ACTwatch weekly meeting minutes

Date: 27-01-2014
Time: 16:00 EAT
Chair: Julius
Note taker: Julie
Roll call (all in NBO unless otherwise noted):
Erick, John, Julius, Sudoi, Steve, Vamsi, Nikki. Megan on
call from DC. Julie and Hana on Skype from Geneva.

The rotating order of weekly meeting chairs is as follows
(responsible for next meeting):
1. Nikki 7. Julie (Chair)
2. Vamsi 8. John (Notetaker)
3. Steve 9. Hana
4. Raymond 10. Erick
5. Kevin 11. Megan
6. Julius

Next meeting planned for Monday, February 3, 2014 at 16:00hrs
(EAT)


Agenda Item Issue Action
Administrative
Approval of last
mtg minutes

Minutes approved.


Benin update Study design to be finalized this week. JA and ML have a call with Cyprien later today. JA to finalize study design
for ethical review
Cambodia update 8 records have issues. (See also Zambia update below.) KD to ensure data entry is
finalized for 8 missing
records by Jan. 28.
Uganda Update Data cleaning ongoing. JN has finished provider questions, now looking at medicines.
Noted that e need to rectify how we handle missing data.
JR to discuss missing data
with Steve and Megan and
share with group.
DRC update

Data cleaning ongoing.
Madagascar
update
Data collection will be completed by Jan. 30. Some outlets were dropped due to insecurity
in the regions. Processing will be quick since data collection was done electronically. (See
also Zambia update below.)

Nigeria update

Data preparation has begun; data look good; most products entered (more than 18,000).
Zambia update ML sent study design back to JR with sample selection and sections on sampling filled in.
KD will be in charge of Cambodia, Madagascar and Zambia analysis with support from John
and other team members. Priority is on Cambodia based on a donor request for
information.

Project planning
update
electronic data
collection


EDC strategy inputs received from JR, KD, ML and JN. NC, RS and JA to send theirs to VV.
Discussion of draft strategy raised issues such as: the capacity to easily correct data in the
field and examine data line by line; backing up/uploading/downloading data and what to
do if data changes after it has been uploaded/downloaded; battery life of devices (and
charging with limited access to power supply); format of data for review in the field (e.g.
spreadsheet, database or something resembling the forms), supervisor capacity (e.g. to
review output in a database format or to use syntax to produce reports) and the potential
need for someone(s) in the field with a higher capacity than supervisors to manage data
and reporting (also because sups are busy with logistics); piloting in the field (not just in
NBO and for longer than a few days); and the desire to benefit from lessons learned by
other organizations/researchers using ECD, especially on our scale.

EA suggested that CSV output is best as its easy to manipulate, light and can be converted
to Stata, Excel, etc. He proposed that each data collection team in the field can download
their data daily to a supervisors laptop and, when possible, connect to a central server in
NBO for uploading and synching. He reported that there are alternatives to the grid for
charging, including solar and external chargers, and that the lifespan of batteries is about 8
hours.

VV to revise EDC strategy
with concrete and visual
details, using input
received from team and
during meeting.

EA to write up his
explanation of the data
flow to add to strategy.

Revised strategy to be
circulated to team by end
of week.

VV to talk to Magpi CEO re:
possibility of piloting for
more than 10 days


VV shared KDs written input that he prefers Magpi or similar because its full-service, fast
(considering our time constraints) and our questionnaires arent complicated, and that in
Madagascar they used a tested system and had no problems. JR noted that KD could
provide further valuable input based on lessons learned in Madagascar upon his return.

ML proposed getting more of the concrete issues specific to ACTwatch into the strategy
with a rationale for going forward and some of EAs specifics of how it would actually
work. NC proposed addition of a flowchart/visual to illustrate data flow and a two-column
table listing how it works with paper vs. how it would work with ECD, using SOPs as guide.

Conference
abstract
submissions
APHA, ASTMH
JR working with JN and KD on rough draft abstracts for APHA; 3 weeks out from deadline
so OK for time; pushing for data to include in abstracts rather than promising stuff later.
Has established deadlines for for future meetings some good ideas coming forward.

VV Meeting on ASTMH symposium ideas pushed to Tues. morning at 11am EAT. He will
speak to ML separately.

No word on whether Chris got on the agenda for the Asia Pacific Malaria Eradication
Network meeting. Agenda likely closed by now (invitation only meeting).
JR to ensure APHA
abstracts are reviewed by
HB and finalized before
Feb. 10 deadline

VV to follow up with Chris
re: APMEN meeting
AOB



NC - Thrilled to be here! First ACTwatch team meeting!

Exit interviews ML looking at the study design, methodology, research questions;
thinking about factors that influence where we do them.



Plans for this week (Jan. 13-17, 2014)
Who Particulars
Vamsi Revising EDC document; finalizing Zambia study design with ML & JR; symposium ideas for ASTMH.
John Zambia study design, APHA abstracts, cleaning KDs desk before he returns; not in on Friday.
Julius Uganda data cleaning and APHA abstract
Julie Cleaning DRC data and finalizing Benin study design
Kevin Finalizing data collection in Madagascar; returning to NBO
Erick Collecting info on EDC, website issues, data cleaning support
Sudoi Nigeria data cleaning & APHA abstract
ML Study design for exit interviews; DRC & Nigeria data getting up to speed

Leave and movements
Date Particulars
Jan 13 Feb. 19 Julie working from Geneva
Jan 30 Kevin returns to Nairobi

Conferences and Meetings
Conference/ meeting
title
Abstract
deadline
Conference/Meeting
Date
Location Focal
person(s)
Status
MERG N/A February 26-28 Ouagadougou, Burkina Steve Attending
APMEN N/A March 10-13 Manila, Philippines Vamsi/ Chris Seeking invite
Malaria Journal TBD September 22-24 Oxford, UK Vamsi Waiting
HSR symposium January 15 Sept 30 Oct 3 Cape Town Vamsi Submitted as
part of a panel
with UCSF
ASTMH 63
rd
Annual
Meeting
TBD (~May 2014) November 2-6 New Orleans Vamsi N/A
APHA 143
rd
annual
meeting
February 2, 2014 November 15-19 New Orleans Vamsi/ John Brainstorming