Over the last decade, the software social enterprise Dimagi developed CommCare, the most widely used platform for equipping frontline workers (FLWs) with digital applications in Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). FLWs provide life-saving essential services which include preventing, detecting and managing killer diseases like TB, Malaria, HIV, diarrhea and pneumonia; prenatal and postnatal care, under five care and immunization against common disease while also responding to common pandemics and emergencies. Financially sustainable business models for CommCare have been built and established an evidence base that proves it can improve health outcomes. As digitally-empowered front line workers become more mainstream in health systems across the globe, Dimagi is looking forward to the next phase of digital innovation and exploring ways of contributing to countries’ and health systems’ readiness to manage future health needs. This next phase of innovation will most likely be driven by a number of needs: increasing demand for expansion of frontline services for communities to respond to emerging needs and health emergencies, enabling better jobs for front line workers, and creating feedback loops which reward impact and also those who create it.

 

These FLWs are mostly women with limited training or education, providing health services for hundreds of people in their communities with little or no pay at all from governments and NGOs. They usually service their communities as Growth monitoring volunteers, Community health action group members, women’s groups, cluster leaders, and secret mothers for MNH programmes, among many other roles.

 

Dimagi is in the initial stages of developing a new digital solution called CommCare Connect. This solution is aimed at enabling frontline workers to cost-effectively learn new content and be able to deliver high impact interventions in their communities, while simultaneously pioneering a low-cost “light-touch” model of supervision and oversight over community interventions/work. Connecting closely with FLWs to get their insights into current practice, their comfort areas, what is working and also their pain points and ideas for advancing community work is a very essential part of this new product (CommCare Connect) development work.

In 2023, PACHI partnered with Dimagi to test innovative ideas that have the potential to drive positive health impact at community level.

The main study objective for this project is to improve FLW service delivery through the use of innovative technology product, CommCare Connect in Dowa district.

The study has three objectives as follows

1. Improve service and programme supervision using low-cost, light-touch supervision model;
2. Assess willingness of FLWs to take on additional, paid work at different levels of incentives and determine optimal incentive level
3. Evaluate the potential for governments to tap from under-utilized pool of FLWs to meet specific community health needs