In Nigeria, national guidelines recommend that every client with a recent history of fever be tested for malaria and given antimalarial drugs only if they test positive. Diagnosing and treating the causes of fever correctly is essential for reducing morbidity and mortality and for the appropriate use of medicines.

However, health care providers do not always adhere to national guidelines. Many treat clients for malaria even when their test results are negative. In settings where malaria is over-diagnosed and over-treated, other illnesses may be left untreated, and there may be shortages of antimalarial drugs.

In collaboration with health care providers and local and national government partners, Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria used behavioral science to develop new solutions to increase health care providers’ adherence to fever case management guidelines. An accompanying guide highlights the “how-to” of the solutions so implementers can adapt the solutions to their own settings. The guide includes details and implementation considerations for each solution, downloadable files for each solution, and links to lessons from formative research and a small-scale pilot.

For more information about Breakthrough ACTION’s tested solutions for fever case management, please see the resources on this page.