{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,27]],"date-time":"2026-10-27T12:41:14Z","timestamp":1793104874320,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":10,"publisher":"American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","issue":"1_Suppl","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,7]],"date-time":"2025-01-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1736208000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT.<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The WHO\u2019s Global Technical Strategy for malaria emphasizes the importance of reliable malaria surveillance systems to track disease burden and measure progress. A key indicator, the test positivity rate (TPR), largely depends on healthcare providers\u2019 adherence to rapid diagnostic test (RDT) results and their accurate reporting. To minimize healthcare providers\u2019 bias, this study explored the feasibility of using artificial intelligence (AI)\u2013driven Deki Reader devices in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The devices were deployed in 144 health facilities across Haut Katanga, Kasai Central, and Sud Kivu provinces from January to December 2022. Healthcare providers performed malaria diagnostic tests using RDTs and reported the results through the routine system. In addition, they used the Deki Reader device, which automatically read, recorded, and transmitted the AI interpretation into a cloud database. The study compared TPRs from both sources to identify discrepancies. The study revealed the feasibility of using these devices but also identified several logistic and technical challenges. These included delays in device procurement due to COVID-19 pandemic and customs issues, emphasizing the need for better planning and coordination in future rollouts. Device malfunctions and the reliance on stable internet connectivity highlighted the importance of robust support systems and contingency plans. This study demonstrated both the benefits and challenges of implementing such digital health technologies in primary health facilities. Key considerations for successful deployment include careful planning, adequate training and supervision, and taking into account local infrastructure, especially internet connectivity.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.23-0670","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,23]],"date-time":"2024-10-23T07:43:37Z","timestamp":1729669417000},"page":"10-16","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Evaluating the Implementation of Automated Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test Readers in Health Facilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Process, Challenges, and Lessons Learned"],"prefix":"10.4269","volume":"112","author":[{"given":"Johanna","family":"Karemere","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"U.S. President\u2019s Malaria Initiative Measure Malaria, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\/ICF, Chapel Hill, North Carolina;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Erick","family":"Tshikamba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"U.S. President\u2019s Malaria Initiative, Kinsasha, Democratic Republic of Congo;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Erick","family":"Mukomena","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Malaria Control Program, Kinsasha, Democratic Republic of Congo;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Curtis","family":"Kamwanya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"U.S. President\u2019s Malaria Initiative Measure Malaria, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\/ICF, Chapel Hill, North Carolina;"},{"name":"CESMEL Health, Bowie, Maryland;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Augustin","family":"Guech","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESMEL Health, Bowie, Maryland;"},{"name":"Independent Cybersecurity Consultant, Rockville, Maryland;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Humes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"U.S. President\u2019s Malaria Initiative, Washington, District of Columbia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yazoum\u00e9","family":"Y\u00e9","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"U.S. President\u2019s Malaria Initiative Measure Malaria, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\/ICF, Chapel Hill, North Carolina;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2795","reference":[{"key":"b1","year":"2015"},{"key":"b2","series-title":"Design and Implementation of Health Information Systems","first-page":"15","year":"2000"},{"key":"b3","series-title":"PLoS One","first-page":"e0240058","article-title":"The relationship between facility-based malaria test positivity rate and community-based parasite prevalence","volume":"15","author":"Kamau","year":"2020"},{"key":"b4","series-title":"BMC Public Health","first-page":"470","article-title":"Use of malaria RDTs in various health contexts across sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review","volume":"17","author":"Boyce","year":"2017"},{"key":"b5","series-title":"Am J Trop Med Hyg","first-page":"29","article-title":"Ten years of universal testing: How the rapid diagnostic test became a game changer for malaria case management and improved disease reporting","volume":"106","author":"Aidoo","year":"2022"},{"key":"b6","series-title":"Malar J","first-page":"1","article-title":"The role of the Deki Reader\u2122 in malaria diagnosis, treatment and reporting: Findings from an Africare pilot project in Nigeria","volume":"17","author":"Adah","year":"2018"},{"key":"b7","series-title":"PLoS One","first-page":"12","article-title":"The use of Fionet technology for external quality control of malaria rapid diagnostic tests and monitoring health workers\u2019 performance in rural military health facilities in Tanzania","volume":"13","author":"Kalinga","year":"2018"},{"key":"b8","series-title":"Malar J","first-page":"1","article-title":"Feasibility of an innovative electronic mobile system to assist health workers to collect accurate, complete and timely data in a malaria control programme in a remote setting in Kenya","volume":"14","author":"Soti","year":"2015"},{"key":"b9","series-title":"Malar J","first-page":"1","article-title":"Evaluation of the Deki Reader\u2122, an automated RDT reader and data management device, in a household survey setting in low malaria endemic southwestern Uganda","volume":"16","author":"Oyet","year":"2017"},{"key":"b10","series-title":"PLoS One","first-page":"7","article-title":"Trends in reported malaria cases and the effects of malaria control in the Democratic Republic of the Congo","volume":"14","author":"Lechthaler","year":"2019"}],"container-title":["The American Journal of Tropical Medicine 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