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Vendor-to-Vendor Education to Improve Malaria Treatment by Drug Outlets in Kenya

Private drug outlets are the main source of malaria drugs in endemic areas, but these outlets frequently give incorrect information on drug use, including dosing. The World Health Organization has included the private sector in its Roll Back Malaria strategy, but notes that it is notoriously difficult to change private sector practices without burdening governments. QAP teamed up with the Bungoma (Kenya) District Health Management Team and African Medical and Research Foundation in 2000 to test an innovative, low-cost approach for improving the prescribing practices of these outlets. They trained wholesale vendors and gave them posters so they could educate and give posters to drug retailers. Mystery shoppers helped researchers determine the effectiveness of the vender-to-vendor education concept: Outlets that received the posters had better malaria knowledge and prescribing practices than those that did not. Information on the reach and cost of the effort is included in the report.