A Brief, Multifaceted, Generic Intervention to Improve Blood Pressure Control and Reduce Disparities Had Little Effect
In: Ethnicity & disease: an international journal on population differences in health and disease patterns, Band 26, Heft 1, S. 27
ISSN: 1945-0826
<p><strong>Background</strong>. Poor blood pressure (BP) control and racial disparities therein may be a function of clinical inertia and ineffective communication about BP care.</p><p><strong>Methods. </strong>We compared two different interventions (electronic medical record reminder for BP care (Reminder only [RO]), and clinician training on BP care-related communication skills plus the reminder (Reminder + Training, [R+T]) with usual care in three primary care clinics, examining BP outcomes among 8,866 patients, and provider-patient communication and medication adherence among a subsample of 793.</p><p><strong>Results. </strong>Clinician counseling improved most at R+T. BP improved overall; R+T had a small but significantly greater reduction in diastolic BP (DBP; -1.7 mm Hg). White patients at RO experienced greater overall improvements in BP control. Site and race disparities trends suggested that disparities decreased at R+T, either stayed the same or decreased at Control; and stayed the same or increased at RO. </p><p><strong>Conclusions. </strong>More substantial or racial/ethnically tailored interventions are needed. Ethn Dis. 2016;26(1):27-36; doi: 10.18865/ed.26.1.27</p>