Research Article: HEARTS in the Americas: Targeting Health System Change to Improve Population Hypertension Control
Abstract:
HEARTS in the Americas is the regional adaptation of Global Hearts, the World Health Organization initiative for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and control. Its overarching goal is to drive health services to change managerial and clinical practice in primary care settings to improve hypertension control and CVD risk management. This review describes the HEARTS in the Americas initiative. First, the regional epidemiological situation of CVD mortality and population hypertension control trends are summarized; then the rationale for its main intervention components: the primary care-oriented management system and the HEARTS Clinical Pathway are described. Finally, the key factors for accelerating the expansion of HEARTS are examined: medicines, team-based care, and a system for monitoring and evaluation.
Introduction:
HEARTS in the Americas is the regional adaptation of Global Hearts, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiative for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and control [1, 2]. HEARTS in the Americas is coordinated by national Ministries of Health with the collaboration of local stakeholders and technical support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and other partners such as the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Resolve to Save Lives, and World Hypertension League. The overarching…
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