Twenty years of Research Excellence
From generating locally relevant evidence to influencing global policy, APCA has established Africa as a hub for palliative care research, translating knowledge into tangible pain relief and improved quality of life across 35 countries.
APCA Centre of Research and Excellence
Officially inaugurated at the 8th International African Palliative Care Conference in Gaborone, Botswana, alongside the Gaborone Declaration signed by 25 African Ministers of Health.
This flagship initiative establishes Africa as a global hub for high-impact palliative care research, implementation science, and knowledge translation—hosting regional hubs at Makerere University, University of Cape Town, University of Zimbabwe, and University of Botswana.
Gaborone Declaration
Ministers committed to embedding research and data systems into national palliative care frameworks, ensuring evidence drives policy across the continent.
Transformative Research Impact
From the first African-led outcome measure to groundbreaking policy changes, our research has directly improved care delivery and saved lives across the continent.
📊 APCA Children's Palliative Care Outcome Scale (C-POS)
The first African-centred outcome measure for children with life-limiting conditions, now available in seven versions and adapted for use in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
- Implemented at Mulago National Hospital, Mildmay Uganda, and Kawempe Home Care
- 60+ multidisciplinary team members trained in person-centred assessment
- Strengthened communication with clinicians by 60%
- NIHR-funded validation with over 1,000 children and young people assessed
🌍 APCA Atlas for Palliative Care 2025
Comprehensive continental status update using 14 WHO indicators, launched at the Botswana conference with 103 trained regional consultants.
- Identified Uganda as the only African country achieving "Advanced" status
- 55% of African countries remain at "Emerging" level
- Updated from 2017 baseline with expanded indicator framework
- Informs national policy development and resource allocation
🧬 Game Change Initiative
Peer advocacy intervention for cervical cancer prevention in rural Uganda, reaching girls in informal caregiving roles who typically miss standard vaccination programs.
- Multi-partner initiative with Rand Corporation and Uganda Cancer Institute
- 63.8% screening uptake through peer advocacy vs 15.6% control
- 890 women reached with cervical cancer awareness
- 414 women screened through palliative care networks
💔 Grief & Bereavement Intervention
Community co-designed grief intervention piloted with Kitovu Mobile, training 181 lay counsellors with lived experience to support 180 bereaved households.
- CALM therapy pilot: 78% of patients improved distress within 2 visits
- Affectionate support increased 16.1 points in intervention vs 7.8 control
- Loss of sleep reduced from 52% to 20%
- Guidelines developed for routine palliative care integration
📱 mPalliative Digital Health
Mobile application developed with Leeds University enabling real-time symptom monitoring in refugee settlements and remote areas.
- 90% of users found platform easy for reporting symptoms
- 40% reduction in travel for healthcare
- Strengthened patient-clinician communication by 60%
- Increased patient confidence and self-management by 35%
🎓 Education Scholarship Impact
African Palliative Care Education Scholarship Fund partnership with Global Partners in Care, supporting nurses, clinical officers, and social workers.
- Training at Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care in Africa, Oxford Brookes, and Mildmay
- Scholars from Zimbabwe, Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, and beyond
- Specialized training in paediatric palliative care
- Leadership pipeline for national associations
African Palliative Care Research Network (APCRN)
A 400-member, open-access community generating, translating and owning African data on palliative and comprehensive chronic care.
Research Priority Areas (2025-2030)
Integration into PHC, oncology, HIV & NCD programmes
Supply-chain, pricing, regulation, opioid models
Symptom burden, transition, quality-of-life tools
Cost-utility of home-based vs hospital care
Care models for displaced populations
Tele-palliative care, mPall app, predictive algorithms
Strategic Partnerships
Collaboration with global leaders has amplified our research capacity and translated evidence into scalable solutions.
King's College London
Co-development of APCA C-POS; multi-country validation studies and academic mentorship for African researchers.
True Colours Trust
15+ years supporting Africa Small Grants Programme (295 sub-grants) and Palliative Care Photography Competition.
Global Partners in Care
Education Scholarship Fund (87 scholarships); co-hosts collaboration workshops at APCA conferences.
University of Navarra
Technical partnership for APCA Atlas, training 103 regional consultants in WHO indicators.
Irish Hospice Foundation
25-year partnership supporting grief research, CALM therapy pilots, and capacity building in Uganda.
University of Leeds
Development of mPalliative app for real-time symptom monitoring in resource-limited settings.