REDCap for Improved M&E of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Outreach

Abstract

IntroductionVoluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) reduces HIV transmission rate by up to 60%. There is a great need for VMMC services in Zimbabwe, where the HIV prevalence is one of the highest in the world at 12.9%. The ZAZIC consortium was founded in 2013 to expand VMMC services in Zimbabwe. In 2019, ZAZIC transitioned its VMMC outreach data collection practices from weekly paper forms to daily electronic forms submitted via REDCap, aiming to optimize data collection and decrease reporting errors and confidentiality risks. Methods This convergent mixed-methods, retrospective, cross-sectional analysis evaluates the transition to electronic data collection to aid VMMC program monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in Zimbabwe between July 2019 and March 2020. Study 1 assessed organizational uptake of utilizing electronic data collection via RedCap for routine VMMC program monitoring in Zimbabwe using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Study 2 identified factors contributing to VMMC program success using a mixed-methods analysis. Results RE-AIM analysis established REDCap as an effective data collection tool with improved data quality. Results from linear regression models revealed program factors such as increased outreach resources and community-based demand creation were significantly associated with VMMCs throughout ZAZIC and within the target 15-29 age group. Qualitative analysis provided further insight to quantitative results by providing explanations as to why factors such as demand creation were so successful in increasing outreach. Conclusion REDCap is effective for VMMC outreach data collection. These findings will inform future program monitoring and evaluation practices among ZAZIC partners