May 8, 2024 (NEW YORK, NY)— A new playbook released by Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) compiles lessons learned from five years of health care workers using the Simple app to improve blood pressure control in patients in low-resource settings.

An effective digital information system can mean the difference between a long-term health program that fails and one that saves millions of lives, especially in busy primary care facilities that manage thousands of patients who need lifelong treatment for conditions like high blood pressure. “Designing an optimal digital tool for hypertension and other long-term care programs” offers step-by-step guidance for creating effective digital tools that health care workers like and use consistently, and that deliver information that can drive program improvement and scale.

Over the past 6 years, Resolve to Save Lives and partners conducted more than 60 studies of how health care workers used the Simple app—including nearly 250 interviews with health care workers—and clear trends emerged. When digital tools are difficult to learn, cumbersome to use, or slow to function, health care workers won’t use them correctly—or at all—resulting in data that is inaccurate, incomplete, or lost.

RTSL found a health care-worker first approach to digital tools gets results:

• It takes health care workers just 13 seconds to enter follow-up data.
• Reports that used to take 2-3 hours to develop now take 2-3 clicks.
• Health care workers save on average 24 min a day.
• In one facility, the number of patients treated increased 20-fold AND among those treated, blood pressure control tripled.

“We’ve seen the difference a strong digital information system can make for hypertension control programs,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. “Health programs that treat long-term conditions face many of the same challenges—managing large patient volumes over time, keeping patients in care, limited resources—and what we’ve learned about good digital tools can be applied to long-term treatment programs beyond hypertension. Digital tools can save lives, but they have to be done right.”

The new digital tools playbook highlights four principles from the Simple app that can be applied to digital tools in any chronic disease program:

• Minimal data entry: Effective digital tools capture only the bare minimum data needed to improve patient care. For hypertension, that means only the latest blood pressure, list of medications, and date of next follow-up visit.
• Fast and easy to use: Health care workers often have less than three minutes per patient. A digital system must be fast and simple enough for health care workers to enter data during the patient visit, without interrupting care. In many health care facilities, that means less than 20 seconds to schedule follow-up visits, and no more than 1 minute to enter a new patient.
• Patient management-focus: Making patient management easier for health care workers can result in more patients returning to care—an important challenge for programs that manage chronic conditions. Automating tasks like appointment reminders and compiling lists of patients who are overdue for a visit supports consistent follow-up with patients.
• Simple data visualizations: A digital tool should transform data collected by health care workers into simple visuals that provide a snapshot of program status and capture trends over time. When updated frequently, these visualizations quickly surface problems with the program, facilitate improved care, and indicate when solutions are working.

Although many health programs for chronic conditions around the world have adopted digital tools for patient care and management, these systems are often ineffective or go unused by health workers.

“It is only possible to make software that clinicians love by frequently testing software in the field with real users and by respecting their time,” said Daniel Burka, Director of Design for Resolve to Save Lives. “Otherwise, they risk being disruptive, making the jobs of health care workers harder and the data collected useless for monitoring health programs and driving improvements.”

“Putting health care workers at the center of the design process creates a tool that accommodates real-life environments and time constraints—and is actually used,” said Rahul Mullick, Senior Vice President of Digital for Resolve to Save Lives. “Our new playbook takes what we learned with our partners from extensive user testing with health care workers on the Simple app and makes it available for all chronic disease program managers.”

By learning from health care workers and incorporating these four key principles, the Simple app is now actively used in more than 5,000 public health facilities in India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Sri Lanka to manage more than 4 million patients with hypertension and diabetes. The key principles outlined in the playbook can be integrated into existing digital health information systems and used as the basis for developing new systems that will improve program monitoring, management and outcomes for chronic conditions.

Learn more about effective digital tools for chronic disease health programs here and watch our summary video: “Digital tools for long-term treatment programs — done right.”

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About Resolve to Save Lives

Resolve to Save Lives is a not-for-profit organization partnering with countries, communitiesand organizations to prevent 100 million deaths from cardiovascular disease and make the world safer from epidemics. To find out more, visit: resolvetosavelives.org or Twitter@ResolveTSL.

Media Contacts:

Erin Sykes, Resolve to Save Lives, esykes@resolvetosavelives.org, +1-646-612-0001

General inquiries, Resolve to Save Lives: press@resolvetosavelives.org

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16 February 2024 (NEW YORK, USA)—“Congratulations to Nepal for issuing legislation that limits the amount of trans fat in food, which will save 2,200 lives each year. The new legislation, adopted with support from the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO SEARO), brings the South-East Asia region closer to eliminating this toxic food additive once and for all—more than 90% of the region’s trans fat burden has now been addressed through best-practice policies, preventing a total of about 80,000 deaths each year.

“We congratulate Nepal and other countries in the region for moving forward on trans fat elimination and encouraging others to do the same. This progress highlights that eliminating trans fat is possible, and provides a model for other countries to follow as we work to improve global cardiovascular health.”

The post Nepal Bans Trans Fat appeared first on Resolve to Save Lives.

While the ambitious target set by WHO in 2018—to fully eliminate iTFA from the global food supply by the end of 2023—was not met, there has been remarkable progress made towards this goal in every region of the world. In 2023 alone, new best-practice policies became effective in 7 countries (Egypt, Mexico, Moldova, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Philippines, and Ukraine).

Trans-fatty acids (TFA) are semisolid to solid fats that occur in two forms: industrially produced and naturally occurring. Intake of TFA is associated with increased risk of heart attacks and death from heart disease. TFA have no known health benefits, and foods high in iTFA (e.g. fried foods, cakes and ready meals) are often high in sugar, fat and salt.

A total of 53 countries have now best practice policies in effect for tackling iTFA in food, vastly improving the food environment for 3.7 billion people, or 46% of the world’s population, as compared to 6% just 5 years ago. These policies are expected to save approximately 183 000 lives a year.

“Trans fat has no known health benefit, but huge health risks,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We are very pleased that so many countries have introduced policies banning or limiting trans fat in food. But introducing a policy is one thing; implementing it is another. I congratulate Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, who are leading the world in monitoring and enforcing their trans fat policies. We urge other countries to follow their lead.”

Accelerating efforts to achieving best-practice policies in just 8 countries with the highest needs would eliminate 90% of the global iTFA burden, representing a unique opportunity to see in our lifetime a world free from deaths attributable to iTFA.

The WHO validation programme for iTFA elimination recognizes those countries which went beyond introducing best practice policies by ensuring rigorous monitoring and enforcement systems in place. Monitoring and enforcing compliance with policies is critical to maximizing and sustaining the health benefits of iTFA elimination.

Best practices in iTFA elimination policies follow WHO criteria and limit iTFA use in all settings. There are two best-practice policy options: 1) mandatory national limit of 2 grams of iTFA per 100 grams of total fat in all foods; and 2) mandatory national ban on the production or use of partially hydrogenated oils (a major source of trans fat) as an ingredient in all foods. For some countries, an optimal programme would implement both policies, due to the sources of trans fat.

“Trans fat elimination is economically, politically, and technically feasible and saves lives at virtually no cost to governments or consumers. This harmful compound is unnecessary, and no one misses it when it’s gone,” said Dr Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. “We are winning the battle against trans fat, but countries without regulations are at risk of becoming dumping grounds for TFA products. Governments and the food industry have a responsibility to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

WHO also encourages food manufacturers—the producers of raw materials and final food products—to eliminate iTFA from their products. The food industry has made good progress so far, as presented in a November 2023 WHO report.

Despite recent successes in eliminating iTFA from food globally, over half of the world’s population remain unprotected from its harmful impacts, thus putting them at a potential risk of increasing heart disease.

While countries should continue to strive for total elimination of iTFA, based on what has been achieved in the 5 years since the global call for elimination, WHO proposes a revised new target for virtual elimination of iTFA globally by 2025. The target includes:

• best-practice elimination policies are passed in countries that account for at least 90% of the total global iTFA burden.
• best practice policies are passed in countries that account for at least 70% of the total burden within regions.

Eliminating iTFA is a powerful way to prevent heart disease and the high costs to individuals and economies in medical treatment and lost productivity. WHO remains committed to supporting countries in their efforts and celebrating their achievements.

The next application cycle for the iTFA elimination validation programme will open in March 2024 and applications will be received on a continued basis.

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Notes for editors:

The World Health Organization has partnered with Resolve to Save Lives, a not-for-profit organization, to support the development and implementation of the REPLACE action package. Launched in 2018, the WHO’s REPLACE action package provides a strategic approach to eliminating industrially produced trans fat from national food supplies. Since 2017, Bloomberg Philanthropies has supported Resolve to Save Lives’ global efforts to save lives from cardiovascular health disease.  To find out more, visit: https://www.resolvetosavelives.org 

Related links: 

• REPLACE trans fat
  Countries with trans fat elimination policies: TFA Country Score Card
• WHO Validation programme for trans fat elimination
• Frequently asked questions about the qualifying for the trans fat elimination validation program and how to apply
• Fact sheet: Trans fat 

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“We are excited that Nanlop Ogbureke has joined the RTSL Nigeria team as the new Executive Director, said Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. “Her commitment to and management of public health programs including primary health care, non-communicable disease, and infectious diseases will further strengthen our partnerships to better protect and improve health in Nigeria and beyond.”

Ogbureke has more than 20 years of experience in the health sector. From 2011-2019, she served in various roles, one of which was as the Global Program Advisor at Christian Aid, UK developing country-level strategies, fostering south-to-south peer learning, and providing technical advisory support to 10 country programs. This role also involved leading research on tackling non-communicable diseases in high burden countries. Ogbureke then served as the Senior Special Advisor at WAHO/ECOWAS in Burkina Faso, covering all 15 member states. In this senior leadership role, she partnered closely with country governments, ministries, and high-level stakeholders, and provided strategic oversight on all partner-funded portfolios. Ogbureke most recently led the development of ECOWAS’s regional Covid-19 response and served as the lead advisor for the development of the WAHO strategic plan.

“It is an honor to be joining Resolve to Save Lives in Nigeria and to embark on this new journey,” said Nanlop Ogbureke. “My passion has always been to contribute as much as I can to improving the health and wellbeing of excluded and disadvantaged populations. This aligns well with RTSL and the work they do to help prevent epidemics and improve heart health, especially in Nigeria.”

“RTSL Nigeria is very grateful to have Nanlop in this leadership role,” said Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar, RTSL Nigeria Board Director and Dean of the University College London Faculty of Population Health Sciences. “Working in the health sector in leadership roles and with governments and other stakeholders is the kind of in-depth experience and expertise that will help us continue to make progress in our program areas.”

To learn more about Resolve to Save Lives, please visit: https://resolvetosavelives.org/about/team

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5 October 2023 (New York, USA)—Today, Resolve to Save Lives officially welcomed the Resolve to Save Lives Ethiopia team at an inaugural event hosted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  

“After four years of rapid expansion and progress with cardiovascular health and epidemic prevention programs in Ethiopia, I’m pleased to announce that our programs in Ethiopia are now a part of Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), after a successful incubation period at Vital Strategies,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. “Our RTSL Ethiopia team, with the support of essential partners, is implementing life-saving programs and sharing best practices with the global community—improving health for the people of Ethiopia and the world.”  

“Over 10 million people in Ethiopia have hypertension and the average intake of salt is 3 grams above World Health Organization’s (WHO) daily maximum,” said Dr. Manuel Sibhatu, Country Director, RTSL Ethiopia.  “We will continue to collaborate closely with the Ethiopian government and non-governmental organizations, as well as global programs, to implement and scale effective efforts to reduce high blood pressure and excess sodium consumption. We will also continue supporting the Ethiopian Public Health Institute to strengthen national health security systems and increase its scores on International Health Regulation capabilities.”

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“We are delighted to welcome Sherif Sakr to the Resolve to Save Lives team,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. “Sherif’s background and experience in the United States and globally with public sector and non-profit organizations centered around education and health and his deep expertise in audit and finance will add a fresh and invaluable perspective to our board of directors. His drive and dedication to his volunteer work on a global scale will enhance our impact as we strive to save lives around the world.”

Sakr is a Certified Public Accountant; author of several publications on topics related to global finance and a frequent speaker on these topics at national and international conferences. Sakr has also received the Volunteer Service Award from the President of the United States in recognition of his global volunteer activities. He has led educational workshops and been involved with community initiatives in the New York City metropolitan area, in addition to supporting domestic and global non-profit organizations that focus on education and health.

“I am excited to join Resolve to Save Lives,” said Sherif Sakr.  “I have a passion for education, health, and the empowerment of women and children, and I feel honored to work with an organization making a global impact in each of these areas.”

“Sherif Sakr has a strong track record of excellence in finance and audit. We are excited for him to bring this deep expertise to the RTSL Board of Directors,” said Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Resolve to Save Lives Board Chair and Co-President of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP). “He has a clear understanding of our organization’s mission and values and a demonstrated commitment to our goals. We look forward to working with him and incorporating his unique perspective as we continue to partner with organizations and countries to improve lives and build a healthier world.”

To learn more about Resolve to Save Lives and its Board of Directors, please visit: https://resolvetosavelives.org/about/team.

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Hypertension affects 1 in 3 adults worldwide. This common, deadly condition leads to stroke,  heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage and many other health problems. 

The number of people living with hypertension (blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher or  taking medication for hypertension) doubled between 1990 and 2019, from 650 million to 1.3  billion. Nearly half of people with hypertension globally are currently unaware of their  condition. More than three-quarters of adults with hypertension live in low- and middle-income countries.  

Older age and genetics can increase the risk of having high blood pressure, but modifiable risk  factors such as eating high-salt diet, not being physically active and drinking too much alcohol  can also increase the risk of hypertension.  

Lifestyle changes like eating a healthier diet, quitting tobacco and being more active can help  lower blood pressure. Some people may need medicines that can control hypertension effectively and prevent related complications. 

The prevention, early detection and effective management of hypertension are among the most cost effective interventions in health care and should be prioritized by countries as part of their national  health benefit package offered at a primary care level. The economic benefits of improved hypertension  treatment programmes outweigh the costs by about 18 to 1. 

“Hypertension can be controlled effectively with simple, low-cost medication regimens, and yet  only about one in five people with hypertension have controlled it.” Said Dr. Tedros Adhanom  Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Hypertension control programmes remain neglected,  under-prioritized and vastly underfunded. Strengthening hypertension control must be part of  every country’s journey towards universal health coverage, based on well-functioning,  equitable and resilient health systems, built on a foundation of primary health care.” 

The report is being launched during the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly  which addresses progress for the Sustainable Development Goals including health goals on  pandemic preparedness and response, ending tuberculosis and attaining Universal Health  Coverage. Better prevention and control of hypertension will be essential to progress in all of  these. 

An increase in the number of patients effectively treated for hypertension to levels observed in  high-performing countries could prevent 76 million deaths, 120 million strokes, 79 million heart  attacks, and 17 million cases of heart failure between now and 2050. 

“Most heart attacks and strokes in the world today can be prevented with affordable, safe,  accessible medicines and other interventions, such as sodium reduction,” said Michael  R. Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries. “Treating  hypertension through primary health care will save lives, while also saving billions of dollars a  year.” 

Hypertension can easily be treated with safe, widely available, low-cost generic medications using programmes such as HEARTS. WHO’s HEARTS technical package for cardiovascular disease  management in primary health care and the Guideline for the pharmacological treatment of  hypertension in adults provide proven and practical steps to deliver effective hypertension care  in primary health care settings. 

Effective community- and country-wide blood pressure management can be achieved in  countries of all income levels. More than 40 low- and middle-income countries, including  Bangladesh, Cuba, India and Sri Lanka, have strengthened their hypertension care with the  HEARTS package, enrolling more than 17 million people into treatment programmes. Countries  such as Canada and South Korea delivered comprehensive national hypertension treatment  programmes, and both countries surpassed the 50% mark for blood pressure control in adults living with hypertension. Sustained, systematic national hypertension control programmes can  succeed—and a high level of blood pressure control translates into fewer strokes and heart  attacks, and longer, healthier lives. 

The report underscores the importance of implementing WHO-recommended effective  hypertension care to save lives, which include the following five components: 

• Protocol: practical dose- and drug-specific treatment protocols with specific action steps  for managing uncontrolled blood pressure can streamline care and improve adherence. • Medication and equipment supply: regular, uninterrupted access to affordable  medication is necessary for effective hypertension treatment; currently, prices for  essential anti-hypertensive medicines vary by more than ten-fold between countries. • Team-based care: patient outcomes improve when a team collaborates to adjust and  intensify blood pressure medication regimens per doctor orders and protocols.
• Patient-centred services: to reduce barriers to care by providing easy-to-take  medication regimens, free medications and close-to-home follow-up visits, and making  blood pressure monitoring readily available. 
• Information systems: user-centred, simple information systems facilitate rapid  recording of essential patient-level data, reduce health care worker data entry burden,  and support rapid scale-up while maintaining or improving the quality of care. 

“Every hour, more than 1 000 people die from strokes and heart attacks. Most of these deaths  are caused by high blood pressure, and most could have been prevented,” said Dr Tom Frieden,  President & CEO, Resolve to Save Lives. “Good hypertension care is affordable, within reach, and  strengthens primary health care. The challenge now is to go from “within reach” to “reached.” This will require commitment of governments around the world.” 

Learn more about the global impact of high blood pressure and the HEARTS package to control  it here. 

Read the full report here.  

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Notes for editors: 

WHO has partnered with Resolve to Save Lives, a not-for-profit organization, to support  countries around the world to implement the HEARTS technical package—a strategic, step-by step approach to support countries to strengthen hypertension care in primary health care  settings, which includes screening and treatment protocols. Since 2017, Bloomberg  Philanthropies has supported WHO and Resolve to Save Lives global efforts to save lives. 

Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, is the WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries since 2016. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investments in public health include major, life-saving initiatives to reduce tobacco and youth e-cigarette use through $1.58 billion in investments, support healthy food policy, reduce drowning, and improve road safety and maternal health, among others. In July 2022, Bloomberg Philanthropies invested an additional $115 million into its Cardiovascular Health initiative – bringing its total investment to $216 million since 2017 – to continue preventing deaths from heart disease. 

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“We are delighted to have Dr. Nnenna Ezeigwe join the RTSL Nigeria Board of Directors,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, Director, Resolve to Save Lives Nigeria. “Dr. Ezeigwe’s leadership and experience in both the public and private sectors will be invaluable as we remain focused on our mission to save lives and prevent epidemics.”

Dr. Ezeigwe formerly served as the Director and National Coordinator, Non-Communicable Diseases for the Ministry of Health, Nigeria until her retirement in March 2021. Among many achievements during her tenure, Dr. Ezeigwe helped to reduce the prevalence of malaria throughout the country and championed the first National Multi-sectoral Action Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD), which earned an award from the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force (UNIATF) for NCD in 2020. Dr. Ezeigwe is a fellow of the Medical College of Public Health and holds degrees or certifications from several institutions, including the University of Lagos, Rutgers University School of Public Health, and the Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health.

“I am committed to supporting the mission and work of Resolve to Save Lives Nigeria by serving on the RTSL Nigeria Board of Directors,” said Dr. Nnenna Ezeigwe. “In such a short time, the organization has made impressive progress advancing cardiovascular health and preparedness in Nigeria and beyond.”

“Resolve to Save Lives Nigeria welcomes Dr. Ezeigwe’s leadership,” said Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar, RTSL Nigeria Board Director and Dean of the University College London Faculty of Population Health Sciences. “Her experience and knowledge in program implementation and environmental health will further strengthen the RTSL Nigeria Board of Directors and help accelerate progress in the country and around the globe.”

The appointment of Dr. Ezeigwe to the RTSL Nigeria Board of Directors follows Dr. Iruka Okeke’s appointment this past January, indicating the strong commitment of RTSL Nigeria to the mission and country. To learn more about Resolve to Save Lives Nigeria and its Board of Directors, please visit: https://resolvetosavelives.org/about/team.

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26 May 2023 (NEW YORK, USA)—“By passing a best-practice policy banning industrially produced trans fat from its food supply, Sri Lanka joins neighbors India and Bangladesh and 51  other countries in the global World Health Organization REPLACE Initiative to eliminate this toxic food additive worldwide. Sri Lanka’s timely actions bring the total number of people protected from trans fat to 3.6 billion, or 47% of the global population. This will save an estimated 50,000 lives in Sri Lanka between now and 2047—approximately 2,200 lives per year. We congratulate Sri Lanka on its commitment to the health of their people and encourage other high-burden countries in the region, such as Indonesia and Nepal, to join Sri Lanka in the global effort to eliminate trans fat from the world’s food supply by the end of 2023.”

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10 May 2023 (NEW YORK, USA)—“We congratulate Nigeria on the passage of its new best practice trans fat elimination policy, which will save approximately 1,200 lives per year. As the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria has set a powerful example for other African nations that wish to protect the heart health of their people and reach for a trans fat-free Africa. 

“Not only would passing best practice policies help to reduce the burden of heart disease throughout Africa, but it would inhibit the dumping of unhealthy foods into Africa as the rest of the world passes policies to ban the toxic food additive. Already, nearly half of the world’s population is covered by trans fat free policies. 

“This regulation is the result of years of work and partnership between the Federal Ministry of Health; Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC); the Network for Health Equity and Development; Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa; Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI); and Resolve to Save Lives. We look forward to supporting the Ministry of Health and NAFDAC to implement the regulation and apply for the World Health Organization’s validation program which will recognize countries that have officially eliminated industrially produced trans fat from their food supply.” 

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