Tailored smartphone learning to improve newborn and child admission care in Mwanza, Tanzania
Official title: Using adaptive e-learning and smartphones to improve newborn and pediatric admission care outcomes in Mwanza, Tanzania
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11194446 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project gives nurses and doctors in Mwanza personalized smartphone lessons plus hands-on practice so newborns and young children get better care when admitted to hospitals.
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) | $59,470 |
| NIH project number | 5R21TW012612-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11194446 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are newborns and children admitted to participating hospitals and health centers in the Mwanza region of Tanzania.
✕Less likely to help
Children who are treated outside the participating Mwanza facilities or whose needs are unrelated to hospital admission care may not receive direct benefit.
What this research studies
From a parent's view, the program trains local health workers using an adaptive eLearning platform called PACE on their phones, blended with in-person skills practice so lessons match each facility's needs. Course content is rapidly updated and tailored to fill real gaps in provider knowledge and practice. The team will track provider performance and patient outcomes at hospitals and health centers across Mwanza to see how care changes. The effort will finalize a plan to roll out the approach more widely if it improves admission care for children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, hospitalized newborns and young children could receive faster, more accurate admission care, which may reduce complications and deaths.
How similar studies have gone: Pilot studies of the PACE adaptive eLearning have shown improved provider knowledge, but larger evidence tying this approach to better patient outcomes is still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Stanford University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Meaney, Peter a — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Meaney, Peter a
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Adaptive e-learning and smartphones to improve newborn and child care in Tanzania
A new program uses smart devices and tailored online learning to help frontline health workers in Mwanza, Tanzania provide better care for newborns and young children.
-
NoviGuide for Newborn Care in Pakistan
A small NIH grant to test a pocket-sized decision support tool for nurses and doctors to improve newborn care in Pakistan.
-
Newborn screening: using gene and metabolite data to refine true vs false positives
A study using genetic and metabolomic data from newborn blood spots to better distinguish real metabolic disorders from false alarms.
-
Evidence-based practices for managing neonatal hypothermia in newborn nurseries
A doctor-led project will study how common newborn hypothermia affects babies in US nurseries and develop trusted guidelines to improve care.
-
Agricultural livelihoods to improve health for pregnant women with HIV in Kenya
A pregnancy-starting program in Kenya tests whether helping families grow food and earn income can improve the health and nutrition of mothers and their babies, especially for women living with HIV.
-
Agricultural livelihood support for pregnant women and newborns in Kenya
Compares agricultural livelihood support to usual care to help pregnant women in Kenya—including those living with HIV—have better nutrition and healthier newborns.
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.