Digitally Integrated Care Pathways for Multiple Long Term Conditions Management in Primary Care, Sri Lanka.
About the Study
This project aims to enhance care for multiple long-term conditions in Sri Lankan primary care by using digitally integrated care pathways (DICPs) comprising electronic health records, clinical decision support tool, automatic feedback and patient-facing application. Each component of the DICP will be co-developed and evaluated for clinical, implementation and cost effectiveness.
Long-term health conditions are increasingly common in low-and-middle-income countries, leading to disability and early death. In Sri Lanka, many people suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and mental health conditions. Managing multiple conditions is challenging and leads to poor health outcomes.
Our project aims to improve care for people with multiple long-term conditions in Sri Lanka using electronic health records (OpenMRS), OpenClinical and DExtER, to create a digitally integrated care pathway (DICP). The DICP will standardise care and enhance patient experience through digital technologies.
The project consists of six work packages (WPs)
- WP1 involves the establishment of a Stakeholder Consultation Group (SCG) to provide ongoing guidance and support.
- WP2 consists of a mixed-methods rapid evaluation of existing primary care pathways, followed by a stakeholder-led process to prioritise recommendations for improvement.
- WP3 focuses on co-designing and co-producing the DICP, working iteratively with Sri Lankan software developers and the SCG.
- WP4 will implement and test the DICP through a cluster randomised controlled trial in 50 primary care medical units.
- WP5 will conduct a process evaluation to assess feasibility and adoption, while WP6 will carry out an economic evaluation to determine the intervention’s long-term sustainability within the Sri Lankan healthcare system.