Utilization of Skilled Accredited Social Health Activist Workers for Early Detection of Hypertension: A Community-based Skill Transfer Initiative

Background: Hypertension is a leading cause of premature deaths which can be easily reverted through periodic screening of the population with minimal cost. This study aimed to prepare the competent Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers to measure blood pressure more accurately and to utilize them to estimate the burden of undiagnosed hypertension. Methods: A mixed method study design was practiced in a randomly selected primary health center from the state of Maharashtra, India in the year 2023. A total of 13 ASHA workers and 650 community participants were enrolled in the study. The participants were trained, assessed and utilized to estimate the hypertension with validated questionnaire and equipment. The repeated ANOVA and Chi-square tests were practiced for statistical analysis. Results: The total of 13 ASHAs was trained of which max. 69.2% in the age group of 30–40 years, and 84.6% with working experience of more than 5 years. The mean score of blood pressure measurement skill before and after training was 3.61 ± 2.02 and 24.30 ± 0.37 and difference reported significant by The repeated measurement ANOVA test ( P < 0.05). The sensitivity and specificity to measure blood pressure for ASHA workers recorded was 93.02% and 92.12%, respectively. The new case detection rate of undiagnosed hypertension in a rural community by skilled ASHAs was 10.4% and of which maximum 76.46% of cases were in the age group of 35–54 years. Conclusions: The study concluded that it is feasible and practically applicable to train ASHAs with limited resources and technology to estimate the problem statement of hypertension effectively and confidently.