Caring for Providers to Improve Patient Experience (CPIPE) Intervention

Patience Afulani, PhD (image source UCSF)

Global Programs Kenya led research to address maternal health disparities in low- and middle-income countries, where 800 pregnancy-related deaths occur daily. In sub-Saharan Africa, many women, particularly from low socioeconomic backgrounds, do not deliver in health facilities, leading to poor outcomes. To address this, the "Caring for Providers to Improve Patient Experience" (CPIPE) intervention was developed (PI: Dr. Patience Afulani, UCSF OBGYN). CPIPE focuses on provider training, peer support, mentorship, embedded champions, leadership engagement, and promoting equitable and respectful care to tackle key drivers of poor person-centered maternal care, such as stress, burnout, and bias.

In July, Advances in Global Health published "Implementation of the Caring for Providers to Improve Patient Experience Intervention in Migori County, Kenya: Challenges, Successes, and Lessons." Authors include Beryl Ogolla (Global Programs Kenya), Linnet Ongeri (KEMRI), Edwina Oboke (Global Programs Kenya), Monica Getahun (UCSF IGHS), Joyceline Kinyua (KEMRI), Iscar Oluoch (Migori County Government, Kenya), James Oduor (Migori County Referral Hospital, Kenya), and Patience Afulani (UCSF IGHS).

UCSF Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Alison Comfort

Left to right are Alison Comfort (UCSF PI), Hadija Nalubwama (Research Manager Makerere University), Umar Senoga (Research Assistant), Sylivia Katusabe (Research Assistant), and Sherinah Nakalembe (Research Assistant)

Dr. Alison Comfort's work with Global Programs in Kampala, Uganda, has laid a strong foundation for advancing maternal health research through successful collaboration and streamlined coordination with local counterparts, including Makerere University. This collaboration has been pivotal in implementing groundbreaking studies such as the START ANC project, which aims to improve maternal and fetal health outcomes by encouraging earlier antenatal care (ANC) initiation.

In her current research, Comfort (along with Drs. Josaphat Byamugisha, Alison El Ayadi, and Cynthia Harper) is exploring how social networks—comprised of partners, family, and community members—can influence when pregnant women seek ANC. The START ANC study, involving 250 women at Kawempe National Referral Hospital, investigates how these networks can be leveraged to promote earlier ANC visits, with a focus on how HIV status may affect this dynamic. 

The strong support and coordination provided by the Global Programs Uganda team has enabled her to focus on research that has the potential to significantly impact maternal health outcomes in Uganda, further strengthening the relationship between her team and their local partners.

Comfort says, “It has been a pleasure to work with Peruth Kyomugisha on this project, and I look forward to our continued collaboration.”

Global Programs Tanzania helps faculty investigators get project back on track

Mariastella Njau

On the morning of September 21, 2023, a fire in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania destroyed the study laboratory of Dr. Teresa Kortz, UCSF associate professor of Clinical Pediatrics. The laboratory, which is a crucial part of her NIH research project, is operated in collaboration with Dr. Joel Manyahi, a clinical microbiologist at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the fire resulted in the complete loss of all laboratory equipment and consumables, bringing the project to a halt having enrolled only half of the target sample size.

Kortz immediately reached out to Global Programs Tanzania for assistance. The staff, particularly Project Support Officer Mariastella Njau, quickly mobilized to contact vendors, arrange rapid payments, and coordinate deliveries. With their support, the necessary equipment and consumables were replaced, allowing the study to resume subject enrollment in less than three months. What initially seemed like a major setback turned into a testament to the efficiency of Global Programs, highlighting their unwavering commitment to supporting UCSF research.