Resources

From our collaborative efforts with various stakeholders to address their challenges, PATH's Living Labs has compiled valuable lessons learned and actionable recommendations for adoption and ownership by health care workers, ministries of health, and other stakeholders.

This report—the final report of the New Nets Project—presents the primary results of the New Nets Project pilot evaluations across 16 districts in Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Rwanda. Emphasis is on the epidemiological impact outcomes, along with important contextual outcomes related to entomology, insecticide-treated net durability, and human behavior.

Although palliative care is often mistakenly associated only with end of life, it is just as important as ongoing treatment as chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and surgery. Palliative care is a specialized kind of care that works with your regular, ongoing treatment to support and sustain a person physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Studies show those who include palliative care in ongoing cancer treatment not only enjoy better quality of life, but also may live longer.PATH’s Susan G Komen funded project tackled improving the quality of life of patients and their families facing breast cancer in Peru, by engaging local and international champions to create and validate a palliative care patient education curriculum for incorporation into a national program of patient navigation. The patient navigation approach of community and patient outreach developed by PATH has been taken up regionally and nationally in Peru, with validated curricula and training of navigators. PATH is now supporting the growth and expansion of patient navigation activities into the area of palliative care.This course has enhanced the Peruvian National Cancer Institute’s palliative care program and other hospitals with palliative care units, while providing additional content to train nurses for future patient navigation training and services for patients and their families.Several materials were produced, including a reference manual for use by nurse teachers and visual materials for interactive instruction with patients and families. The curriculum has been qualitatively evaluated with nurses, clinicians, patients, and family members during the implementation period.Women with breast cancer and their families will continue to benefit by having access to timely and accurate information on palliative care, as will other cancer patients. Nurse patient navigators will continue to benefit by having access to culturally relevant, clinically appropriate, and locally validated teaching materials.

Universal health coverage (UHC) is a critical global health goal, aimed at ensuring that all individuals and communities have access to essential health services without experiencing the financial hardship.The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the significance of robust health care systems and the need for UHC. Serving as a catalyst for transformative change by urging nations to prioritize health as a fundamental human right, the pandemic has highlighted the necessity for solidarity in addressing health challenges, and emphasized the value of preparedness, resilience, and inclusivity in health systems. The lessons learned from the pandemic inspire us toward a renewed commitment to building resilient, equitable, and accessible health care systems for the well-being of all.Led by Population Services International, and with support from UNITAID, PATH India implemented the STAR Africa, Asia, Americas COVID-19 Preparedness (3ACP) project, examining various aspects of COVID-19 diagnostics. This multi-country project involved a consortium of partners across several nations. The project yielded valuable insights into the feasibility and effectiveness of antigen-detection rapid diagnostic tests and self-testing in different settings.Additionally, it generated knowledge on procurement and supply chain practices for COVID-19 diagnostic products. The documentation of treatment guidelines and protocols also offered insights into best practices and challenges, highlighting the implementation and utilization of AI tools for screening and diagnosis. Evidence generated from this project has the potential to contribute significantly to national guidelines and pandemic preparedness efforts.PATH has developed and disseminated high-quality, reliable, and ready-reference knowledge products, such as guidance documents on patient support groups, technical briefs, COVID-19 clinical management protocols, and more.

Simple technologies like pulse oximeters offer a lifeline to those who urgently need oxygen to breathe. Yet, these devices are often not available in low-resource settings, suited for children who need them most, or perform accurately on darker skin tones. Growing evidence suggests that pulse oximeters can overestimate oxygen saturation in the blood of patients with darker skin pigmentation—leading to delayed or inadequate medical treatment, often with tragic consequences.PATH, through its Tools for Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (TIMCI) initiative and with support from Unitaid, has partnered with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Open Oximetry Project to improve access to appropriate and accurate pulse oximeters for every patient, regardless of skin tone.