Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36041848›Full record

Trial reportGlobal health, science and practice2022

Costs and Cost-Effectiveness of mCME Version 2.0: An SMS-Based Continuing Medical Education Program for HIV Clinicians in Vietnam.

Lora L Sabin, Aldina Mesic, Bao Ngoc Le, Nafisa Halim, Chi Thi Hue Cao, Rachael Bonawitz, Ha Viet Nguyen, Anna Larson, Tam Thi Thanh Nguyen, Anh Ngoc Le and 1 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Global health, science and practice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Lora L SabinDepartment of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. lsabin@bu.edu.
Aldina MesicDepartment of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Bao Ngoc LeConsulting Research for Community Development, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Nafisa HalimDepartment of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Chi Thi Hue CaoVietnam Administration for AIDS Control, Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Rachael BonawitzDepartment of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Ha Viet NguyenCenter for Population Research Information and Databases, General Office for Population and Family Planning, Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Anna LarsonDepartment of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Tam Thi Thanh NguyenCenter for Population Research Information and Databases, General Office for Population and Family Planning, Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Anh Ngoc LeHanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Christopher J GillDepartment of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

mCME Delivering continuing medical education to community health workers using cell phonesR21TW009911 · FIC · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · PI GILL, CHRISTOPHER J · 2014 to 2015
$372k
FIC NIH HHS R21 TW009911
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe Mobile Continuing Medical Education (mCME) 2.0 project was a randomized controlled trial that found that a 6-month text message-based CME intervention improved both the use of online medical training resources and medical knowledge among a cadre of HIV clinicians in Vietnam. This companion study analyzed intervention costs and cost-effectiveness.

methodsWe conducted (1) a financial analysis based on costs incurred during the trial's planning and implementation; (2) an economic analysis to consider resource utilization; and (3) cost-effectiveness analyses to estimate cost inputs relative to impact: increase in self-study (measured by visits to online courses) and increase in knowledge (measured by exam score improvement) (in 2016 US$). Finally, we estimated the economic cost of a 9-month national program and a 10-year scaled-up model (in 2021 US$).

resultsThe total financial cost of the intervention was US$49,552; the main cost drivers were personnel time (71.4%) and technology inputs (14.9%). The total economic cost was estimated at US$92,212, with the same key cost inputs (representing 77.7% and 8.0%, respectively, of total costs). The financial cost per 10% increase in accessing online courses was US$923, while the cost of improving knowledge, measured by a 10% improvement in mean exam score across the study population, was US$32,057 (US$605 per intervention clinician). The comparable total economic cost of each improvement, respectively, was US$1,770 and US$61,452 (US$1,159 per intervention clinician). A future 9-month national program was estimated to cost US$37,403, while the full 10-year scaled-up program was estimated at US$196,446.

conclusionsThis analysis indicates that leveraging mobile technology could be a feasible way to provide distance learning to health professions across Vietnam at a relatively low cost. Given the need for practical ways to expand CME in resource-constrained regions of the world, this approach warrants further study and possible adoption.

Indexed as

HIV InfectionsText MessagingCost-Benefit AnalysisEducation, Medical, ContinuingHumansVietnam

Identifiers

PMID36041848
PMCPMC9426988

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.