# Adaptation and Implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines to Improve Stroke Outcomes in Zambia

> **NIH NIH K01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $185,398

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of this K01 application is to provide an individualized program of mentored research training for Dr.
Deanna Saylor, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine. Dr. Saylor has been based full-time in Zambia since 2018 where, in collaboration with local
stakeholders, she has launched the first neurology inpatient unit and first neurology post-graduate training
program in the country. Dr. Saylor is applying for an International Research Scientist Development Award to
gain skills and experience in implementation science research. Combined with her background in clinical and
epidemiological research, this new skillset will uniquely position her to both generate new knowledge and help
develop care systems that effectively implement new knowledge to improve patient outcomes. The research
plan outlined in this application leverages the developing system of neurological care in Zambia to understand
current stroke care practices at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH; Zambia's national referral hospital),
develop locally relevant stroke clinical practice guidelines, and examine the effect of their implementation on
stroke outcomes. Since stroke is the second leading cause of adult disability and mortality worldwide and
stroke prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa is amongst the highest in the world, these data are urgently needed to
address this national, regional, and global health problem. The proposed research includes a pre-intervention
prospective cohort of patients with stroke at UTH to characterize current stroke care clinical practices and
stroke outcomes (aim 1). A stroke working group including relevant stakeholders will then be convened to
investigate community, patient, provider, and health systems factors leading to difficulty achieving stroke
quality measures and optimal outcomes. The Adopt-Contextualize-Adapt framework will then be used to
develop locally relevant clinical practice guidelines from international stroke guidelines for implementation (aim
2). These guidelines will then be implemented, and a post-intervention observational cohort study conducted
to examine their impact on achieving stroke quality measures and improving stroke outcomes. This K01 will
also support Dr. Saylor's training goals which include gaining additional training and mentorship in the following
key areas: (1) implementation science frameworks and methodology; (2) qualitative data methods and
analysis; (3) stroke clinical research methods, especially aspects unique to global settings; and (4) developing
an international network of collaborators for future large-scale and generalizability studies. In order to achieve
these goals, Dr. Saylor has established an international team of mentors with expertise in implementation
science, qualitative studies, stroke research, neurology research in sub-Saharan Africa, and stroke center
development in international settings. This award will...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10490455
- **Project number:** 5K01TW011771-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** DEANNA Rae Saylor
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $185,398
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-22 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10490455

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10490455, Adaptation and Implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines to Improve Stroke Outcomes in Zambia (5K01TW011771-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10490455. Licensed CC0.

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