Innovation/Program Intervention

Title: Interprofessional Student‑Run Free Clinic for NCD Screening in Ghana
Author: Bismark Kojo Amoh
Area of Concentration (Petal): Global Health
Specialty: Community Medicine
Keywords: Student‑Run Clinic, Hypertension Screening, Diabetes, Health education

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Ghana, mostly due to limited access to early detection and management. Prior feasibility studies by my team demonstrated strong interest in an interprofessional student-run free clinic initiative from faculty, the Ghana Health Service, and local communities. Consequently, we designed a student-run free clinic (SRFC) program to be led and implemented by student leaders from schools of medicine, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, and laboratory sciences, to expand preventive services and build local capacity. 

Objectives:

1. Train student leaders in leadership, interprofessional collaboration, community entry, and clinical screening protocols, and assist with volunteer recruitment.
2. Procure supplies for clinic implementation and assist with logistical planning
3. Pilot an 8‑week SRFC for hypertension and diabetes screening, initial management, and referral.
4. Assess the feasibility, clinical impact, and educational benefits of the program for student participants.

Design: 15 student leaders completed a 5‑week training covering leadership skills, interprofessional teamwork, community engagement strategies, and clinical procedures. Student leaders were organized into subgroups (Training & Standards, recruitment and scheduling, Community outreach, Finance and logistics), each tasked with leading their domain during the upcoming pilot. Beginning in the coming months, interprofessional teams will operate the SRFC on weekends, screening community members using standardized blood pressure and capillary glucose measurements. The team at DGSOM will analyze de-identified patient and student survey data.

Impact/Effectiveness: Preliminary post‑training surveys demonstrate enhanced student leader confidence in leadership and interprofessional collaboration readiness. After the pilot implementation, a full evaluation of clinic feasibility, screening outcomes (new diagnoses, control rates, referral completion), and patient satisfaction will be conducted.

Lessons Learned: Early stakeholder engagement, flexible scheduling to accommodate students and community needs, and clear role delineation among leadership groups are critical to training success. Institutional support facilitates resource mobilization and sustainability, and Institutional approval, if delayed, can significantly impact implementation. 

Summary: This SRFC model integrates structured leadership training with community‑based NCD screening to enhance local health capacity and student competencies. If effective, the framework offers a scalable approach for similar underserved settings.