The investigators have developed an innovative system of care utilizing CHWs equipped with a mobile application and supported and supervised remotely by physicians. This model of care is adapted from a CHW-led diabetes program enabled by a similar CDS application which the investigators implemented in the same communities in rural Guatemala where we will carry out this proposed study. This program safely led to significant improvements in glycemic control. The mobile application is built on the widely-used CommCare platform and provides clinical decision support (CDS) to CHWs based on protocols from the WHO and the International Society of Hypertension for antihypertensive medication initiation and titration, lifestyle counseling, and identification of patients requiring a higher level of care.
The Primary Objective is to determine if hypertension management by CHWs is non-inferior to care provided directly by a physician.
The Secondary Objective is to evaluate the safety, acceptability to patients, and cost of CHW-led care compared to care provided directly by a physician.
