PROTOCOL FOR FAITHSAVE: INTEGRATING COMMUNITY-BASED SURVEILLANCE OF SUDDEN DEATH WITH COMMUNITY FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING IN NIGERIA
Authors & Affiliations
Maduka DC, Ibrahim EA, Enwerem MO, Aliche IG, Jibrin SR, Muhammad NS, Ohabunwa EG, Odili AN
📖 Abstract Content
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major but poorly documented cause of mortality in Nigeria. Most deaths occur outside health facilities and go unrecorded in the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system. Weak emergency services and low bystander BLS rates limit survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Faith-based organisations offer a trusted, far-reaching platform for community surveillance and response.
To develop and pilot a faith-based model for community surveillance of sudden cardiac death, integrated with Community First Responder training and linked to Nigeria's health information and CRVS systems.
A nationwide, state-level programme will be implemented through faith-based organisations, using a mixed-methods implementation research design guided by Community-Based Participatory Research principles. Two pilot studies among Christian and Muslim communities will assess clergy knowledge, death-reporting practices, and organisational readiness, informing co-designed surveillance tools and training materials. A two-phase training programme will combine online learning via the Amity Health Knowledge Hub with practical Basic Life Support, community surveillance, and verbal autopsy training. Anonymised data will feed into the national e-CRVS/VitalReg system. Implementation will be evaluated using RE-AIM and CFIR frameworks, aligned with WHO and Nigeria's IDSR guidelines. Expected Outcomes: The programme is expected to improve recognition and reporting of sudden cardiac deaths, strengthen community first-response capacity, generate reliable community-level mortality data, and establish a scalable model linking faith communities with national surveillance and CRVS systems.
FaithSAVE is an innovative, community-led approach combining surveillance, emergency response training, and faith-based partnerships to record data and reduce preventable sudden deaths in Nigeria. 250 words
