Potlako: A Programmatic Intervention to Improve Access to Timely Oncology Care

Overview

Diagnostic and treatment delays contribute substantially to disparities in cancer morbidity and mortality between low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries. Individuals present with advanced stage disease resulting in minimal chance for cure or long-term survival. The Potlako project will implement and evaluate a multifaceted intervention to test the hypothesis that a package of enhanced coordination of care including an electronic messaging, transportation support, and training targeted at generalist clinicians at primary and secondary level facilities, can reduce time to diagnosis and stage at diagnosis for HIV-infected individuals with cancer.

Full Title of Study: “Potlako: A Programmatic Multi-facility Level Intervention to Improve Access to Timely Oncology Care in Botswana”

Study Type

  • Study Type: Interventional
  • Study Design
    • Allocation: Non-Randomized
    • Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
    • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
    • Masking: None (Open Label)
  • Study Primary Completion Date: July 21, 2020

Interventions

  • Other: Potlako intervention
    • Multicomponent intervention including: provider training on early detection and diagnostic approaches to cancer patient education on importance of obtaining timely cancer diagnosis provision of a patient navigator to facilitate diagnosis and entry into care provision of transportation support to vulnerable patients

Arms, Groups and Cohorts

  • Experimental: Kweneng East District
    • Patient presenting with possible cancer symptoms/sign to a clinic or hospital in Kweneng East District during study period.
  • No Intervention: All other districts
    • Patient presenting with possible cancer symptoms/sign to a clinic or hospital in all other districts of Botswana (or Kweneng East prior to implementation of intervention).

Clinical Trial Outcome Measures

Primary Measures

  • Cancer stage
    • Time Frame: 1 day visit
  • Time from initial clinic visit with cancer symptom/sign to entry into oncology care
    • Time Frame: 1 day visit

Participating in This Clinical Trial

Inclusion Criteria

  • Citizen of Botswana – Suspected or diagnosed cancer Exclusion Criteria:

  • Involuntary incarceration

Gender Eligibility: All

Minimum Age: 18 Years

Maximum Age: N/A

Are Healthy Volunteers Accepted: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Investigator Details

  • Lead Sponsor
    • Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)
  • Collaborator
    • Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Provider of Information About this Clinical Study
    • Principal Investigator: Scott Dryden-Peterson, Assistant Professor, Research Affiliate – Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)

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