In recent years the availability of high-quality, inexpensive RDTs in the public sector has significantly improved and expanded diagnostic testing. In malaria endemic countries, approximately 40% of the population seeks care and treatment for febrile illnesses in the private sector. In such settings, successful malaria control greatly depends on effective diagnosis and treatment within the private sector. Interventions may seek to address diagnostic market constraints, quality-assured ACT treatment market constraints, or both.
In all cases, robust evidence on the quality of provider fever case management is vital to monitor and course-correct programming, and formally evaluate programs. As a part of the Unitaid-funded Private Sector RDT project, PSI regularly fielded client exit interviews and mystery client visits to assess provider quality.
The Fever case management Mystery client study questionnaire is used to assess provider adherence to fever treatment algorithms for malaria test-negative clients. This questionnaire was refined through experience in studies in the DRC, Kenya, Madagascar and Tanzania between 2015 and 2018.
In addition to the fever case management Mystery client questionnaires, closely related resources for fever case management research developed by PSI also include the fever case management client exit study questionnaires, available in both English and French.