Increased awareness of and access to diabetes and tuberculosis care, WDF15-1276

Objectives

• Raise awareness of diabetes and TB among the general population
• Train physicians, nurses, pharmacists and community health workers to treat and monitor diabetes and TB with the help of mobile phone technology
• Establish electronic diabetes-TB registry (DTR) for effective monitoring and managing the 2 diseases

Approach

The project activities include:

• Establish a ‘diabetes-TB management and monitoring unit’ (DTMMU) at the provincial hospital and mobilise primary level care facilities, CHWs and local communities across the province
• Build capacity of the DTMMU and of CHWs at primary level through differentiated training (conducted by applicant institution and by local experts) based on existing PNG TB/diabetes guidelines
• Prepare and roll out awareness (including radio/tv broadcasts) and screening campaigns by trained CHWs out of the targeted primary level facilities; provide care to diagnosed cases at primary level or refer to the provincial hospital
• Further build capacity (second year) of the DTMMU and CHWs through implementation of a m-health component based on mobile phone voice recognition technology
• Strengthen patient registries through implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR) system including through provision of equipment to primary level facilities
• Monitor impact and outcome based on outreach site visits combined with m-health and EMR data collection

Expected result

• 10 doctors, 10 nurses, and 200 CHWs trained and 25 primary level care facilities provided capacity building including basic screening and awareness material; provincial hospital/DTMMU structures to possess strengthened overall province capacity towards TB and diabetes
• At least 40,000 people reached across the various communities and at least 20,000 people screened
• Various clinical indicators to be monitored, in particular those based on new m-health technology and EMR system