Design Research to Embed mHealth into a Community-Led Blood Pressure Management System in Uganda: Protocol for a...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Informatics
• Health Systems Research

Background:

• Uncontrolled hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in Uganda, causing 10% of all deaths.
• Supply chain issues limit access to essential antihypertensive medications, leading to treatment suspension or high out-of-pocket expenses.
• Mobile health (mHealth) interventions show promise for chronic disease management, but mobile money approaches require further study.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and pilot a mobile money-based intervention to enhance antihypertensive medication availability and reduce client costs.
• To assess the acceptability, feasibility, and uptake of the intervention.
• To gather ethnographic insights to inform intervention design and concurrent trials.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study employing a human-centered design approach.
• Extensive qualitative research with diverse stakeholders to understand perceptions of hypertension management and mobile money.
• Iterative design and adaptation of an mHealth-facilitated pooled financing intervention prototype, followed by a randomized controlled trial.

Main Results:

• Qualitative data collection ongoing since November 2022, with initial analysis informing platform and implementation design.
• Recruitment for the quantitative phase of the study commenced in August 2023.
• Early findings are guiding the iterative development of the intervention prototype.

Conclusions:

• The study aims to provide insights into sustainable strategies for improving medication access for hypertension management in resource-limited settings.
• Findings will contribute to the discourse on innovative healthcare delivery models.
• The mobile money intervention has the potential to address critical gaps in chronic disease care.