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Testing a Biometric Identification System to Improve Malaria Vaccine Completion

NCT07261280 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 4715

Last updated 2025-12-03

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Receiving all four doses of the malaria vaccine can significantly protect children against malaria illness, hospitalization, and death. However, in Ghana, only 46% of children complete the full vaccination sequence. More broadly, many children in Ghana do not receive the full set of recommended pediatric vaccinations. To address this, Simprints, in collaboration with Ghana Health Services, will implement a digital vaccination record system linked to biometrics. This system will automatically identify children who are behind on their vaccination schedule, providing health workers with information to prioritize community outreach. Additionally, it will send voice message reminders to caregivers to improve compliance. A cluster-randomized controlled trial (c-RCT) will be conducted in the Oti region to measure the impact of this innovation on the proportion of children completing malaria and routine vaccination schedules.

Conditions

  • Vaccination

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

HEALTH FACILITY INTERVENTION

Health facilities randomized in treatment clusters will be provided with a digital vaccination record system (e-tracker) linked to biometrics (facial recognition) of caregivers (if child is below 6 months) or of children (if child is above 6 months). With the support of Ghana Health Services, Simprints will train CHWs on digital vaccination record system (e-tracker) and biometrics. Simprints will also provide Technical Assistance to CHWs for the duration of the study.

BEHAVIORAL

INDIVIDUAL INTERVENTION

Caregivers (if child is below 6 months) or children (if child is above 6 months) living in communities in the catchment areas of health facilities randomized in treatment clusters will be registered at the community level into the e-tracker and biometrics (facial recognition), and caregivers of children who are due for or missed vaccination will receive voice message appointment reminders if they provided a phone number during the registration in biometrics. Reminders will be sent before a child is due a visit to receive vaccination, as well as after a child missed his due visit.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Ghana

    collaborator OTHER

  • Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)

    collaborator OTHER

  • University of Michigan

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Elisa Maria Maffioli, PhD · University of Michigan

  • Jessica Cohen, PhD · Harvard University

  • Chris Guure · University of Ghana

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
15 Years
Max Age
49 Years
Sex
FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-10-15
Primary Completion
2027-12-31
Completion
2027-12-31

Countries

  • Ghana

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07261280 on ClinicalTrials.gov