P3326 - Translations in Care: A Pilot Study on Improving H. pylori Education Among High-Risk Patients in Rwanda During Rwandan Endoscopy Week

Bao Sean H. Nguyen, MD¹, Alex Zhornitskiy, MD², Zainab Ingabire, MD³, Eric Rutaganda, MD⁴, Sartajdeep Kahlon, MD⁵, Gordon P Bensen, BA⁶, Matthew Bryan, BA⁷, Arlina Aviles, RN⁵, Kenechukwu Chudy-Onwugaje, MD⁸, Kuldeep Tagore, MD⁹, Michael Lawson, MD⁵, Vincent Dusabejambo, MD⁴, Steve Bensen, MD^10
1UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA; ²University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA; ³University of Kigali, Sacramento, CA; ⁴University of Rwanda, Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda; ⁵UC Davis Health, Sacramento, CA; ⁶Harvard Medical School, Jamaica Plain, MA; ⁷Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; ⁸Memorial Hospital Belleville, Belleville, IL; ⁹University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA; ¹⁰Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Norwich, VT

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a well-known colonizer of the human upper gastrointestinal tract that can cause peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. In Rwanda, the prevalence of H. pylori was found to be 75%. Despite the high prevalence of H. pylori in Rwanda, there have been no studies focused on improving patient education on the topic.

Methods: In collaboration with colleagues at the University of Rwanda School of Medicine and Pharmacy and Rwanda Society for Endoscopy, an informational brochure was created outlining the background, risks, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of H. pylori and translated into the most commonly spoken language in Rwanda (Kinyarwanda). Copies of the brochure were coupled with an internally developed Likert scale-based survey, which was also translated into Kinyarwanda. During Rwandan Endoscopy Week 6 in November 2023, the translated brochure and survey (in English and Kinyarwanda) were distributed to patients who were clinically suspected to have H. pylori infection. The primary outcome was to evaluate subjective measures of patient understanding of H. pylori infection and treatment as well as appreciation of the intervention.

Results: A total of 81 information brochures and surveys were distributed across 3 clinical sites in Rwanda. 90% of patients completed the survey in Kinyarwanda. Prior to reading the brochure, 45.7% of the patients were aware of the worldwide prevalence of H. pyloriand 58% were aware of the associated risks of gastric ulcers and gastric cancer. After reading the survey, over 94% of patients felt that they understood H. pylori infection better and 96 % understood H. pylori treatment better. 100% of patients appreciated receiving the brochure in Kinyarwanda.

Discussion: Distributing informational brochures in Kinyarwanda to patients who were clinically suspected to have H. pylori infection increased patient understanding of H. pylori infection and treatment. Patient appreciation for the informational brochures was unanimous. These findings highlight the utility of providing educational materials in patients’ languages of preference. Future research goals include expansion of this translated project to more clinical sites across Rwanda and translation of brochures for other commonly seen gastroenterological conditions.


Disclosures:


Bao Sean H. Nguyen, MD¹,Alex Zhornitskiy, MD², Zainab Ingabire, MD³, Eric Rutaganda, MD⁴, Sartajdeep Kahlon, MD⁵, Gordon P Bensen, BA⁶, Matthew Bryan, BA⁷, Arlina Aviles, RN⁵, Kenechukwu Chudy-Onwugaje, MD⁸, Kuldeep Tagore, MD⁹, Michael Lawson, MD⁵, Vincent Dusabejambo, MD⁴, Steve Bensen, MD¹⁰. P3326 - Translations in Care: A Pilot Study on Improving H. pylori Education Among High-Risk Patients in Rwanda During Rwandan Endoscopy Week, ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Philadelphia, PA: American College of Gastroenterology.