Usability and acceptability of an automated respiratory rate counter to assess children for symptoms of pneumonia: A cross‐sectional study in Ethiopia

Abstract

Manually counting respiratory rate (RR) is commonly practiced by community health workers to detect fast breathing, an important sign of childhood pneumonia. Correctly counting and classifying breaths manually is challenging, often leading to inappropriate treatment. This study aimed to determine the usability of a new automated RR counter (ChARM) by health extension workers (HEWs), and its acceptability to HEWs, first‐level health facility workers (FLHFWs) and caregivers in Ethiopia.