Public-private partnership to rapidly strengthen and scale COVID-19 response in Western Kenya

IntroductionIn Africa almost half of healthcare services are delivered through private sector providers. These are often underused in national public health responses. To support and accelerate the public sector's COVID-19 response, we facilitated recruitment of additional private sector capacity by initiating a public-private partnership (PPP) in Kisumu County, Kenya. In this manuscript we demonstrate this PPP's performance.MethodsCOVID-19 diagnostic testing formed the basis for a PPP between Kenyan Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Department of Health Kisumu County, PharmAccess Foundation, and local faith-based and private healthcare facilities: COVID-Dx. First phase COVID-Dx was implemented from June 01, 2020, to March 31, 2021 in Kisumu County, Kenya. Trained laboratory technologists in participating healthcare facilities collected nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples from patients meeting the Kenyan MoH COVID-19 case definition. Healthcare workers in participating facilities collected patient clinical data using a digitized MoH COVID-19 Case Identification Form. We shared aggregated results from these data via (semi-) live dashboards with all relevant stakeholders through their mobile phones and tablets. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata 16 to inform project processes.ResultsNine private facilities participated in the project. A patient trajectory was developed from case identification to result reporting, all steps supported by a semi-real time digital dashboard. A total of 4,324 PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 were added to the public response, identifying 425 positives, accounting for 16% of all COVID-19 tests performed in the County over the given time-period. Geo-mapped and time-tagged information on incident cases was depicted on Google maps through PowerBI-dashboards and fed back to policymakers for informed rapid decision making. Preferential COVID-19 testing was performed on health workers at risk, with 1,009 tests performed (up to 43% of all County health workforce).ConclusionWe demonstrate feasibility of rapidly increasing the public health sector COVID-19 response through coordinated private sector efforts in an African setting. Our PPP intervention in Kisumu, Kenya was based on a joint testing strategy and demonstrated that semi-real time digitalization of patient trajectories can gain significant efficiencies, linking public and private healthcare efforts, increasing transparency, support better quality health services and informing policy makers to target interventions

Barriers and Facilitators to Integrating Clinical Breast Examinations With Cervical Cancer Screening Programs in Outpatient Clinics in Western Kenya

PURPOSE: Nearly half of Kenyan women with breast cancer present with advanced disease—owing partially to limited patient education and screening limitations in low- and middle-income countries. With increasing access to nurse-led cervical cancer screening (CCS) in government clinics in Kenya, we investigated provider-perceived barriers and facilitators to integrating clinical breast examinations (CBEs) with ongoing CCS programs in Kisumu County, Kenya. METHODS: CCS providers within the Ministry of Health Clinics in Kisumu County, Kenya, were recruited to participate in a two-phase, sequential, mixed methods study. Knowledge of CBE guidelines was assessed with a questionnaire. Providers with significant CCS and CBE experience then completed a one-on-one interview discussing barriers and facilitators to integration. RESULTS: Sixty-nine providers from 20 randomly selected facilities participated in the survey. Providers all agreed that breast cancer screening was very important. Although 93% said that they routinely offered CBEs, only 22% of these providers screened at least eight of their last 10 patients. Forty-four percent identified four or more of five signs and symptoms of breast cancer, and 33% identified four to five risk factors. Although providers showed enthusiasm for integration of CBEs into their practices, barriers were identified and grouped into four themes: (1) fragmentation of services, (2) staffing shortage and inadequate on-the-job training, (3) limited space and referral system challenges, and (4) limited patient awareness on need for cancer screening. CONCLUSION: Addressing providers' concerns by providing routine on-the-job clinical training, improving staffing shortages, strengthening the diagnostic and treatment referral pathway, and increasing patient education are some of the first steps in facilitating integration of CBEs with CCS services in primary care clinics in Kenya

Novel biomarkers with promising benefits for diagnosis of cervical neoplasia: a systematic review

Background; Cervical cancer screening is slowly transitioning from Pappanicolaou cytologic screening to primary Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) or HPV testing as an effort to enhance early detection and treatment. However, an effective triage tests needed to decide who among the VIA or HPV positive women should receive further diagnostic evaluation to avoid unnecessary colposcopy referrals is still lacking. Evidence from experimental studies have shown potential usefulness of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen (SCC Ag), Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (M-CSF), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), MicroRNA, p16INKa / ki-67, HPV E6/E7/mRNA, and DNA methylation biomarkers in detecting premalignant cervical neoplasia. Given the variation in performance, and scanty review studies in this field, this systematic review described the diagnostic performance of some selected assays to detect high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2+) with histology as gold standard. Methods; We systematically searched articles published in English between 2012 and 2020 using key words from PubMed/Medline and SCOPUS with two reviewers assessing study eligibility, and risk of bias. We performed a descriptive presentation of the performance of each of the selected assays for the detection of CIN2 + . Results; Out of 298 citations retrieved, 58 articles were included. Participants with cervical histology yielded CIN2+ proportion range of 13.7–88.4%. The diagnostic performance of the assays to detect CIN2+ was; 1) SCC-Ag: range sensitivity of 78.6–81.2%, specificity 74–100%. 2) M-CSF: sensitivity of 68–87.7%, specificity 64.7–94% 3) VEGF: sensitivity of 56–83.5%, specificity 74.6–96%. 4) MicroRNA: sensitivity of 52.9–67.3%, specificity 76.4–94.4%. 5) p16INKa / ki-67: sensitivity of 50–100%, specificity 39–90.4%. 6) HPV E6/E7/mRNA: sensitivity of 65–100%, specificity 42.7–90.2%, and 7) DNA methylation: sensitivity of 59.7–92.9%, specificity 67–98%. Conclusion; Overall, the reported test performance and the receiving operating characteristics curves implies that implementation of p16ink4a/ki-67 assay as a triage for HPV positive women to be used at one visit with subsequent cryotherapy treatment is feasible. For the rest of assays, more robust clinical translation studies with larger consecutive cohorts of women participants is recommended

Developing a suicide prevention action plan in Kisumu County, Kenya

Abstract Suicide prevention is a complex and context‐dependent challenge. About 75% of deaths by suicide occur in low‐ and middle‐income countries; yet, most current suicide prevention strategies build upon data from high‐income countries (HIC). The Kisumu County Government (KCG) in Kenya recognized the need for a suicide prevention action plan. In the absence of a Kenyan national suicide strategy, it also did not solely depend on recommendations from HIC. The KCG therefore convened a multidisciplinary workgroup with stakeholders from various sectors that led the development of the Kisumu County Suicide Prevention Action Plan (KCSPAP). The team utilized a mixed‐method approach (literature review, a desk review of mental health indicators and death certificates, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews) identifying the following: (a) magnitude and variations of suicide cases (higher number of suicide completions compared to attempts; the leading method was organophosphate poisoning though the suicide method often was not specified); (b) protective and risk factors (male gender, being between 19 and 45 years of age, and being married); (c) community perceptions of suicide (taboo topic; associated with negative spirits; community members were divided on suicide decriminalization); (d) potential solutions (need for data collection, awareness creation; scale‐up of traditional and nontraditional mental health approaches). Given the importance of a public health perspective on suicide prevention, the data in the KCSPAP are organized in a public health prevention framework that builds on a data collection framework. The KCSPAP was handed over to the KCG in mid‐2020; different recommendations have been implemented since. The KCSPAP is an example of policymaking based on local knowledge. This homegrown policymaking approach has multiple benefits and can be used by stakeholders locally and in other countries