Publications by authors named "Anja H Van't Hoog"
In sub-Saharan Africa, accessibility to affordable quality care is often poor and health expenditures are mostly paid out of pocket. Health insurance, protecting individuals from out-of-pocket health expenses, has been put forward as a means of enhancing universal health coverage. We explored the utilization of different types of healthcare providers and the factors associated with provider choice by insurance status in rural Nigeria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In sub-Saharan Africa, cardiovascular disease is becoming a leading cause of death, with high blood pressure as number one risk factor. In Nigeria, access and adherence to hypertension care are poor. A pharmacy-based hypertension care model with remote monitoring by cardiologists through mHealth was piloted in Lagos to increase accessibility to quality care for hypertensive patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Access to quality hypertension care in sub-Saharan Africa is limited, but a pilot program in Lagos, Nigeria utilized mobile health technology to connect community pharmacists with cardiologists for remote patient monitoring and hypertension management.
- The pilot involved 336 patients over 6-8 months, focusing on retention in care, blood pressure changes, and satisfaction levels among patients and healthcare providers.
- Results showed improved blood pressure outcomes with a 9.9 mmHg decrease in mean systolic blood pressure and increased patient satisfaction, despite some challenges with data reporting and the mHealth application’s usability.
Article Synopsis
- About one-third of Lagos' population has hypertension, with low treatment coverage, prompting a decentralized pharmacy-based care model to be piloted.
- The study examines recruitment strategies for the program, focusing on community screenings, as well as referrals from hospitals and pharmacies.
- Results showed that pharmacies were the most effective recruitment source, while community screenings identified many with elevated blood pressure, though not all enrolled in the program.