After three years of collaboration, we are proud to announce that we have completed our study exploring the feasibility of Precision Management of Epilepsy in South African Children. 

With grant funding from the Newton Fund, Aparito in collaboration with Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and University of Cape Town were able to design and deploy a digital solution for the monitoring of seizures, medication adherence and other outcomes in English and Afrikaans. 

Forty children living in rural and townships area consented to take part in the study, reporting a total of 287 seizures and 744 other clinical events, including patient-reported outcomes. The participants passively collected physical activity and sleep data for a total of 2377 days.

“The collaboration between UCT and Aparito has enabled us to understand the realities of families living with epilepsy. We have gained deeper insights into the genetic underpinnings of this complex disease as well as the challenges faced by the children attending our clinics, ranging from the simple daily task of remembering to give medications, to the difficulties of sleep and behavioural issues not previously recognised. Our multidisciplinary team has successfully met the challenge of introducing remote monitoring in an environment where resources and technical support are limited. With the Covid-19 pandemic demonstrating so clearly the importance of technology in health while also highlighting the stark inequalities in the world, there could not be a better time to use these insights to work towards the goal of realising the benefits of precision medicine for Africa”. 

Dr Karen Fieggen

“Our work for this project has also contributed significantly to our offerings in other global studies. Specifically, the ability to capture video-based assessments and the standardisation of seizure reporting from a caregiver’s point of view. This is certainly one of our first major studies that has enabled us to evolve and grow in our offering. We are very grateful for the close collaboration and the opportunity to now move it forward both in South Africa, and globally”. 

Dr Elin Haf Davies, CEO of Aparito

Scientific publications demonstrating the feasibility and technical lessons learnt and outlining the clinical insights gleaned from the study will be available shortly. 

Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital
Built in Cape Town in 1956, the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital is the first and only stand-alone tertiary hospital in sub-Saharan Africa dedicated entirely to child healthcare. We are a teaching hospital for the University of Cape Town, and provide training to paediatric healthcare professionals from the entire sub-continent. We also conduct ground-breaking research into the childhood illnesses that has a global impact.

University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town (UCT) is South Africa’s oldest university, and is one of Africa’s leading teaching and research institutions. UCT also has more than 80 specialist research units that provide supervision for postgraduate work and is home to more than a third of South Africa’s A-rated researchers – academics who are considered world leaders in their fields.

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