Interventions to Improve Non-communicable Disease Management During the Pandemic
Noncommunicable Diseases, COVID-19
About this trial
This is an interventional health services research trial for Noncommunicable Diseases focused on measuring digital health interventions, non-communicable diseases, cluster randomised trial, implementation science, resilience, Pakistan
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Reside in the catchment of selected rural health centers; Provide informed consent; Newly diagnosed of hypertension, i.e., having a baseline blood pressure reading (recorded from the second blood pressure reading using a validated electronic blood pressure machine) of more than 140/90 mmHg; or who is an existing hypertensive patient but with uncontrolled blood pressure with a baseline blood pressure over 140/90 mmHg; Have a smartphone or can access a smartphone from a relative. Exclusion Criteria: Patients having an acute cardiovascular event in the last three months, terminal disease, or other conditions that the rural health center staff determine that will make participation impossible.
Sites / Locations
- Primary care facilitiesRecruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
No Intervention
Intervention arm
Control arm
A comprehensive package of digital health interventions to connect patients, patient champions and public health providers to improve the management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) during the pandemic will be implemented, including 1) providing training to health providers regarding an integrated NCD-COVID guideline; 2) using a smartphone app to improve NCD case management and linking with patient champions; and 3) employing telementoring platform to improve quality of care. Patient champions are experienced patients who can provide peer support.
Usual care, which is routine hypertension and diabetes diagnosis and treatment under the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) project will be implemented. The WDF project provides initial Zoom-based training of NCD care to rural health center (RHC) staff, but no tele-mentorship is offered. Under the usual care, patients with hypertension or diabetes are required to visit RHCs every month to renew their medications and measure their blood pressure. No other interventional components will be implemented in the control arm.