Promotion of the Hypertension Prevention and Control Process at Alzahra Primary Health Care Center in Marand through Action Research Approach

Prevention and control programs for hypertension have been integrated into the health system and implemented for many years in Iran. However, executing such programs often faces challenges in practice, and requires continuous promotion. This study aims to share the experience of promoting hypertension prevention and control processes at the Alzahra Healthcare Center in Marand.

This quantitative-qualitative study utilized an action research approach. Initially, the performance of the control process was assessed at Alzahra Healthcare Center in Marand. The nominal group method and semi-structured interviews were then used to identify challenges in the process from the perspective of purposefully selected stakeholders. Suggestions for promotion were generated through focus group discussions and finalized using priority matrices. The interventions were implemented, and the process performance was reassessed.

Implementation of the interventions led to improvements in indicators related to the percentage of newly identified patients, care for patients with high blood pressure referrals and visits to physicians for the thirty-year-old and older population, and referrals to specialists for patients with hypertension.

While the prevention process for patients with high blood pressure at the selected healthcare center showed relatively good performance, there was still a need for promotion. This study provided solutions to enhance aspects of the process. To ensure continued improvement, the action research cycle should be sustained.