Open AccessScreening for High Blood Pressure in Adults During Ambulatory Nonprimary Care Visits: Opportunities to Improve Hypertension Recognition
Author(s) -
Handler Joel,
Mohan Yasmina,
Kanter Michael H.,
Reynolds Kristi,
Li Xia,
Nguyen Miki,
Young Deborah R.,
Koebnick Corinna
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the journal of clinical hypertension
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1751-7176
pISSN - 1524-6175
DOI - 10.1111/jch.12517
Subject(s) - medicine , blood pressure , ambulatory , ambulatory blood pressure , primary care , specialty , ambulatory care , health care , emergency medicine , family medicine , economics , economic growth
Visits with nonprimary care providers such as optometrists may be missed opportunities for the detection of high blood pressure (BP). For this study, normotensive adults with at least 12 months of health plan membership on January 1, 2009 (n=1,075,522) were followed‐up for high BP through March 14, 2011. Of 111,996 patients with a BP measurement ≥140/90 mm Hg, 82.7% were measured during primary care visits and 17.3% during nonprimary care visits. Individuals with a BP ≥140/90 mm Hg measured during nonprimary care visits were older and more likely to be male and non‐Hispanic white. The proportion of patients with follow‐up and false‐positives were comparable between primary and nonprimary care. The main nonprimary care specialty to identify a first BP ≥140/90 mm Hg was ophthalmology/optometry with 24.5% of all patients. Results suggest that expanding screening for hypertension to nonprimary care settings may improve the detection of hypertension.