Optimizing a Community Health Program for Hypertension Control in Nepal (2022-2023)

Hypertension is the leading cause of death globally. In rural Nepal, where the health system is fragile and health literacy is low, the condition is steadily escalating. One-third of Nepalis have hypertension, and most cases are undiagnosed and uncontrolled. The condition is preventable and treatable, but its management requires participation from multiple stakeholders. Community-based strategy combined with mobile health is a credible solution in Nepal, where female community health volunteers (FCHVs) play a vital role.

Building on the work of a previous team, this project team upgraded and optimized a feature-phone-based (non-smartphone) program to include frontline health workers, in order to improve management of hypertension in rural Nepal. Students broke into three teams:

• The Qualitative Team focused on a feasibility study of a phone app, which was designed to help health providers with management of hypertension in rural Nepal. 
• The Quantitative Team completed three studies to examine the potential of mHealth interventions as a cost-effective and accessible solution to improve hypertension control in LMICs. 
• The Application Team collaborated with Medic Mobile and Dhulikhel hospital coders to develop an interface that would enable female community health volunteers (FCHVs) to screen patients residing in remote and difficult-to-access regions.

Timing

Summer 2022 – Summer 2023

Team Outputs

Improving Hypertension Control in Rural Nepal (2023 Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Virtual Showcase)

Leveraging Digital Health Interventions to Prevent and Manage Hypertension in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review (Poster by Chin Kuo, Pooja Singh, Trailokaya Bajgain, Yuxuan Wang, McKenna Paulik, Mingma Sherpa, Semin Kim, Zhenkun Fang, Iris Parsley, Lijing Yan, Truls Ostbye and Zhao Ni, presented at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, Duke University, April 19, 2023)

The Barriers and Facilitators of Implementing Mobile Health Interventions in Nepal: A Qualitative Analysis (Poster by Chin Kuo, Pooja Singh, Trailokaya Bajgain, Yuxuan Wang, McKenna Paulik, Mingma Sherpa, Semin Kim, Zhenkun Fang, Iris Parsley, Lijing Yan, Truls Ostbye and Zhao Ni)

Mobile application

See earlier related team, Developing a Mobile Phone-based Community Health Program for Hypertension Control in Nepal (2018-2019).

 

Image: Jharana Kumari Tharu - female community health volunteer in Binauna village, by USAID U.S. Agency for International Development, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0