What is COLMA?

The COLMA (Co-morbid Long-term Disease Management in the Americas) project focuses on improving healthcare for vulnerable populations in Peru and Argentina who suffer from chronic comorbid conditions, including depression, hypertension, and diabetes. These conditions, which often occur together, pose significant challenges for effective treatment within under-resourced healthcare systems.

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Project aims

1. Understand local contexts: Explore the barriers, enablers, and challenges in healthcare delivery for chronic comorbid conditions in Peru and Argentina.

2. Develop an Integrated Intervention: Co-develop and adapt innovative, evidence-based intervention strategies in partnership with local stakeholders, combining community-based support, digital tools, and primary care services.

3. Evaluate Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness: Assess the clinical outcomes, implementation fidelity, and economic value of the intervention through a cluster randomized controlled trial.

4. Empower Communities: Strengthen the role of community health workers and foster peer collaboration through support groups, improving self-care and health outcomes.

5. Build Capacity and Foster Knowledge Exchange: Deliver training programmes, workshops, and webinars to enhance research and implementation capacity in Peru, Argentina, and other Latin American countries.

6. Promote Sustainability and Scalability: Generate evidence for the programme’s expansion and long-term integration into health systems across Latin America.

The intervention

The intervention combines the following elements:
● A mobile app will enable participants to access educational health resources, register health information, and communicate with community health workers.
● Community Health Workers (CHWs) will provide support to the participants and monitor their progress through the intervention via a web dashboard.
● Community Support Groups will encourage peer collaboration and empowerment for better self-management of chronic conditions.

Impact

The COLMA project aims to improve healthcare for vulnerable populations in Peru and Argentina by addressing the challenges of managing depression, hypertension, and diabetes together.
Key Impacts:

  1. Better Health Outcomes: Improve the mental and physical health of patients through integrated care and support.
  2. Empowered Communities: Train community health workers and establish peer support groups to strengthen self-care and health awareness.
  3. Stronger Primary Care: Enhance the ability of local healthcare systems to manage chronic conditions more effectively.
  4. Scalable Solutions: Develop a model that can be adapted and expanded to other regions in Latin America.
  5. Economic Benefits: Reduce healthcare costs by improving treatment efficiency and enabling better self-management of chronic conditions.