Missed opportunities in hypertension risk factors screening in Indonesia: a mixed-methods evaluation of integrated health post (POSBINDU) implementation

OBJECTIVES: To assess the implementation and contextual barriers of POSBINDU, a community-based activity focusing on screening of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mainly hypertension and diabetes, in Indonesia. DESIGN: This was a concurrent mixed-methods study, with a cross-sectional analysis of secondary data and focus group discussions (FGDs) on stakeholder of POSBINDU. SETTING: The study was conducted in seven districts in three provinces in Indonesia, with approximately 50% of the primary healthcare (PHC) were selected as areas for data collection (n PHC=100). PARTICIPANTS: From 475 POSBINDU sites, we collected secondary data from 54 224 participants. For the qualitative approach, 21 FGDs and 2 in-depth interviews were held among a total of 223 informants. PRIMARY OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Proportion of POSBINDU visitors getting the hypertension screening and risk factors’ assessment, and barriers of POSBINDU implementation. RESULTS: Out of the 114 581 POSBINDU visits by 54 224 participants, most (80%) were women and adults over 50 years old (50%) showing a suboptimal coverage of men and younger adults. Approximately 95.1% of visitors got their blood pressure measured during their first visit; 35.3% of whom had elevated blood pressure. Less than 25% of the visitors reported to be interviewed for NCDs risk factors during their first visit, less than 80% had anthropometric measurements and less than 15% had blood cholesterol examinations. We revealed lack of resources and limited time to perform the complexities of activities and reporting as main barrier for effective hypertension screening in Indonesia. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed missed opportunities in hypertension risk factors screening in Indonesia. The barriers include a lack of access and implementation barriers (capability, resources and protocols).