The goal of this project is to prevent unnecessary deaths due to cervical cancer in
Senegal. This mixed methods research responds to identified intrapersonal- and
community-level barriers to early cervical cancer screening uptake, follow-up, and
treatment among women in Senegal. Investigators will apply the Dynamic Adaptation Process
to study the adaptation of an evidence-based cervical cancer patient navigation program
in urban and rural contexts of Senegal, measure the intervention effectiveness, and
evaluate programmatic implementation outcomes.
Aim 1: Evaluate the adaptation process of the evidence-based Chinatown Patient Navigation
Program utilizing the Dynamic Adaptation Process across rural and urban contexts in
Kedougou and Dakar, Senegal. (n=6 clusters)
Aim 2: Conduct an effectiveness-implementation hybrid type 1 stepped-wedge randomized
pragmatic trial of the adapted patient navigation program across Kedougou and Dakar,
Senegal.
H1 - Participants who receive active navigation services will be more likely to get
screened for cervical cancer (primary outcome) and obtain treatment more rapidly. (n=370
women) H2 - Participants who receive patient navigation services and their partners will
experience or report fewer intrapersonal- and community-level barriers including
cancer-related stigma (secondary outcomes) and lack of autonomy in healthcare
decision-making. (n=740 women and men)
Aim 3: Evaluate the implementation outcomes9 (feasibility, acceptability, fidelity,
penetrance, sustainability, and cost) of The Adapted Patient Navigation Program across
multiple contexts in the Kedougou and Dakar regions, using mixed methods and guided by
the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) Framework.(n=96
participants across 6 clusters)
Aim 1 will adapt the evidence-based Chicago Chinatown Program into the urban and rural
Senegal contexts. Investigators will accomplish the EXPLORATION PHASE of Aim 1 by first
conducting a multilevel (system/ organization, provider, and client) assessment of
stakeholder characteristics relevant to the context of three districts in rural Kedougou
and three districts in urban Dakar, Senegal (randomly selected). Contextual assessment
will be iterative, capturing data at each interval of the stepped wedge approach. This
will continue to inform the iterative adaptation of the program. In the PREPARATION
PHASE, investigators will delineate the core elements and adaptable features of the
Chinatown Program and describe the iterative adaptation (guided and ad hoc), through a
participatory approach, of The Adapted Program across Kedougou and Dakar, Senegal. Next,
in the IMPLEMENTATION PHASE, Aim 2, investigators will conduct a stepped-wedge randomized
pragmatic trial in three districts in the Kedougou Region and three districts in Dakar to
evaluate the impact of The Adapted Program. In order to conduct this trial, investigators
will deploy The Adapted Program and evaluate the impact of The Adapted Program on
screening uptake and time to treatment initiation (for those with abnormal screening
results) within the various contexts across clusters. Investigators will also explore the
effect of The Adapted Program on intrapersonal- and community-level barriers. Finally,
during the SUSTAINMENT PHASE Aim 3 investigators will evaluate the implementation
outcomes of The Adapted Program within the context of these rural and urban districts.
Investigators will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, fidelity, penetrance,
sustainability, and cost of The Adapted Program as each district prepares, rolls out, and
sustains The Adapted Program in the Kedougou and Dakar regions.
Each of the six clusters completes all four Implementation steps (exploration,
preparation, implementation, and sustainment), with extensive initial support from
research team members during exploration, preparation, and implementation. Support
decreases gradually as clusters gain the experience to sustain patient navigation
activities. If successful, the health system will integrate patient navigation as a means
to facilitate the uptake of cervical cancer services and manage patients along the cancer
care continuum. Evaluation of the success of patient navigation is determined as follows:
For Aims 1 and 3, the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS)
framework guides the mixed methods analysis of success and contextual factors related to
success.
For Aim 2, investigators assess outcomes four times using participants' self-report
surveys and medical records.
At a time of major global health policy shifts, these results will provide strong
evidence for patient navigation policy decisions in low-income countries and will advance
implementation science.