Work Packages
PACTS Africa is dedicated to improving wellbeing and health outcomes for patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in Sub-Saharan Africa. We aim to achieve this through earlier and improved detection of SCD and optimized implementation of evidence-based clinical interventions, all while emphasizing a patient-centered approach.
Mapping & Epidemiology
The primary aim of this research programme is to benefit patients with SCD in partner countries (Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia) by exploring generic and specific solutions to reduce geographical and socio-economic barriers identified in our data analysis. We will use online questionnaires as a tool for data collection to support mapping and epidemiological analyses. The summary statistics will help to identify geographical and socio-economic barriers to healthcare for SCD amongst groups of participants from the 3 phases of the data collection process within each country but also to compare them between the 3 partner countries.
Quality improvement interventions and realist evaluation
Learning from PACs and SBA approaches around characteristics of patient-centred SCD care, barriers and facilitators of routine use of clinical mainstays, core constraints around early uptake of care and access to care more generally, key activities that can support improved access of SCD care, and approaches to broader community SCD sensitisation will be captured. By the final phase, three “rounds” of realist evaluation will have been completed, after which a final, transferrable programme theory will be generated to highlight how and under which conditions SBA and PACs can be used together to drive patient-centred, evidence-based SCD care provision and uptake.
Key insights will be collated and shared with policymakers with the aim of influencing policy improvements for patient-centred, evidence-based SCD care.
Communication
Interventions
This is a three-part study intended to identify gaps in media communication around SCD and to strengthen journalist-research networks for strengthened SCD reporting, as a means of more broadly contributing to better SCD sensitisation. Throughout, outcomes of journalist-health researcher networks on media advocacy on SCD (e.g. media outputs—newspaper articles, audio-visual materials, social media posts from professional accounts) will be captured and archived.
Institutional Capacity Strengthening
Enhancing the abilities and resources of partner institutions to effectively conduct research, implement projects, and drive sustainable development. Through targeted training, resource allocation, and collaborative initiatives, PACTS aims to build robust infrastructures and skilled personnel.
