Minimum Costs for Right Measurements
Cost is a critical component to implementation; thus, a description of the required resources will help decision-makers and implementers determine what type of tracking they can implement. Efficient tracking of patients lost from HIV care requires resources such as, staff, computer tablets, mobile phones and mobile talk time, transportation (public transport, motorbikes, bicycles), tracker supplies (back packs, rain suits/rain coats and umbrellas), and testing supplies (reagents, syringes, gloves, cool boxes etc.) and HIV Viral Load and Resistance test kits. BetterInfo monitored all tracking activities using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) online financial management system to build cost estimates for future implementers. See Annex 7.5: Cost Tracking SOP.
Table 2 highlights the tracking cost drivers per patient outcome found that contributed to measuring the outcomes of LTFU in BetterInfo. See Annex 8: SOP Summary of Average Cost Computation for details.
Table 2: Cost Drivers to Measure LTFU Patient Outcomes Per Outcome Ascertained
|
Tracking system |
Type of Resource |
Cost Description |
Per Unit USD |
|
Paper Tracking Only |
Training |
Cost of a 5-day workshop per staff member (lunch allowance and transport refund) |
$228 |
|
Human Resource: Tracker Supervisors |
Cost of basic pay effort with pension and tax contributions for Tracker Supervisors |
$17 |
|
|
Human Resource: Trackers |
Cost of basic pay effort with pension and tax contributions for Tracker |
$44 |
|
|
Computer Tablet |
Cost of computer tablet |
$627 |
|
|
Paper Tracking Only |
$ 916 |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paper and Phone Tracking Only |
Training |
Cost of a 5-day workshop per staff member (lunch allowance and transport refund) |
$228 |
|
Human Resource: Tracker Supervisors |
Cost of basic pay effort with pension and tax contributions for Tracker Supervisors |
$17 |
|
|
Human Resource: Trackers |
Cost of basic pay effort with pension and tax contributions for Tracker |
$44 |
|
|
Computer Tablet |
Cost of computer tablet |
$627 |
|
|
Mobile Phone |
Cost of Airtel network mobile phone |
$ 20 |
|
|
Mobile Phone |
Cost of MTN network mobile phone |
$ 8 |
|
|
Mobile Phone Talk Time |
Cost of mobile phone talk time used to call patients/next of kin |
$10 |
|
|
Paper and Phone Tracking Only |
$954 |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paper, Phone and Field Tracking |
Training |
Cost of a 5-day workshop per staff member (lunch allowance and transport refund) |
$228 |
|
Human Resource: Tracker Supervisors |
Cost of basic pay effort with pension and tax contributions for Tracker Supervisors |
$17 |
|
|
Human Resource: Trackers |
Cost of basic pay effort with pension and tax contributions for Tracker |
$44 |
|
|
Computer Tablet |
Cost of computer tablet |
$627 |
|
|
Mobile Phone |
Cost of Airtel mobile phone |
$ 20 |
|
|
Mobile Phone |
Cost of MTN mobile phone |
$ 8 |
|
|
Mobile Phone Talk time |
Cost of mobile phone talk time used to call patients/next of kin |
$10 |
|
|
Tracker supplies (Rain boots) |
Cost of rain boots for tracker |
$11 |
|
|
Tracker supplies (Rain suit) |
Cost of rain suit/rain coat for tracker |
$11 |
|
|
Tracker supplies (Umbrella) |
Cost of umbrella for tracker |
$11 |
|
|
Per diem and Lunch allowances for field tracking |
Cost of per diem and lunch allowance for field tracking |
$15 |
|
|
Public Transport |
Public transport refund for Trackers |
$8 |
|
|
Bicycle |
Cost of bicycle |
$86 |
|
|
Bicycle Transport |
Cost of bicycle maintenance |
$ 0.10 |
|
|
Motorbike |
Cost of motorbike |
$ 4021 |
|
|
Motorbike Transport |
Cost of fuel, insurance, road tax and servicing |
$174 |
|
|
Viral Load (VL) Testing |
Cost per test |
$54 |
|
|
HIV Drug Resistance Testing |
Cost per test |
$124 |
|
|
Paper, Phone and Field Tracking |
$5,469 |
||