Table 3.
Step-by-step performance: percent of CHWs who performed each step correctly at each observation
| 3 months (n = 63) | 6 months (n = 61) | 12 months (n = 59) | Most common reasons for errors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Steps | ||||
| Wearing gloves | 90.3 | 98.3 | 100 | Did not change gloves between patients |
| Clean finger before pricking | 98.4 | 100 | 98.3 | Skipped |
| Use sterile lancet | 87.1 | 95.0 | 100 | Tip of lancet touching gloves or work surface before pricking |
| Dispose of lancet safely | 96.8 | 96.7 | 98.3 | Set used lancet on table before disposing of it in sharps box |
| Blot blood correctly | 87.1 | 95.0 | 100 | Most blood went on wall of well |
| Dispense buffer drops accurately | 74.2 | 83.3 | 89.8 | Too many or too few drops |
| Wait correct amount of time | 82.3 | 85.0 | 91.4 | |
| Read RDT results correctly | 95.1 | 98.3 | 98.3 | Faint positive called negative |
| Non-critical steps | ||||
| Assemble everything before starting | 93.6 | 78.3 | 94.9 | |
| Check expiry date | 96.8 | 100 | 96.6 | |
| Write patient's name on cassette | 90.3 | 95.0 | 96.6 | |
| Place RDT on a level surface | 100 | 100 | 98.3 | |
| Allow finger to dry before pricking | 98.4 | 91.7 | 98.3 | |
| Prick side of finger | 74.2 | 73.3 | 78.0 | Pricked middle of finger instead |
| Collect blood correctly | 53.2 | 63.3 | 61.0 | Too little blood in most cases |
| Dispose of pipette correctly | 98.4 | 96.7 | 98.3 | |
| Record result in register | 77.4 | 86.7 | 91.1 | Usually because the subject was not a real patient |
| Dispose of non-sharps correctly | 93.6 | 98.3 | 96.5 | |
*
CHWs = community health workers; RDT = rapid diagnostic test.