Uptake of Task-Strengthening for Blood Pressure Control

Summary

Uptake of a community-based evidence-supported interventions for hypertension control in Ghana are urgently needed to address the cardiovascular disease epidemic and resulting illness, deaths, and societal costs. This study will evaluate the effect of Practice Facilitation on the uptake and maintenance of the evidence-based task-shifting strategies for hypertension control (TASSH) protocol across 70 Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) zones delivered by trained community health officers.

Findings from this study will provide policy makers and other stakeholders the "how to do it" empirical literature on the uptake of evidence-based interventions in Ghana, which may be applicable to other low-income countries.

Conditions

• Hypertension
• High Blood Pressure
• Cardiovascular Diseases

Interventions

OTHER

Practice Facilitation

Community health nurses trained in implementing the evidence-based TASSH protocol will be employed as Practice Outreach Facilitators (POF) to train the CHPS community health officers to deliver TASSH. The POFs will be required to complete an intensive 12-week training course focused on adoption of TASSH protocol to identify patients at risk for uncontrolled HTN, initiate behavioral lifestyle counseling, and Refer patients to the community health centers for drug therapy. Over the course of 12 months, the POFs will provide support to their assigned CHPS zones to implement TASSH as part of routine patient care.The POFs will also work with CHPS directors to review current work flow and develop a plan of action for TASSH uptake at the CHPS zones.

OTHER

Usual Care

Provide Ghana's National Health Insurance, behavioral counseling and referral for care through the usual care system for 12 months.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• NYU Langone Health

  collaborator OTHER

• Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

  collaborator OTHER

• St. Louis University

  collaborator OTHER

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

  collaborator NIH

• Kintampo Health Research Centre, Ghana

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD · NYU Langone Health

• Kwaku Poku Asante, PhD · Kintampo Health Research Centre, Ghana

• Juliet Iwelunmor, PhD · St. Louis University

• Jacob Plange-Rhule, MD · Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

• Kweku Bedu-Addo, PhD · Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

40 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-11-14

Primary Completion

2023-06-30

Completion

2023-06-30

Countries

• Ghana

Study Locations