Prioritizing Community-Based Intervention Programs for Improving Treatment Compliance of Patients with Chronic Diseases: Applying an Analytic Hierarchy Process

Understanding Gaps in the Hypertension and Diabetes Care Cascade: Systematic Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Hypertension and diabetes are global health challenges requiring effective management to mitigate their considerable burden. The successful management of hypertension and diabetes requires the completion of a sequence of stages, which are collectively termed the care cascade.

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review aimed to describe the characteristics of studies on the hypertension and diabetes care cascade and identify potential interventions as well as factors that impact each stage of the care cascade.

METHODS

The method of this scoping review has been guided by the framework by Arksey and O'Malley. We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science using terms pertinent to hypertension, diabetes, and specific stages of the care cascade. Articles published after 2011 were considered, and we included all studies that described the completion of at least one stage of the care cascade of hypertension and diabetes. Study selection was independently performed by 2 paired authors. Descriptive statistics were used to elucidate key patterns and trends. Inductive content analysis was performed to generate themes regarding the barriers and facilitators for improving the care cascade in hypertension and diabetes management.

RESULTS

A total of 128 studies were included, with 42.2% (54/128) conducted in high-income countries. Of them, 47 (36.7%) focused on hypertension care, 63 (49.2%) focused on diabetes care, and only 18 (14.1%) reported on the care of both diseases. The majority (96/128, 75.0%) were observational in design. Cascade stages documented in the literature were awareness, screening, diagnosis, linkage to care, treatment, adherence to medication, and control. Most studies focused on the stages of treatment and control, while a relative paucity of studies examined the stages before treatment initiation (76/128, 59.4% vs 52/128, 40.6%). There was a wide spectrum of interventions aimed at enhancing the hypertension and diabetes care cascade. The analysis unveiled a multitude of individual-level and system-level factors influencing the successful completion of cascade sequences in both high-income and low- and middle-income settings.

CONCLUSIONS

This review offers a comprehensive understanding of hypertension and diabetes management, emphasizing the pivotal factors that impact each stage of care. Future research should focus on upstream cascade stages and context-specific interventions to optimize patient retention and care outcomes.

Multicriteria Decision-Making in Diabetes Management and Decision Support: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus prevalence is increasing among adults and children around the world. Diabetes care is complex; examining the diet, type of medication, diabetes recognition, and willingness to use self-management tools are just a few of the challenges faced by diabetes clinicians who should make decisions about them. Making the appropriate decisions will reduce the cost of treatment, decrease the mortality rate of diabetes, and improve the life quality of patients with diabetes. Effective decision-making is within the realm of multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques.

OBJECTIVE

The central objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of MCDM methods and then introduce a novel categorization framework for their use in this field.

METHODS

The literature search was focused on publications from 2003 to 2023. Finally, by applying the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) method, 63 articles were selected and examined.

RESULTS

The findings reveal that the use of MCDM methods in diabetes research can be categorized into 6 distinct groups: the selection of diabetes medications (19 publications), diabetes diagnosis (12 publications), meal recommendations (8 publications), diabetes management (14 publications), diabetes complication (7 publications), and estimation of diabetes prevalence (3 publications).

CONCLUSIONS

Our review showed a significant portion of the MCDM literature on diabetes. The research highlights the benefits of using MCDM techniques, which are practical and effective for a variety of diabetes challenges.

[Evolution and Application of Disease Control Priorities]

Disease control priority (DCP) is an important public health intervention strategy. Diseases that should be prioritized for prevention and control are first screened with a series of criteria, including the severity of the disease burden, the effectiveness of disease control technologies, the prevention and control capacity of the existing health system, etc. Then, the prevention and control technologies for these diseases undergo qualitative evaluation (eg, face-to-face interviews, expert consultation, workshops, etc) and quantitative evaluation (eg, cost-benefit analysis, multi-criteria decision analysis, etc). Finally, the public health initiatives that should be prioritized are identified. From the conception of the idea, to the formal proposition of the concept, to guidance for practice, DCP has gone through more than 70 years of development. Through DCP, significant contributions has been made to improving the efficiency of health care service systems and promoting the health of populations in developing countries. Herein, we systematically reviewed the background, development history, realization method, and practical applications of DCP, focusing on exploring the application potential of DCP in health governance and providing technical support and decision-making reference for the comprehensive promotion of the Healthy China Initiative.

Prioritizing population-based nutrition-related interventions to prevent and control hypertension in Iran: a multi-criteria decision-making approach

Background

Numerous nutrition-related policy options and strategies have been proposed to tackle hypertension and other risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In this study, we developed a comparative analysis using a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model for prioritizing population-based nutrition-related interventions to prevent and control hypertension in Iran.

Methods

We employed a combination of Delphi technique and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method as the methodological tool to prioritize decision alternatives using multiple criteria. The prominent assessment criteria and intervention strategies were derived using a literature review, focus group discussion (n = 11), and a 2-round modified Delphi technique with specialists and experts involved in different stages of health policy-making (round 1: n = 50, round 2: n = 46). Then, the AHP was used to determine the weightage of the selected interventions and develop the decision-making model. The sensitivity analysis was performed to test the stability of the priority ranking.

Results

Nine alternative interventions were included in the final ranking based on eight assessment criteria. According to the results, the most priority interventions to prevent and control hypertension included reformulation of food products to contain less salt and changing the target levels of salt in foods and meals, providing low-sodium salt substitutes, and reducing salt intake through the implementation of front-of-package labeling (FOPL). The results of the sensitivity analysis and a comparison analysis suggested that the assessment model performed in this study had an appropriate level of robustness in selecting the best option among the proposed alternatives.

Conclusion

MCDM techniques offer a potentially valuable approach to rationally structuring the problem, along with the opportunity to make explicit the judgments used as part of the decision-making model. The findings of this study provide a preliminary evidence base to guide future decisions and reforms aiming to improve appropriate population-based interventions for tackling hypertension and other risk factors of NCDs.

Construction of nursing-sensitive quality indicators for cardiac catheterisation: A Delphi study and an analytic hierarchy process

BACKGROUND

Nursing care can profoundly reduce the risk of emergencies related to cardiac catheterisation. Therefore, identifying nursing-sensitive quality indicators (NSQIs) to evaluate nursing quality is critical for optimal cardiac catheterisation. However, studies on NSQIs for cardiac catheterisation are scarce.

OBJECTIVES

This study was conducted to develop a set of NSQIs for cardiac catheterisation.

METHODS

Literature retrieval and expert group discussions were conducted to identify potential NSQIs and compile an inquiry questionnaire. Then, Delphi surveys were used to collect opinions from experts in the field of cardiac catheterisation. The consistency of the consultation results formed the basis on which we conducted the next rounds of consultation. Based on the importance given to each NSQI by the consulted experts in the previous round, we determined the weight coefficient of each indicator with the analytic hierarchy process. This study was performed according to the SRQR guidelines.

RESULTS

We conducted two rounds of expert inquiry. The recovery rates of the first and second questionnaires were 100% and 66.67%, respectively. The average authoritative coefficients were 0.86 and 0.91. The Kendall W values ranged from 0.214~0.361 (p < .001). Consensus was reached on 3 primary indicators, 8 secondary indicators and 20 tertiary indicators.

CONCLUSIONS

A set of NSQIs for cardiac catheterisation was developed. However, the effects of these NSQIs on the evaluation and continuous improvement of nursing quality in cardiac catheterisation need to be verified in clinical practice.