PATIENT-LED SUPPORT GROUPS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION AND DIABETES IN KOROGOCHO AND VIWANDANDI INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS, NAIROBI, KENYA: MIXED METHODS STUDY OF AN INNOVATIVE MODEL (MRC PaLs)
Project Period
May 2021 - November 2023
Project Partners
- University of Cape Town, South Africa
- University Medical Centre Utrecht, The Netherlands
- University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- Nairobi County Health Department, Kenya
The burden of hypertension and diabetes is rising in a rapidly urbanizing Africa with scarce public resources for managing patients. Patient support groups have gained considerable interest as a strategy to reach low-income patients with hypertension and diabetes. There is a scarcity of evidence to guide the rollout of community-based patient self-support groups for managing hypertension and diabetes. Yet, existing groups seem to be sustainable, with more groups emerging. Effectiveness trials are needed to evaluate this strategy rigorously.
Objectives
The main objective of this study is to identify the components of self-financing patient support groups that are needed to co-design a model of care with patients and stakeholders and determine the feasibility of conducting a trial that will investigate the effectiveness of this model of care. This project will generate and synthesize evidence for developing culturally appropriate interventions and influencing policy to manage hypertension and diabetes in Kenya and other low- and middle-income countries. Specifically, the study seeks to:
- To determine the components of patient support groups that are required to co-design a model of care for the control of hypertension and diabetes in low-resource settings in urban Kenya
- To explore the role of digital technology in facilitating communication within the patient groups and with the health system to improve access to care along the care cascade.
- To determine the feasibility of conducting a large trial of a locally adapted patient-supported model of care.
- To build a platform for networking and linkage with stakeholders and international investigators to develop an application for a larger trial