Improving Accuracy of Blood Pressure Measurements in Patients within a Primary Care Clinic

Hypertension (HTN) is a significant healthcare concern in the primary care setting. Seventy-five million adult Americans are estimated to have HTN, and the expectation is that it will cost the healthcare system $46 billion each year. Acquiring blood pressure (BP) measurements is a simple and common assessment in primary care and the accuracy of this measurement is vital to the diagnosis and treatment of HTN. Incorrect techniques can lead to misdiagnosis or over medication. The 2017 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association Guideline for HTN in Adults stressed the need for health care providers to follow the guidelines to obtain accurate BP measurements to reduce inaccuracy before providing treatment for HTN. In one urban community health center, medical providers identified the need to examine the accuracy of BP measurements, where approximately 70% of the patients receive treatment for HTN. The purpose of the quality Improvement (QI) project was to improve the accuracy of BP measurement acquired by the medical assistants (MAs) in a community health clinic in an urban setting. The aims of this project were to: 1) evaluate current practices and techniques in assessing BP; 2) improve the knowledge and skill in accurate BP assessment; and 3) determine if repeating an elevated BP results in improved accuracy. The PDSA model was used as a conceptual framework to implement change. A pre- and post-test design was used to assess current BP assessment practices and knowledge and was followed by an in-service for MAs on accurate assessment of BP. After four weeks, a post-test was administered to the MAs to reassess their knowledge of BP techniques and observation was completed on assessment of BP techniques. The results of the project showed that MAs demonstrated an improvement in the application of knowledge and skill to correct measure BP in their patients.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Kansas

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Lawson-Moore, Nina Nadu K

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Buller, Carol

• Nursing

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright held by the author.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:17053

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/39320