Perceived health system facilitators and barriers to integrated management of hypertension and type 2 diabetes in Kenya: a qualitative study

Objective: Understanding the facilitators and barriers to managing hypertension and type 2 diabetes (T2D) will inform the design of a contextually appropriate integrated chronic care model in Kenya. We explored the perceived facilitators and barriers to the integrated management of hypertension and T2D in Kenya using the Rainbow Model of Integrated Care.

Design: This was a qualitative study using data from a larger mixed-methods study on the health system response to chronic disease management in Kenya, conducted between July 2019 and February 2020. Data were collected through 44 key informant interviews (KIIs) and eight focus group discussions (FGDs).

Setting: Multistage sampling procedures were used to select a random sample of 12 study counties in Kenya.

Participants: The participants for the KIIs comprised purposively selected healthcare providers, county health managers, policy experts and representatives from non-state organisations. The participants for the FGDs included patients with hypertension and T2D.

Outcome measures: Patients’ and providers’ perspectives of the health system facilitators and barriers to the integrated management of hypertension and T2D in Kenya.

Results: The clinical integration facilitators included patient peer support groups for hypertension and T2D. The major professional integration facilitators included task shifting, continuous medical education and integration of community resource persons. The national referral system, hospital insurance fund and health management information system emerged as the major facilitators for organisational and functional integration. The system integration facilitators included decentralisation of services and multisectoral partnerships. The major barriers comprised vertical healthcare services characterised by service unavailability, unresponsiveness and unaffordability. Others included a shortage of skilled personnel, a lack of interoperable e-health platforms and care integration policy implementation gaps.

Conclusions: Our study identified barriers and facilitators that may be harnessed to improve the integrated management of hypertension and T2D. The facilitators should be strengthened, and barriers to care integration redressed.