Opportunistic screening for diabetes mellitus and hypertension in primary care settings of Karnataka, India : few steps forward but still some way to go- Raw Data

Increasing burden of non-communicable diseases is an important public health concern in developing counties. To address this, the national non-communicable diseases programme was rolled out in India. A thorough understanding of operational issues involved in opportunistic screening of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) at primary health facilities is critical in meeting the objectives of this programme. Most of the studies so far have not responded to this need. Our study provides valuable insights regarding this which will guide the programme managers to take corrective measures.The objective was to determine the number and proportion eligible for screening, number screened, diagnosed and treated for DM and HTN among persons aged ≥30 years in two selected primary health centres (PHCs) in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, India during March-May 2019 and to explore the enablers and barriers in the implementation of screening from the perspective of the health care providers (HCPs) and beneficiaries . This was a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study with a quantitative (cohort design) and a descriptive qualitative component (in-depth interviews and focus group discussions) with HCPs and persons seeking care. Those that were not known DM/HTN and not screened for DM/HTN in one year were used to estimate persons eligible for screening. This consists of the raw data sheets of the study and includes the de-identified participant results from the quantitative study and the de-identified transcripts from the focused group discussions and key informant interviews. I