Coverage and uptake analysis of rapid diagnostic tests for malaria

Although there are a multitude of technologies that exist to improve global health, there is a severe lack in developing nations, where morbidity and mortality are greatest. One of various explanations for this disparity is that many of these life-saving technologies have low uptake and coverage in areas that need them most. To address this issue, in part, the goal of this project was to analyze the problem of low product coverage and uptake for USAID-selected global health products. Specifically, my project focused on rapid diagnostic tests for malaria – a technology that has been scaled up globally over several years, with several stories to tell.

This project was part of a joint effort between the MIT Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation (CITE) and USAID Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact (CII). CITE aimed to rigorously evaluate technologies in terms of suitability, sustainability, and scalability, all of which fall within the context of the product uptake timeline (below) outlined by CII.