TRACCTION

The TRACCTION Project

Cervical cancer, in Tanzania it's the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer, but hope is not lost! Because, if detected early, it IS curable. There are a variety of reasons why access to the necessary healthcare for women can be very difficult. And to add insult to injury, these hurdles are vastly understudied and we need to start looking into them locally, investigate the way the affected women experience their illness and how they may also turn to the use of traditional medicine. And we cannot forget that with such a severe diagnosis there comes stigma and different pieces of information start circulating, not all of them true. In this turbulent and vulnerable state, it becomes difficult for many to keep track of their follow-up care, especially if they live in more rural areas. And this is only the tip of the iceberg...

Now TRACCTION is a study that tries to understand the barriers and facilitators surrounding the crucial and often life-saving pre-cancer screening and if necessary the treatment and cervical cancer care for women in southeast Tanzania.

How does TRACCTION work?

Methods and analysis

There will be a randomised cross sectional survey in two stages for women who are 18 or older and qualitative data from women, men, community health workers and health providers will be collected through diverse methods, plus a wide public health facility record linkage of patients who access cervical cancer pre-screening and treatment. Through its transdisciplinary approach, TRACCTION will inform a participatory process with a variety of stakeholders to ultimately formulate cervical cancer education and policy recommendations.

Ethics and Dissemination

This study received ethical approval in Tanzania and Switzerland. Before data collection begins, informed written consent will be obtained from each study participant. We have obtained ethical approval for a waiver of informed consent to retrospectively analyse health facility records related to study objectives. A Policy and Technical Advisory Group, comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders including community members, will co-design a policy and service delivery analysis, followed by recommendations and a dissemination plan for each stakeholder group. Study results for each work package will be published in peer reviewed articles and shared with researchers at relevant conferences globally.

Strenghts of TRACCTION

MULTI-DIMENTIONAL● Through innovative qualitative and quantitative methods, this study will iteratively explore, capture and compare the nuanced, multi-dimensional factors which affect women’s access to cervical pre-cancer and cervical cancer knowledge, screening, treatment and care in town and rural areas.

BROAD DATA● Data will be collected from a variety of relevant actors including women and men from semi-urban and rural communities, community health workers, traditional healers, health providers from a public facility and public health administrators.

TRANSDISCIPLINARY● A transdisciplinary approach will bring together and validate the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, including community members, to co-create education and service implementation strategies and policy proposals.