Prescriber and patient-oriented behavioural interventions to improve use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests in Tanzania: facility-based cluster randomised trial

Table 3 Characteristics of patients included in the evaluation, by arm

Characteristics	Control	HW arm	HWP arm
Characteristics	N _p = 14,217 ^a	N _p = 15,931	N _p = 13,973
Number per facility (median, range)	1227 (477 to 2112)	1325 (295 to 2275)	1233 (560 to 1825)
Age (years)
<5	5290 (37%)	6144 (39%)	4671 (33%)
5 to 15	3053 (21%)	3320 (21%)	3149 (22%)
>15	5874 (41%)	6467 (41%)	6153 (44%)
Gender
Male	6308 (44%)	6810 (43%)	6128 (44%)
Female	7909 (56%)	9121 (57%)	7845 (56%)
Presented with fever
No	4876 (34%)	6088 (38%)	6000 (43%)
Yes	9301 (66%)	9829 (62%)	7967 (57%)
Ear/Soft tissue infection
No	12324 (87%)	14228 (89%)	12530 (90%)
Yes	1883 (13%)	1690 (11%)	1436 (10%)
Wealth index ^b
Poorest	117 (28%)	149 (30%)	216 (42%)
Less poor	159 (37%)	167 (33%)	152 (30%)
Least poor	150 (35%)	187 (37%)	142 (28%)

^aN_p represents the number of eligible patients included in the evaluation, defined as the period between the end of the RDT training and the end of the trial. Eligible patients were those with a non-severe first consultation. ^bMeasured only in a sample of patients followed up at home 14 days after they had visited the study facility. Generated through principle component analysis (PCA) and based on ownership of household possessions (for example, electricity, radio, mobile phone, bicycle, and car), access to utilities (for example, toilet type and source of drinking water), and housing characteristics (for example, floor type, fuel) in line with DHS Wealth Index [42] and Vyas et al. use of PCA for socio-economic status [43]. Numbers and percentages are presented unless stated otherwise. RDT, rapid diagnostic test.

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