“Building effective multidisciplinary primary health care teams for universal health coverage in Africa”

The year 2022 is due to be a crucial year for international action on strengthening primary healthcare systems, building back better after the COVID-19 pandemic. Building an effective primary health care team is essential now more than ever, with far-reaching consequences for the long-term health and resilience of communities and societies. In recovering from the global shock caused by COVID-19 – and the resulting damage to livelihoods, health, and sustainable development – governments are increasingly urged to prioritise a healthy and sustainable recovery by building resilient and effective primary health care systems that are ready and responsive to dynamic community needs. To this end, the Africa Forum for Primary Health Care is developing a policy document on building effective primary health care teams for universal health coverage in Africa, drawn from the contribution of front-line primary health care workers from across the African continent. To further this development, we would like to include case studies on the constitution and functioning of primary health care teams in different contexts and health systems.

What kind of case studies are we looking for?

We are looking for short, real-life stories about an initiative, project or advocacy campaign that highlight interdisciplinary and interprofessional teamwork being implemented within the African context, demonstrating person and family centered care and helping communities and societies transition to healthy populations. Sharing experiences of less successful case studies and lessons learned is also welcome.

What should a primary health care team case study look like?

Be solutions-driven: make sure your case study is a concrete and real-life example of progress being made on building a primary care team led by frontline primary health care workers

Be visual: share images, video or graphic elements if possible.

Be diverse: highlight different stakeholders and sectors driving positive change, such as representatives from cities, regions, businesses and civil society from sectors such as health, biodiversity, transport, economy and energy, as well as health professionals, scientists, policymakers, celebrities, local authorities and mayors, government representatives, representatives from vulnerable communities and youth leaders.

Be personal: show the people behind the initiative, and share at least 1 quote or personal perspective, ideally from a person directly involved in the process or from an expert in the field.

Be short and concise: limit your story to 1-1.5 page (1200 words max), if possible.

How to structure the case study

Introduction: Introduces the case, including the background and any relevant contextual information.

Aims: Describes the purpose of writing the case study and what you will showcase/highlight and the specific problems you were trying to solve.

Process: Explains how the multidisciplinary team was formed highlighting the stakeholders involved and strategies used, including any policy documents or any other documents, studies or examples used as a point of reference and citing important timelines and milestones/ breakthroughs.

Results/Impact:  Describes what you found through your process and what resulted from the formation and working of tne team at facility level and also at community level. Include statistics on any significant population health changes

Lessons Learnt:

Recommendations: Provides proposals for future action to solve the problem or improve the situation, e.g., by applying a particular kind of treatment or intervention.

How to submit a case study?

The case studies can be submitted via this online form or in text format (1200 words max), following the guiding questions, by email to info@afrophc.org. Complementing the case studies with visual materials, such as photos from the field, would be most welcome.

Interested organizations and individuals are also encouraged to demonstrate their case studies by submitting a short 1–2-minute video with footage and testimonials from the field, by email to info@afrophc.org. These recordings could be used to create an advocacy video “Building effective African primary health care team for universal health coverage” that will be projected at the 2023 AfroPHC Conference.

The deadline for submitting the case studies has been extended to 30th September, 2022. Winners will be announced by 31st October.

How will the case studies be used?

A selection of case studies will be incorporated into the AfroPHC policy document. The authors of these case studies will also be supported by AfroPHC to develop manuscripts for publication. The cases will also be featured on the AfroPHC website.

The best overall case study will receive an award of $ 400.

The most innovative case study will receive an award of $ 300.

The case study that best highlights community involvement and engagement will receive $ 300.

*Selected submissions will be further co-developed into case studies in collaboration with the AfroPHC team. Case studies aim to highlight the scope and diversity of ongoing efforts to strengthen primary health care systems around the continent.