Protocol and pilot test to assess the quality of performance of the Skin NTDs app: a diagnosing tool developed by the World Health Organisation for Neglected tropical diseases that primarily affect the skin: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are a major health problem that cause more than 18.79 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide. They affect mainly the poorest populations of tropical and subtropical regions. To counter them many interventions are being conducted, notably mobile health (mHealth) interventions, such as the one launched by the World Health Organisation against skin NTDs (sNTDs), where a mobile application, Skin NTDs app, was created to act as a decision supporting tool for Frontline Health Workers (FHW). Objectives: The main objective of this protocol is to assess the quality of WHO’s Skin NTDs app as a decision supporting tool. The main objective of the pilot test is to assess the feasibility of the protocol. Design and methods: This study will be cross-sectional. The sample of the study will be obtained using respondent-driven sampling (RDS). The quantitative data will be obtained by conducting an online survey based on an existing app assessment tool named MARS, and the qualitative data, from semi-structured interviews. Then they will be analysed accordingly. Results: The pilot test revealed that the protocol was easy to follow and reproduce. The results of the survey showed that Skin NTDs app’s quality is right above average, with a total mean score of 3.74 in the objective categories, and 3.09 in the subjective quality section. Conclusions: As the protocol was found to be easy to reproduce, and given its importance for the development of Skin NTDs app, a long-term study will be performed based on it