My academic medical institution has a long-term partnership with a cluster of rural towns regarding the field/community-based implementation of a national hypertension prevention and control program. Part of our final medical school year/internship is a six week-long rotation of involvement in the said endeavor. Thus, I am particularly interested with the content and context (resource-constrained settings) of this course offering, which I hope would allow me to contribute more while deployed or integrated in the community. This well-made, streamlined and succinct educational material is both comprehensible and considerably useful across a wide range of stakeholders – laypeople/citizens, volunteers, community health workers (CHWs), medical assistants, nurses, pharmacists, physicians, community leaders, government officials, policy advocates/experts and program managers & implementers – in the collective fight against the most epidemiologically important modifiable risk factor for health which is hypertension. For just a total of around six hours, one can gain at least a decent level of understanding on the relevant components of planning, running and monitoring-evaluation of a hypertension program. From epidemiology, screening, diagnosis (most especially the proper manner and circumstances of blood pressure measurement, something even most physicians find challenging to address consistently) and treatment; to the maintenance of physical facilities, resources and instruments (including blood pressure measurement apparatus calibration and repair); to staffing (involving a complement of professionals, workers and volunteers), setting (community-based or clinic-based) and engagement (with community, government and/or religious leaders) considerations; to supply chain issues (from manufacturer and/or distributor to the patient); and, a welcome surprise, to organizational/executive and communications/teamwork concerns – this MOOC delivers the knowledge without alienating anyone interested in the topic. Moreover, the further reading references are all topnotch, and at least some can be used directly for various purposes the learners may have. I have minor comments on the course, which in no way diminish the relevance and content of the material. While the deviation of this MOOC from the standard format of presentation in Coursera is highly appreciated, some issues I experienced were: (1) lagging of non-YouTube-embedded videos and (2) the progress in the weekly material (which can be scrolled from start to finish) is not tracked properly in the left-hand course directory. Furthermore, minus the final graded weekly quizzes, the course is practically inaccessible in the Coursera mobile app (I did not try the mobile browser, however). It would be great if the course material can be viewed beyond desktop/laptop computer browsers and through smartphones (using the Coursera app), the latter likely being more relevant for those working in the field/community/clinic interested in reviewing the course contents from time to time. After completing the course, I now feel that I have a lot to offer in improving hypertension control and prevention programs that I will be participating in. All in all, I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in hypertension care – hopefully, in one way or another, learners can advocate for such activity in their local contexts, should the need for it still exists.
This course provides the fundamental knowledge necessary for program managers and implementors in a hypertension control program, especially in resource-limited settings. The course is interactive and includes useful tips relevant to different settings. The course should be also relevant to physicians, nurses, pharmacists, community health workers, and others who are interested in learning about hypertension diagnosis and management.