RAG-SACA-3: ROLE OF PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN TO MANAGE HYPERTENSION IN A LOW-RESOURCE SETTING

Abstract

Hypertension is a primary care clinical condition that is therefore best detected, managed, and followed at a primary care level by a primary care team led by a physician. However, the delivery of primary care services is not unique in all countries, especially in low- or lower-middle-income countries where primary care physicians used to manage hypertension in low-resource settings (LRS). This presentation will focus on the concept of LRS, a list of potential roles played by a primary care physician, and possible challenges usually face. Usually, the settings where health care systems do not meet the minimum standards set by the World Health Organization or any other quasigovernmental organization are considered LRS. However, there is no explicit definition for LRS. The major roles of a primary care physician in LRS are identification of an individual at high risk for HTN, proper screening, diagnosis with a proper communication strategy to inform about the diagnosis, cost-effective rational treatment with counseling, and finally follow-up. The primary care physician is at the heart of a team-based HTN care in an LRS and will provide supportive supervision to the team to ensure the best outcome: (i) increased patient enrollment, (ii) increased patient treatment rate, (iii) improve BP control rate, (iv) high treatment compliance (v) reduction of drug stock-outs. In LRS, without team-based care and shifting of tasks, it will be very difficult to ensure proper management. In general, a primary care physician will play a leadership role in a resource-poor setting to successfully implement an HTN management program.