Implementation of international guidelines on hypertension: the Indian experience

The WHO-ISH Guidelines on Hypertension have been introduced in India but their implementation has not been systematically studied. The process of implementation of international guidelines involves several steps: (a) recognition of the guidelines by the national opinion makers (b) acceptance, adaptation and adoption of the guidelines by the main change agents (c) initiation of guidelines in healthcare practice by the trend setters (d) advocacy of the guidelines by the influential change agents (e) dissemination of guidelines across various levels of health care and (f) diffusion into routine health care practice. The previous WHO-ISH Guidelines had inadequate impact due to limitations at each of these levels. The implementation of the new guidelines in developing countries, such as India, requires a concerted campaign of social marketing involving partnerships of key stakeholders.