We, Bangladesh Medical Association of North America (Louisiana Chapter) members, are committed to the cause of improving healthcare access to poor and marginalized communities in Bangladesh. Please donate generously to our telehealth project

Project Title: Community Based Sustainable Tele-Chronic Disease Management

Location: Khorigapara  Community, Godagari sub-district, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Project Description:

Introduction:  Chronic diseases are major causes of morbidity and mortality across the globe including developing countries like Bangladesh.  Digital tools have been used successfully to control blood pressure with higher patient satisfaction at Ochsner health system compared to office-based management in the United States.  Principles of Community Based Participatory Development and Research, such as community ownership, social networks, and felt need, can be applied to adopt such digital blood pressure monitoring programs in developing country like Bangladesh. This is a pilot project proposal, which will attempt to do so. 

Methodology: A Community’s “lived reality” will be described including geographic boundaries, lifestyles, occupations, gender and age structures and roles, health issues, access to food and water, for example, by facilitating open-ended discussions at “hotspots” or “locations where people gather” in the community. Fifteen patients will be chosen based on documented record of hypertension or detection of high blood pressure (systolic >140 mm Hg or diastolic >90 mm Hg) during house to house screening. Special attention will be given to include marginalized members in the community. Patients’ social networks will be described, and trusted leaders, defined as members in the community who are willing to work for the community and are trusted by the residents, will be identified. We will work with selected patients to identify goals of care.  We will ask for their permission to interview members of their close-tie social networks so that, together, we can establish goals of care that are relevant to participants and supported by members of their close social networks.  Similarly, we will identify patient’s barriers to care, and facilitate solutions that primarily proposed, implemented, and maintained by the patients supported by their close social network. We will facilitate assignment of defined roles proposed and accepted by the patient and members of his/her close social networks to meet the goals and address the barriers to care. We will consult the leaders to establish a system of data collection and data entry in a secured system accessible to providers remotely. We will facilitate generating a process of collaborative action by the patient, members of close social network, and leaders that can be implemented by the participants to ensure blood pressure reading measurement, regular data entry, and addressing issues/barriers to care as they arise.  Providers will work with the collaborative network to meet goals of care and remove barriers. The providers will be licensed physician from Bangladesh. They will require to agree to the project methodology and outcome.

Outcome: The primary outcome will be to collect blood pressure reading and make information remotely accessible consistently. Secondary outcomes will be to control blood pressure, overcome barriers, and increase ownership to care. The outcome of controlling blood pressure will be measured from the data entered in the computer system. The participants’ accomplishment to overcome barriers and perceived ownership will be determined by open ended interviews which will be guided by previously established goals of care. Documented outcome of each patient will be used to determine feasibility, necessary modification and possible expansion of the project.


Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us.