Characterizing The Influence Of Distributing Organizations On Hollow Fiber Membrane Filter Adoption

At least two billion people use drinking water contaminated by fecal matter, which causes waterborne illness. Household water treatment (HWT) products like hollow fiber membrane (HFM) filters are an interim solution to water treatment in low-income communities. A variety of factors affect whether beneficiaries of HWT products adopt the technology, yet little research focuses on implementing organizations’ awareness of these factors. This research characterizes the intervention methods used by 23 organizations that distribute HFM filters. An adoption domain framework is applied to survey responses to quantify the organizations’ sensitivity to factors of adoption within five adoption domains: User Preferences, Integration & Collaboration, Government Influence, Resources & Communication, and User Training. Statistical analysis is used to assess the relationship between organizations’ sensitivity to domains and what they define as indicators of successful adoption. Results show that organizations that have robust monitoring and evaluation are likely to define successful filter adoption through follow up evaluation. Organizations that offer communication channels are likely to define filter adoption through reported satisfaction and increased filter demand. Lastly, organizations that are aware of user preferences are likely to view self-reported evidence of improved health and the filter’s presence during follow up as successful adoption indicators.