The hypertension program in Sri Lanka received the 2023 Quality Improvement Achievement award issued by Resolve to Save Lives for their work improving medication titration rates which helped result in an increase in the number of patients with their blood pressure controlled. “Treatment inertia” is the failure of health care providers to initiate or intensify treatment when blood pressure is uncontrolled, and is both a common and major cause of uncontrolled high blood pressure. Through interventions such as physician trainings; quarterly medication titration data reviews with sharing of best practices; reminding patients to take their medications during each visit; and ensuring consistent drug supply, the hypertension program in Sri Lanka achieved an increase in titration of >50% in 2 of the 3 pilot facilities from Dec 2022 to Dec 2023. With evidence of what works, there are now plans to scale-up the improvements in titration across the entire program in 2024.
Congratulations to the Sri Lanka team!