Phone app to help village doctors use antibiotics wisely for children with diarrhea
A mobile health tool to improve antibiotic stewardship among village doctors in Bangladesh
A phone app will help village doctors decide when children with diarrhea in rural Bangladesh 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-11394073 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If my child has diarrhea in a rural part of Bangladesh, the village doctor could use a phone app called ADEPT that gives step-by-step guidance on when antibiotics are likely needed. The research team will adapt the existing electronic decision-support tool for local use and train village doctors to use the app. They will run a small before-and-after pilot comparing antibiotic prescriptions and care practices before and after doctors start using ADEPT. The pilot will check whether the app is practical, acceptable, and can reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in these clinics.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children with acute diarrhea seen by village doctors in rural Bangladesh, especially young children under five, are the likely candidates to benefit from this work.
Not a fit: Children who are hospitalized, have severe complications, have non-diarrheal illnesses, or who do not seek care from participating village doctors may not benefit from the app.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lower unnecessary antibiotic use for children with diarrhea and help slow antimicrobial resistance in the community.
How similar studies have performed: The team previously used related decision tools in two low- and middle-income countries and saw changes in antibiotic prescribing, but this is the first pilot focused on village doctors in Bangladesh.
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.