Digital Auscultation Study: Opportunity to Improve IMCI Guideline
The “Community use of digital auscultation to improve diagnosis of childhood pneumonia in Sylhet, Bangladesh” (DA Study) is a mixed method study involving children of under 5 years who were identified as a case of possible pneumonia. Projahnmo Research Foundation implemented this study with technical support from the Johns Hopkins University, USA and the University of Edinburgh, UK, funded by the National Institute of Health Research using Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding. Aim of this study is to validate automated lung sounds classification by digital auscultation compared to a trained standardised paediatric panel’s classification to improve the diagnostic accuracy of childhood pneumonia and increase the specificity of IMCI guideline.
A national level stakeholder engagement meeting was held on 20th January 2021 to discuss the importance of improving the diagnosis of pneumonia by healthcare providers at the first-level facility using a low-cost pediatric digital stethoscope, and its future implication in LMICs including Bangladesh.
On the consequence of national level stakeholder engagement workshop another meeting was held on 17th February 2021 at Civil Surgeon Office, Sylhet, Bangladesh, titled “Improving Childhood Pneumonia Diagnosis Using Digital Auscultation: Stakeholder Meeting at District Level” to disseminate methods and preliminary findings. Dr. Muhammad Shariful Islam, Program Manager and other team members of NNHP & IMCI of DGHS attended the workshop.
