Mireille Grobbelaar

Programme: CHAI Fellowship Postgrad - Cohort 2025

Education:

- BSc Human Life Sciences – Stellenbosch University
- BSc (Hons) in Physiological Sciences – Stellenbosch University
- MSc in Physiological Sciences – Stellenbosch University
- MSc in Data Science – University of Cape Town (Current)

Project title: The Exploring Patient Engagement and Retention in the Central Chronic Medicines Dispensing and Distribution Programme in South Africa

Project description: The Central Chronic Medicines Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD) Programme is an alternative mechanism for stable patients within the South African public health sector to access their chronic medication through external pick-up points. Understanding how patients engage with the programme is important for evaluating its effectiveness and identifying areas of improvement. This study analysed de-identified prescription and package-level data ranging from 2021 to 2023 to discover trends in patient activity. Patient engagement was defined using different definitions for active status based on prescription renewal patterns and package collection behaviour. These activity statuses were then incorporated into logistic regression, including mixed-effects models to evaluate predictors of patient activity and to identify risk factors linked to retention and dropout. 

Home Country: South Africa