Improving primary care follow-up for gynecologic patients with hypertension: an implementation science pilot study

Hypertension is the leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in women. Timely referral to primary care from specialty clinics for hypertension occurs infrequently, even among gynecologists. BP Connect, a staff protocol for specialty clinics, doubled the odds of timely primary care follow-up for rheumatology patients with hypertension. In this study from HIP Investigators Dr. Christie Bartels, Dr. Heidi Brown, and Dr. Edmond Ramly, they sought to evaluate the feasibility and impact of implementing BP Connect in gynecology clinics.

In two clinics, the BP Connect intervention trained medical assistants and nurses. Descriptive analyses compared the rates of BP remeasurement and the offers for and fulfillment of timely primary care follow-up in the 6 months before and after BP Connect implementation. BP Connect implementation was found to be feasible in academic gynecology clinics and doubled the likelihood of patients with high BP having timely primary care follow-up without creating an undue burden on specialty clinics.