Telephone Outreach Is Associated With Improved Blood Pressure in Patients at an Urban Community Health Center.

Less than half of patients with hypertension achieve blood pressure control, with racial disparities in control rates.

• Black Americans on antihypertensive medication experience BP control rates of 34.9%
• Non-Hispanic Whites on antihypertensive medication experience BP control rates of 45.0%
• These disparities are attributed to persistent healthcare disparities and socioeconomic barriers
• Hypertension disproportionately affects marginalized communities

The study was conducted as a single-cohort, pre-post intervention pilot study at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) targeting patients with severe hypertension.

• Study design was a single-cohort, pre-post intervention study
• Setting was a Federally Qualified Health Center serving a historically underserved population
• Patients with severe hypertension were identified and contacted by trained student ambassadors (SAs)
• The intervention included telephone outreach, hypertension-specific health education, health goal-setting, guidance for self-monitoring blood pressure, and referrals to address health-related social needs (HRSN)
• In-person classes were also provided to educate patients on BP self-monitoring and goal setting regarding healthy lifestyle practices

Engaged patients demonstrated a reduction in both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) following the intervention.

• Reductions in SBP and DBP were observed among patients who engaged with the telephone outreach intervention
• The study was a pilot study, limiting generalizability
• Results were reported among 'engaged patients,' suggesting not all contacted patients were included in the outcome analysis

Patients demonstrated improved hypertension knowledge following the intervention.

• Improved hypertension knowledge was observed as an outcome of the combined telephone outreach and in-person education intervention
• In-person classes included education on BP self-monitoring and goal setting regarding healthy lifestyle practices
• Student ambassadors provided hypertension-specific health education during telephone outreach

Telephone outreach combined with skill-based in-person education can improve hypertension control in Black American populations.

• The intervention was designed specifically for a historically underserved population
• The combination of telephone outreach and in-person skill-based education was identified as a key feature of the successful approach
• Referrals to address health-related social needs (HRSN) were incorporated as part of the intervention model
• Authors suggest these findings have implications for reducing racial disparities in hypertension control