Integrating capacity development during digital health research: a case study from global health

ABSTRACT

Background: The Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative Research and Development Arm at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, has thus far collected NCD risk factor data from more than 13,000 citizens of three LMICs (Bangladesh, Tanzania and Uganda), and has actively worked to improve capacity with partners worldwide.

Objective: This paper focuses on how a research project, can also act as a capacity building activity through its research into collecting non-communicable disease risk factor data using different mobile phone modalities.

Methods: This paper evaluates the activities undertaken by the project using the ESSENCE Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for Research Capacity Strengthening.

Results: The project was able to successfully integrate meaningful capacity development activities across all partners. Training, networking, sharing resources, joint data collection, and analysis across individual, organizational and project levels were some of the strategies used. The ESSENCE framework allowed a good assessment strategy for this type of work.

Conclusions: This paper highlights the value of making capacity development a high priority for digital health research activities, while also considering the need to monitor and evaluate those activities in order for them to be meaningful and sustainable. It also considers how to utilize the ESSENCE Framework to evaluate capacity development activities through research, and how best to adapt the Framework to different programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital health
• mHealth
• LMICs
• capacity development
• mobile phone
• noncommunicable disease
• ESSENCE

Responsible Editor

Jennifer Stewart Williams, Umeå University, Sweden

Responsible Editor

Jennifer Stewart Williams, Umeå University, Sweden

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all of our collaborating partners at Institute for Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, Ifakara Health Institute, Makerere University, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and Johns Hopkins University, and Bloomberg Philanthropies for supporting this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Ethics and consent

Ethical approval for the project has been granted by the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Institutional Review Board (IRB Nos. 000070009 and 00007318), Institute for Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research Institutional Review Board (Protocol #14-2016), Makerere University School of Public Health Institutional Review Board (Protocol #445), Ifakara Health Institute Institutional Review Board (IRB Nos. 15-2016 and 08-2018), National Institute of Medical Research [Tanzania].

Paper context

Capacity development should be an integral part of research activities, particularly in the field of digital health. This paper provides a real world example of such explicit inclusion of training and strengthening activities as part of a multi-country mobile health project

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies under the Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative, grant number 41388.01

Notes on contributors

Adnan A. Hyder

Adnan Hyder developed the concept for this paper. Joseph Ali, George Pariyo, Khaleda Islam, Elizeus Rutebemberwa and Adnan Hyder were involved in the design of the work, and drafting and revising of the manuscript, Hannah Selig was involved in the drafting and revising of the manuscript.