Study Protocol - Assessing the feasibility of 'Screening by Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHAs) and diagnosis by Community Health officers of Asthma and COPD at the primary health care System- A Novel Strategy- SHVASAN'.

UNLABELLED: Underestimating the burden of Chronic respiratory diseases (COPD-Asthma) is a past error that needs to be remedied, and cases with these diseases are to be screened and diagnosed! Current health policies primarily focus on other NCDs like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, indicating a need for more targeted interventions for CRDs. A thorough literature review was conducted to analyse the evidence for probable solutions to address the CRD's and available models for screening and diagnosis at primary health care. Based on this, an implementation model is proposed- Screening by Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHAs)and diagnosis by Community Health officers (CHOs)of Asthma and COPD at the primary health care System- A Novel Strategy- SHVASAN (local meaning breathing).

OBJECTIVE

To assess the feasibility of implementation of a " SHVASAN " model for screening and diagnosis of COPD and Asthma at the primary health care level. Methodology: Mixed methods to assess feasibility, including the Delphi technique. Implementation will begin with the training of ASHAs, CHOs, and equipment will be provided for setting up the screening and diagnosis across one rural PHC in Pune district, India. All 35 villages and ASHAs would be screening the population above 30 years of age. And CHOs across all Health and wellness centres (06 + 02 at PHC and one at RH) will diagnose the CRDs. Feasibility would be assessed after one year of the SHVASAN model implementation. A Delphi study would be conducted to formulate the feasibility dimensions and formulate the feasibility index. Considering feasibility dimensions, qualitative and quantitative data would be collected to assess the feasibility of the model, which includes the population screened by the ASHAs and the number of diagnostic tests conducted at health wellness centers. And focused group discussions, in-depth interviews will be conducted to understand the facilitators and operational challenges of the SHVASAN implementation.

DISCUSSION: SHVASAN builds on the NPCDCS Govt of India guidelines. This is a novel, low-cost adaptation for peripheral workers with limited specialist access.​This research will inform potential feasibility and the development of implementation strategies as public health services prepare for broader rollout in the near future.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: CTRI/2025/10/095547.