Updated CommCare Evidence Base: 20 New Studies Added!

When we started building CommCare, it was just an experiment. Our hypothesis? Equipping frontline workers with a mobile tool can improve the quality of the service they provide, as well as the health behaviors and outcomes of their clients.

Since 2009, there have been more than 60 separate studies of CommCare’s use in low-resource settings around the world. From Guatemala to Ghana, Nigeria to Nepal, these studies have put our hypothesis to the test, and we’re proud to say that, so far, the results are very encouraging.

We have updated our Evidence Base with new studies from countries like Burkina Faso, India, and the United States, which show that the evidence for CommCare has only strengthened.

Download our latest Evidence Base to learn about results from studies examining how CommCare can improve:

• Client Health Outcomes and Behaviors
• Frontline Worker Performance
• Quality of Care
• Program Efficiency
• Digital Health Program Implementation

In it, you’ll find highlights such as:

• A randomized control trial in India showed a 24% increase in frontline worker home visits via performance feedback [DeRenzi et. al., 2016].
• A study in South Africa showed a 75% reduction in average frontline worker training time and a 41% reduction in average screening time compared to paper protocols [Surka et. al., 2014].
• Another randomized control trial studying maternal and child care in India saw a 73% increase in antenatal care visits, a 58% increase in the consumption of iron tablets, and a 36% increase in the use of contraception [Borkum et. al., 2015].
• A study in Tanzania documented a 74% institutional delivery rate for clients whose frontline workers use CommCare, compared to 63% for the control group [Hackett et. al., 2018].
• In Burkina Faso, a study found that frontline workers using CommCare completed 79% of their tasks in adhering to Integrated Management of Childhood Illness protocols, compared to 54% in the control group and 48% in the baseline [Sarrassat et. al., 2019].

Both government ministries and non-governmental organizations are increasingly equipping FLWs with digital tools to improve their effectiveness in delivering community services. And with them are new studies examining their effects.

Needless to say, the collective findings from these studies are encouraging, particularly in the upward trend in the amount of literature evaluating CommCare’s impact on client health outcomes and health-seeking behaviors. As the CommCare Evidence Base expands we hope to see more rigorous studies of this kind, which continue to play a vital role in evaluating and improving CommCare as a tool for FLWs.

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To see our latest evidence base, with the conclusions of 20 new studies added, click here.