Case study of
#00138 Cut time-to-treatment with community education and organised rapid transport
Damak area, Jhapa/Morang region, southeastern Nepal
#00138
Implementer
Sharma et al. study team with local motorcycle-volunteer network and the Damak Red Cross Society treatment centre
Location
Description
In four villages of southeastern Nepal (population ~62,000, Jhapa/Morang region), where most neurotoxic-envenoming deaths occurred in the village or during transport, a study team combined community health education (discouraging traditional-healer detours, teaching safe first aid) with a motorcycle-volunteer network to move bite victims to a treatment centre equipped with antivenom and basic ventilatory support. The study used a single-arm before-after design.
Metrics
3Lessons learned
- The destination centre must stock antivenom and provide airway support; organised transport alone will not reduce fatality if the receiving facility is not equipped.
- Discouraging traditional-healer detours appears to be a key mechanism — reducing pre-hospital delay is the central causal pathway.
- Evidence comes from a single-arm before-after study, not a randomised trial; the effect size may not transfer exactly to other settings.
Documented Jul 8, 2026
History
· 1Arnaud Gissinger · 1h ago · approved by Arnaud Gissinger 1h ago