Digital Training for Lay Health Care Workers’ Knowledge and Skills in HIV Index Case Testing: Cluster Randomized Trial

Background: Task shifting in low-resource settings requires lay health care workers (HCWs) to provide a variety of health services, such as HIV index case testing, whereby sexual partners and family members of people living with HIV are offered HIV testing. For this, lay HCWs require adequate specialized training. Digital technologies hold promise for training lay HCWs in low-resource settings, but their impacts on improving knowledge, attitudes, and skills are not understood.

Objective: This study evaluates the impact of digital training on lay HCWs’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills to provide HIV index case testing.

Methods: We recruited lay HCWs from 34 health facilities in Malawi. We conducted a 2-arm cluster randomized controlled trial from 2022 to 2023, evaluating the impact of a digital training approach. Health facilities (clusters) were randomized 1:2 to the enhanced or standard arms. Lay HCWs in both arms received the standard in-person index case testing training. In addition, lay HCWs in the enhanced arm received tablet-guided training. Knowledge acquisition was measured using multiple-choice questionnaires administered before and after training. Attitudinal gains were assessed through a questionnaire with Likert scale responses before and after training. Between-arm mean differences were evaluated using generalized estimating equations. Skills (fidelity to index and contact testing protocols) were measured using 15-item checklists. Fidelity scores were compared between the enhanced and standard arms by estimating mean differences and 95% CIs using generalized estimating equations.

Results: We enrolled 306 lay HCWs, with 125 (40.8%) in the enhanced arm and 181 (59.2%) in the standard arm. In the enhanced arm, there was 100% completion of the digital portion, 98% (123/125) completion of the face-to-face tablet-guided portion, and 81% (101/125) to 93% (116/125) completion of quality improvement sessions. Knowledge improved by 4.4% (95% CI 0.7%-8.2%) more in the enhanced arm than in the standard arm (P=.02). Attitudes toward digital training improved by 4.5% (95% CI 0.3%-7.0%) more in the enhanced arm than in the standard arm (P=.03). Lay HCWs’ fidelity to index client counseling protocols was 30.5 (95% CI 26.0%-35.0%; P<.001) percentage points higher in the enhanced arm than in the standard arm. Fidelity to contact client counseling protocols was 24.0 (95% CI 20.6%-27.3%; P<.001) percentage points higher in the enhanced arm than in the standard arm.

Conclusions: Digital training improved lay HCWs’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills surrounding index case testing counseling. These findings support digital training as a useful strategy for strengthening the capacity of lay HCWs in low-resource contexts.