• A Keele researcher has taken healthcare strategies pioneered in North Staffordshire to help those suffering from osteoarthritis in West Africa. 
• Researchers from Keele’s Impact Accelerator Unit have previously developed a guidebook for osteoarthritis patients to offer advice, support, and resources to help them manage their conditions by themselves, but currently there is no culturally appropriate guide for patients living with osteoarthritis and joint pain in West Africa. 
• To combat this, Dr Opeyemi Babatunde from Keele’s School of Medicine has been working with researchers, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to explore how these resources, tools, and guides produced by Keele researchers can be contextualised and adapted for use in Nigeria and other countries. 

From Keele to Nigeria 

A Keele researcher has taken healthcare strategies pioneered in North Staffordshire to help those suffering from osteoarthritis in West Africa. 

Osteoarthritis is a common and debilitating condition affecting joint health, which is also becoming increasingly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).  

Despite clinical evidence showing that exercise and weight-control are the most effective strategies for managing osteoarthritis, many patients in LMICs turn to community pharmacies and drug stores as a first choice, or self-medicate with unsafe over-the-counter medicines.  

Researchers from Keele’s Impact Accelerator Unit have previously developed a guidebook for osteoarthritis patients to offer advice, support, and resources to help them manage their conditions by themselves, but currently there is no culturally appropriate guide for patients living with osteoarthritis and joint pain in West Africa. 

To combat this, Dr Opeyemi Babatunde from Keele’s School of Medicine has over the past two years been working with researchers, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to explore how these pre-existing resources, tools, and guides produced by Keele researchers can be contextualised and adapted for use in Nigeria and other LMICs. 

Empowering osteoarthritis patients 

The goal of the Joint Implementation of Guidelines for OSteoArthritis in West-Africa (JIGSAW-A) project is to empower patients with osteoarthritis in West-African countries with high-quality, accessible information, and to support health professionals locally to deliver contextualised, high-quality osteoarthritis care in line with guidelines. 

The project involved multiple phases, featuring focus groups discussions with patients, carers, and community pharmacies and their teams, as well as working together with various partners to contextualize and refine tools for managing OA patients in West Africa. 

The JIGSAW-A model of care has been well received, gaining endorsements from the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), the Nigerian Society of Physiotherapists (NSP) and the Ministry of Health (Oyo-State). 

Collaborating across continents 

Dr Babatunde said: “Leading West-Africa's first guideline informed implementation project to improve care for osteoarthritis has been a privilege. More importantly, I salute the brilliance, effort and commitment of the team who embraced the vision, our country lead, Dr Oladapo Adetunji of the faculty of Pharmacy University of Ibadan, our collaborating partners, stakeholders and patient representatives.  

“JIGSAW-Africa is about overcoming challenges and embracing possibilities. The fourth and final phase of JIGSAW-A pilot in Nigeria will see us sitting down again with key stakeholders to evaluate our overall study findings, explore barriers and facilitators of evidence-based care for Osteoarthritis in West Africa and co-develop an implementation strategy that will support wider scale-up and scale out of JIGSAW-A in Nigeria and widely in Africa.”