Study protocol for the development of a real-time interface showing the availability of breast and cervical cancer services in Ghana.

Sutherland, Edward Kofi; Smith, Justin Dean; Ofori-Boateng, Millicent; Kushitor, Sandra Boatemaa; Sarkwah, Hammond Nii; Kwanin, Bernard Agyei; Sward, Katherine Ann; Gouripeddi, Ramkiran; Manortey, Stephen Oluaku; Price, Matthew Dean; Rositch, Anne; Ngwa, Wil; Alder, Stephen Craig; Joshu, Corrine; Price, Raymond Richard

Background: The 5-year survival rates for breast and cervical cancers in Ghana are low in comparison to rates in developed countries. This striking disparity is attributed to numerous factors, including limited access and navigability to appropriate services. A one-time cross-sectional, hospital-based survey was performed by the University of Utah in collaboration with Ghana Health Services (GHS) and Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) from November, 2020 to October, 2021 so as to determine existing hospital-based breast and cervical cancer care services capacity and their geographic availability nationwide. This related information remains dynamic in nature and time. The current project employs a public-academic implementation science and research configuration to explore and develop a real-time interface (RTIF) showing the availability of breast and cervical cancer care services at hospital facilities in-country so as to anchor up-to-date data products for the government, private-sector, and patient-centric consumption. Methods and analysis: Multiple methods will be employed to achieve the study objectives between December 2023 to November 2024. The first three objectives shall focus on contextual, needs, and feasibility assessments guided by the domains and constructs within the updated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) during coding and thematic qualitative analysis. Using purposive sampling, breast and cervical cancer care service stakeholders shall be identified for individual in-depth interviews. The fourth objective will involve creating the RTIF prototype and piloting it in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The final and fifth objective shall employ the systems usability scale (SUS) amongst ten randomly selected individual stakeholders to assess the technical functionality of the interface. A nationwide scale-up shall follow this.

HEALTH facilities; BREAST cancer; CERVICAL cancer; MEDICAL care; CANCER treatment

PLoS ONE, 2024, Vol 19, Issue 10, p1

1932-6203

Academic Journal

10.1371/journal.pone.0312150