Research Article: Enhancing care quality and accessibility through digital technology-supported decentralisation of hypertension and diabetes management: a proof-of-concept study in rural Bangladesh
Abstract:
Objective The critical shortage of healthcare workers, particularly in rural areas, is a major barrier to quality care for non-communicable diseases (NCD) in low-income and middle-income countries. In this proof-of-concept study, we aimed to test a decentralised model for integrated diabetes and hypertension management in rural Bangladesh to improve accessibility and quality of care. Design and setting The study is a single-cohort proof-of-concept study. The key interventions comprised shifting screening, routine monitoring and dispensing of medication refills from a doctor-managed subdistrict NCD clinic to non-physician health worker-managed village-level community clinics; a digital care coordination platform was developed for electronic health records, point-of-care support, referral and routine patient follow-up. The study was conducted in the Parbatipur subdistrict, Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. Participants A total of 624 participants were enrolled in the study (mean (SD) age, 59.5 (12.0); 65.1% female). Outcomes Changes in blood pressure and blood glucose control, patient retention and patient-visit volume at the NCD clinic and community clinics. Results The proportion of patients with uncontrolled blood pressure reduced from 60% at baseline to 26% at the third month of follow-up, a 56% (incidence rate ratio 0.44; 95%?CI 0.33 to 0.57) reduction after adjustment for covariates. The proportion of patients with uncontrolled blood glucose decreased from 74% to 43% at the third month of follow-up. Attrition rates immediately after baseline and during the entire study period were 29.1% and 36.2%, respectively. Conclusion The proof-of-concept study highlights the potential for involving lower-level primary care facilities and non-physician health workers to rapidly expand much-needed services to patients with hypertension and diabetes in Bangladesh and in similar global settings. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of decentralised hypertension and diabetes care.
Introduction:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes are major causes of premature death and disability. An estimated 10.5% (or 536.6?million) of adults are living with diabetes; CVD caused 18.6?million deaths worldwide in 2019. 1 Close to 80% of CVD deaths occurred in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). 2 3 The number of people with hypertension, a highly prevalent major risk factor for CVD, doubled from 1990 to 2019. 4 Complications of persistently elevated blood pressure and poor glycaemic control, such…
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