Key result
This paper describes the study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating community health worker interventions for hypertension care in rural Kenya, and therefore contains no clinical results yet.
Why the study?
Does the use of community health workers equipped with tailored behavioral communication and smartphone technology improve linkage to care and reduce blood pressure in hypertensive individuals in rural Kenya?
RCT
Cluster randomized
Yes
Does the use of community health workers equipped with tailored behavioral communication and smartphone technology improve linkage to care and reduce blood pressure in hypertensive individuals in rural Kenya?
This study protocol outlines a cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether community health workers using tailored behavioral communication and smartphone technology can improve linkage to care and lower blood pressure in rural Kenya.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May support CHW-led mHealth strategies for hypertension linkage in LMICs; leaves open cost-effectiveness and long-term outcomes.
BACKGROUND: Hypertension is the leading global risk factor for mortality. Hypertension treatment and control rates are low worldwide, and delays in seeking care are associated with increased mortality. Thus, a critical component of hypertension management is to optimize linkage and retention to care. METHODS/DESIGN: This study investigates whether community health workers, equipped with a tailored behavioral communication strategy and smartphone technology, can increase linkage and retention of hypertensive individuals to a hypertension care program and significantly reduce blood pressure among them. The study will be conducted in the Kosirai and Turbo Divisions of western Kenya. An initial phase of qualitative inquiry will assess facilitators and barriers of linkage and retention to care using a modified Health Belief Model as a conceptual framework. Subsequently, we will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial with three arms: 1) usual care (community health workers with the standard level of hypertension care training); 2) community health workers with an additional tailored behavioral communication strategy; and 3) community health workers with a tailored behavioral communication strategy who are also equipped with smartphone technology. The co-primary outcome measures are: 1) linkage to hypertension care, and 2) one-year change in systolic blood pressure among hypertensive individuals. Cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted in terms of costs per unit decrease in blood pressure and costs per disability-adjusted life year gained. DISCUSSION: This study will provide evidence regarding the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of strategies to optimize linkage and retention to hypertension care that can be applicable to non-communicable disease management in low- and middle-income countries. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered with (NCT01844596) on 30 April 2013.
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Vedanthan et al. (2014) conducted an RCT in Hypertension. Community health workers with a tailored behavioral communication strategy and smartphone technology vs. Usual care (community health workers with standard training) was evaluated on Documented linkage to care and one-year change in systolic blood pressure. This paper describes the study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating community health worker interventions for hypertension care in rural Kenya, and therefore contains no clinical results yet.
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