Advancing Quality Care for Children in Jharkhand
A collaboration between the Center for Global Digital Health Innovation and Terre des hommes
Overview
The Center for Global Digital Health Innovation (CGDHI) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Terre des hommes (Tdh) to evaluate and scale evidence-based digital support for providers delivering care to children under five in Jharkhand, India. Together with government partners, we will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of e-IMNCI (IeDA), a mobile clinical decision support tool that guides Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness, on the quality of diagnosis and treatment at primary healthcare facilities. The study will run across 24 health blocks in Gumla, Khunti, and Latehar districts.
Why it matters
IMNCI is a proven strategy to reduce under-five mortality, yet adherence to protocols can be challenging in busy, resource-constrained settings. By embedding a digital checklist and treatment guidance at the point of care, e-IMNCI aims to improve provider adherence and strengthen health outcomes with learnings for statewide and national scale-up.
Key Focus Areas
- This study will generate rigorous estimates of e-IMNCI’s impact on correct assessment, classification, and treatment of sick children.
- It will assess value for money through cost-effectiveness and budget-impact analyses and produce learnings on the requirements for sustained use.
- Evidence on provider usability and caregiver experience will support adoption and scale beyond Jharkhand.
The partnership will deliver decision-ready evidence to guide governments and policymakers in deploying digital decision support where it most improves outcomes.
Collaborating Institutions
This initiative is a collaborative effort involving:
- Center for Global Digital Health Innovation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH)
- Indian Institute of Health Management Research, Jaipur: In-country research team led by Dr. Arindam Das
- Terre des hommes: Implementation partners include Anindit Roy Chowdhury, Sandeep Srivastava, Dr. Bhishmaraj Srivastava, and Tanvi Chattoraj
JHU Research Team
Smisha Agarwal, PHD, MPH ’09, MBA, Associate Professor
Dr. Diwakar Mohan, MD, DrPH, MPH, MBBS, Associate Research Professor
Dr. Robert Black, MD, MPH, Professor
Dr. Bryan Patenaude, ScD, MA, Associate Professor
Dr. Suruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, Research Scientist