None listed
Conditions
Interventions
Intervention1: Community awareness: Information, education, communication (IEC) material in digital and analogue formats for community awareness on snakes of the region. Audio-visual narrowcasting and
Sponsors
Indian Council of Medical Research
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: The intervention targets all relevant stakeholders across the snakebite care pathway, from prevention and early response to hospital-based treatment and policy integration. Participants are grouped into the following categories: a. Community Members: Residents of high-burden snakebite areas, particularly those whose occupations increase exposure risk, such as agricultural workers, forest gatherers, and outdoor labourers. These populations are central to both prevention and early detection strategies. b. Community Volunteers (Sarpa Mitras): Locally identified individuals trained to serve as first responders. Sarpa Mitras will be selected from established networks such as self-help groups (SHGs) and grassroots health workers collectives. They will be trained in recognizing venomous species, providing correct first-aid, stabilizing victims, ensuring safe transport, and conducting community awareness sessions. c. Healthcare Providers: A wide spectrum of providers will be engaged, including medical officers, nurses, pharmacists, ambulance personnel, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs). These individuals will receive refresher training on evidence-based snakebite management and referral protocols. d. Policy and System-Level Stakeholders: State and district health officials, Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs), and NGO representatives will be involved to facilitate system-level integration, policy alignment, and sustainability planning. For the project, the intervention will be implemented across 14 blocks in 7 states, targeting all key stakeholders along the snakebite care pathway. The study population will include (I) Community members residing in high-risk areas, sampled through household surveys at baseline and endline to capture changes in awareness and practices. Approximately 100 households per block will be surveyed, yielding about 1,400 households in total. (II) Community volunteers (Sarpa Mitras): Five Sarpa Mitras will be identified from each panchayat, with the total number varying depending on the number of panchayats within a block. This approach ensures representation across villages while creating a strong local network of trained volunteers. (III) Healthcare workers: Training will be extended to different cadres of health providers, with approximate targets per block of 15 20 medical officers, 20 25 nurses and pharmacists, 10 15 ambulance personnel, and 20 25 frontline workers (ASHAs, ANMs). The final numbers will vary according to the number of CHCs, PHCs and rural hospitals in each block, but overall coverage across all sites is expected to be comprehensive. (IV) Policy and system-level stakeholders, including district health officers, PRI members, and NGO representatives, with at least 5 6 per district engaged in workshops and consultations.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Individuals who are unwilling or unable to participate in the study will be excluded
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| a scalable and context specific model for snakebite prevention and management, enhanced community capacity for early recognition and first aid, improved timely referral and treatment, increased awareness and adoption of safe behaviours, reduced reliance on traditional remedies, strengthened health system capacity through refresher and structured training, improved quality of clinical snakebite care, enhanced emergency response skills, efficient three-tier referral network with digital support, reduced treatment delays, and increased survival rates.Timepoint: 1.Preparatory-Adaptive Phase (8 months) 2.Piloting and Model Optimization Phase (11 months) 3.Implementation Phase (24 months) | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| provide evidence of pre- & post-intervention changes in awareness, attitudes, & practices across stakeholders, offering insights into behaviour change at both community & health system levels.Timepoint: Pre intervention survey would be conducted at baseline. this would be during the preparatory phase-. (first 8 months of the project). Post intervention assessment will be done at the end of Intevention Phase (Full intervention phase is 24 months, the post assessment will be from 22-24 months);The development of a real-time snakebite surveillance dashboard will enable systematic tracking of snake rescues, sightings, killings, incidence, & mortality. This tool will provide timely data to inform prevention strategies, support resource allocation, & strengthen regional & national snakebite control policiesTimepoint: The dashboard will be developed during the piloting phase, 11 months after project initiation. Continuous monitoring will be undertaken to ensure data accuracy & completeness. | — |
Countries
India
Contacts
Public ContactJaideep C Menon
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi
Outcome results
None listed