Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects over 850 million people globally, with 80% living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where access to effective treatment is limited. Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), now listed on the WHO Essential Medicines List, have demonstrated significant benefits in slowing CKD progression and reducing cardiovascular mortality. The IMPLEMENT-CKD project is a co-designed, multi-phased, multi-country health systems strengthening initiative aimed at improving equitable access to and sustained use of SGLT2i in Thailand, and the Pacific Islands. The intervention is contextually tailored, prioritising stakeholder engagement, cultural adaptation, and scalable care models. A mixed-method, adaptive implementation study will be conducted in phases. The pre-implementation phase uses community-based participatory action research and knowledge co-creation to develop culturally relevant strategies. During implementation, clinical staff are trained to initiate SGLT2i therapy in eligible adults with CKD (eGFR \>20 mL/min/1.73m²) or type 2 diabetes. Real-world delivery is supported by monthly prescribing audits and mobile surveys. Strategies are refined biannually using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. The scale-up phase engages stakeholders to advocate for national inclusion of SGLT2i through policy briefs and collaboration with professional bodies. The primary implementation outcome is 50% reach-defined as the proportion of eligible patients initiated on SGLT2i. Additional outcomes include adoption, fidelity, acceptability, and normalisation of practice. Health systems outcomes include changes in protocols, workforce capacity, medicine availability, and policy engagement. Clinical outcomes such as kidney failure and cardiovascular death will be monitored using routine data. The project aims to enhance CKD management, reduce disparities, and inform scalable, evidence-based policy for chronic disease care in LMICs.
