Improving access to mobility related assistive devices for hip fracture patients in The Gambia

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Assistive devices can have a positive impact on the health and well-being of a person with limited mobility and theirfamily. Given population aging and the inevitable rise in non-communicable disease prevalence, WHO hasprojected that global assistive technology needs will rise to 2 billion by 2030. Despite this urgent, unmet need,reliable data on assistive technology are scarce. Furthermore, Preliminary findings from [Fractures E3] study,suggest that fragility fractures in South Africa, The Gambia, and Zimbabwe may have life-changing impacts onindividuals and families. Findings specifically from The Gambia indicate that some people who have sustained hipfractures have no or limited access to mobility-related assistive devices. The proposed PhD broadly aims to identifyoutcomes and access to resources following hip fracture, according to care pathways, and develop novelapproaches to improving access to mobility-related assistive devices.To meet these aims I propose to i) Undertake a retrospective cohort study of hip fracture patients in The Gambia toestimate patient and health-related outcomes across traditional and modern hip fracture care pathways ii) Conductqualitative interviews in selected areas of rural and urban Gambia to identify the barriers to receiving assistivedevices iii) Conduct a feasibility study for the participatory co-design of an intervention or strategy to improveaccess to assistive devices for hip fracture patients in The Gambia.