute diarrhea who are seen by participating village doctors in rural areas of Bangladesh.
Not a fit: People treated at hospitals, patients with non-diarrheal illnesses, or children with severe illness needing urgent hospital care are unlikely to benefit directly from this app.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in children with diarrhea and help keep antibiotics effective for when they are truly needed.
How similar studies have performed: The team’s prior work using an etiologic prediction tool changed doctors' antibiotic prescriptions in two low- and middle-income countries, showing promising prior results.
Where this research is happening
Salt Lake City, United States
- Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah — Salt Lake City, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Leung, Daniel Ted — Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
- Study coordinator: Leung, Daniel Ted
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 below.