A standardized questionnaire was used by a well trained research assistant to interview study subjects.
All the in-depth interviews and FGDs were conducted by the principal investigator and a well trained health officer who served as assistant data collector and was involved in the facilitation of the data collection processes.
Health care staff at the ward consisted of 17 registered nurses, 21 assistant nurses and a receptionist (a trained assistant nurse), who took part in the health care work as well.
However, after a learning curve and with increasing experience of a well-trained assistant, actual time needed for supervision is expected to rapidly decrease.
A mid upper arm circumference was measured by a trained assistant.
A verbal autopsy was conducted around three months after the death by a trained assistant.
The training sessions were held individually at school by a trained assistant.
Children underwent baseline visual acuity screening at school by a nurse and trained assistant.
The parents were tested individually at their homes by the first author or a trained assistant.
Well trained research assistants interviewed the patients to help them complete the questionnaires.
Two well trained field assistants fluent in the dialects spoken in the chosen districts were responsible for conducting the interviews.
