Adaptation and Implementation of a Patient Navigation Program for Cervical Cancer Screening Across Contexts in Senegal

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.