This study, authored by Dr. Cecilia Straw, Dr. Victoria Sánchez Antelo, Dr. Racquel Kohler, Dr. Melisa Paolino, Dr. Kasisomayajula Viswanath and Dr. Silvina Arrossi, reveals the high acceptability and positive assessment of the ATICA strategy to increase adherence to triage of women with positive HPV by health-care providers and decision-makers, as well as the barriers to its implementation.

These results have important implications for middle and low-income countries implementing or considering implementing HPV self-collection with mHealth interventions to ensure high adherence to follow up and make progress toward the WHO targets to eliminate cervical cancer.

The ATICA Project for breast cancer directed by Dr. Melisa Paolino, which aims to increase access to mammographic studies and thus improve women’s health ended. This project is carried out by the Center for the Study of State and Society with the Cancer Control Agency of Santa Fe, funded by the National Cancer Institute’s Financial Assistance V for Cancer Research.

Preliminary results were presented at the meeting and a fruitful exchange took place with the participation of the Director of the Cancer Control Agency of Santa Fe and representatives of the health Centers involved.

Arrossi S, Paolino M, Sanchez Antelo V, Thouyaret L, Kohler E, Cuberli M, Flores L, Serra V, Viswanath K Orellana L. Effectiveness of an mHealth intervention to increase adherence to triage of HPV DNA positive women who have performed self-collection (the ATICA study): a hybrid type I cluster randomized effectiveness-implementation trial. Lancet Reg. Health-Americas, Volume 9, May 2022, 100199 doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2022.100199

The scientific journal The Lancet, in its regional edition for the Americas, published the results of the ATICA Study, in which more than 200 community health workers and more than 5,300 women from the province of Jujuy participated. The cluster-randomized study evaluated the effectiveness of sending text messages (SMS) as a tool to increase access to Pap smears (triage Pap) for women with a positive self-sampling HPV test.

The ATICA Study was led by Dr. Silvina Arrossi, Principal Investigator of CONICET. It was carried out in the province of Jujuy by the Center for State and Society Studies (CEDES) together with the National Cancer Institute (INC) of Argentina, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute of Harvard University in the United States, the Deakin University of Australia and the Ministry of Health in the province of Jujuy. It was funded by the National Cancer Institute of Argentina and the US National Institutes of Health.

October 16, 2019

On Wednesday, October 16th, an official event for the formal ending of fieldwork was carried out. This event included the prominent presence of the Minister of Health of the province of Jujuy, Dr. Gustavo Bouhid, and that of Dr. Julia Ismael, Director of the National Cancer Institute. Over 400 people participated in the event, including international and national researchers, health authorities, and healthcare technicians and professional of the province of Jujuy. The event was also an opportunity for the 235 community health workers and the 51 supervisors of the PHC which carried out the recruitment of the women to evaluate and share their vision on the ATICA Strategy and the possible obstacles and facilitators in its implementation as a public health policy. To conclude the event, the community health workers of the six (6) health areas that recruited the largest number of women received public recognition.

October 15, 2019

On Tuesday, October 15th, in the city of San Salvador de Jujuy, the second international meeting of the ATICA Study team took place. The principal investigator of the Study, Silvina Arrossi, led the encounter. Participants included members of the CEDES, Harvard University, Deakin University, the National Cancer Institute and the Ministry of Health of Jujuy. During the event, the processes and outcomes of the fieldwork were evaluated, and some activities related to the study were planned for the following year. The meeting had a very positive outcome, as it not only allowed each of the institutions which participate in the study to share their opinions and perspectives, it also started laying the foundation for the strategic scaling-up of ATICA in the whole province as a public health policy.

July 10 – 12, 2019

The PI of the ATICA Study, Silvina Arrossi attended the First Annual Implementation Science Consortium in Cancer (ISCC), organized by The National Cancer Institute in Rockville (Maryland/EEUU) July 10 – 12, 2019.

July 15, 2019

On July 15, two of the main researchers of the ATICA Study, Dr. Silvina Arrossi and Dr. Vish Viswanath, held a meeting in the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. They talked about the successful completion of the field work of the ATICA Study and discussed aspects to be considered in the data processing plan.

July 16, 2019

The two hundred (200) CHW (Community Health Workers) selected to participate in the ATICA Study, had projected to recruit four thousand (4000) women. The field work began in December 2018 and ended on June 30 of this year, with the remarkable result of more than five thousand five hundred (5500) women recruited. This important figure, that exceeded the initial goal, shows the commitment of the CHWand the Primary Health Care Team of the province of Jujuy with this research project.

June 10^th to 13^th, 2019

For the purpose of updating information and acquiring knowledge, forging relationships, and broadcasting the ATICA Study, Dr. Victoria Sánchez Antelo participated in the Conference “Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) & Health 2.0 Europe” in Helsinki, where technological developers, health experts, and European and North American political leaders were gathered to work on healthcare digitization. Some of the most relevant issues were related to: integrating health & social care, home care and aging; promoting a secure, ethical and actionable flow of data for prevention, health management, personalized health and research and the scope of artificial intelligence health in clinical settings.

For more information, visit:
https://www.himsseuropeconference.eu/helsinki/2019/news/himss-and-health-20-take-most-influential-digital-health-conference-finland