BP Connect Improves Follow-up of High Blood Pressure in Urban Rheumatology and Non-Rheumatology Clinics.

Poster presenter: Alexa Figueroa Baiges, BS, Medical Student, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Poster title: BP Connect Improves Follow-up of High Blood Pressure in Urban Rheumatology and Non-Rheumatology Clinics.

Poster session A: Saturday, Nov. 16

What is your poster about?
“BP Connect is a clinic staff rooming protocol that helped double timely primary care follow-up after high blood pressure (BP) for hypertension in a suburban academic rheumatology clinic. Its Check-Advise-Connect steps during rooming recheck blood pressure, advise risk, and facilitate real-time scheduling of primary care visits after high blood pressure in specialty clinics. This study showed generalizability of the BP Connect protocol in urban rheumatology and non-rheumatology clinics.”

Why did you decide to investigate this topic?
“Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of early mortality for patients with rheumatic diseases. Hypertension accounts for more than 54% of modifiable CVD risk. Studies have found that although 49% of U.S. outpatient visits occur in specialty clinics, only 10% of these visits recommend follow-up for high blood pressure. Since BP Connect was proven to increase timely primary care follow-up in our rheumatology clinics, we wanted to study if the protocol would be applicable to other specialty clinics.”

What are you working on next related to this research?
“In the future we want to do a multisite randomized controlled implementation trial of BP Connect in rheumatology clinics and beyond.”

What excites you most about your work?
“The ability to decrease health disparities between populations with rheumatic diseases.”

What are you most looking forward to at ACR Convergence 2024 in Washington, D.C.?
“Getting to learn more about advancements in treatments, hearing from renowned rheumatology experts, learning about patient perspectives, and networking opportunities!”