Strengthening diagnosis, management and surveillance of NCDs within the CBC Health Services, Cameroon

Objectives

1. To pilot an EMR system with an integrated NCD registry in an urban and rural setting.
2. To train nurses and GPs in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with diabetes and hypertension.
3. To improve quality of services in diabetes clinics in CBCHS facilities and increase awareness on NCDs.

Approach

Initially the project will lay out structures for implementation through: a) establishment of faculty for development of data collection forms; b) procurement of equipment for the Electronic Medical Record (EMR); c) development of training materials; d) procurement of equipment for upgrading of diabetes clinics; and e) development and review of IEC material.

Once the project structures are in place the project will start with capacity building of data entry clerks (two days) in gathering and entering clinical data into the EMR. Following this the EMR system incl. integrated diabetes and hypertension registry will be rolled out in three of CBCHS main hospitals. Registries will include data on diabetes and hypertension according to recommendations from IDF. The collected data will feed into national data collection structures.

Diabetes services at CBC health facilities across six of Cameroons ten regions will then be strengthened through capacity building of nurses from across CBCHS who will be trained in screening and management of diabetes and general practitioners from across CBCHS who will undergo a refresher course on diabetes and hypertension. Finally, selected nurses from ten targeted diabetes clinics will be trained as diabetes educators and selected CBC diabetes clinics will be strengthened through provision of basic equipment and IEC materials.

Awareness raising and screening campaigns will be rolled out in targeted communities around the ten strengthened clinics and supervision and routine monitoring will be done based on a range of WDF aligned indicators. Monitoring and evaluation of project results will be based on baseline and end-line surveys as well as project evaluation.

Results at completion

Electronic patient registry established
15 data entry clerks trained in electronic data management of D&H patients
180 nurses trained in NCD diagnosis and management
42 GPs trained in NCD diagnosis and management
4,028 diabetes patients treated in clinics (and registered in the EMR system)
36 nurses trained in diabetes education
11 diabetes clinics strengthened
14 peer educators trained in diabetes education and awareness raising
10 communities reached with information on diabetes and risk factors for NCDs in general.