Factors associated with the adoption of the WHO Package of Essential Non-Communicable Diseases (PEN) Protocol 1 in primary healthcare settings in Nepal: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

To assess factors associated with the adoption of the WHO Package of Essential Non-Communicable Diseases (PEN) Protocol 1 at primary healthcare (PHC) facilities in Nepal after healthcare workers received training. Cross-sectional study. PHC facilities across various provinces in Nepal. A total of 180 healthcare workers trained in PEN, recruited from a random selection of 105 basic healthcare facilities. The adoption of PEN Protocol 1 components: blood pressure measurement, blood glucose screening, 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment using WHO/International Society of Hypertension risk charts and body mass index (BMI) assessment. Factors associated with protocol adoption were assessed using generalised estimating equations for ORs. Among participants, 100% reported measuring blood pressure, while 56% measured blood sugar, 28% assessed CVD risk and 27% assessed BMI. The adoption of the CVD risk prediction chart was positively associated with the availability of amlodipine (adjusted OR (aOR) 3.00; 95% CI 1.09 to 8.27). The adoption of BMI assessment was positively associated with access to a stadiometer (aOR 3.23; 95% CI 1.26 to 8.30) and a glucometer (aOR 3.07; 95% CI 1.12 to 8.40), and negatively associated with lack of motivation/inertia of previous practice (aOR 0.60; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.87) and environmental factors such as lack of time and resources (aOR 0.57; 95% CI 0.37 to 0.89). Blood glucose level measurements were positively associated with being at a PHC centre (aOR 7.34; 95% CI 2.79 to 19.3) and the availability of metformin (OR 2.40; 95% CI 1.08 to 5.29). Adoption of PEN Protocol 1 varied by component and was influenced by resource availability, provider motivation and system barriers. Addressing these factors is key to optimising implementation in low-resource settings.