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

President and Fellows of Harvard College

Status: Completed

Conditions: Neoplasms; HIV; Healthcare Disparity

Treatments: Other: Potlako intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02752061

BHP078

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Enrollment: 979 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Citizen of Botswana
• Suspected or diagnosed cancer

Exclusion criteria

• Involuntary incarceration

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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979 participants in 2 patient groups

Kweneng East District

Experimental group

Description:

Patient presenting with possible cancer symptoms/sign to a clinic or hospital in Kweneng East District during study period.

Treatment:

Other: Potlako intervention

All other districts

No Intervention group

Description:

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).