Adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines for Screening and Management of Pediatric High Blood Pressure within a Massachusetts Safety-Net Health Care System

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PROJECT SUMMARY Cardiovascular trajectories begin in early childhood and continue across the life course. Early recognition and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in childhood stand to improve these trajectories and prevent CVD risk factors in adulthood. One CVD risk factor which in conjunction with obesity has gained prominence in childhood and which affects about 1 in every 25 children in the U.S is hypertension. Health disparities which are intrinsically linked to social determinants of health (i.e., the circumstances that children live in), persist in the prevalence of hypertension with consistently higher rates of this condition seen in those of lower socioeconomic status and those of Black race and Latino ethnicity. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2017 Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend regular screening and follow-up for the detection and management of hypertension. However, diagnosis of this condition is rare (~74% undiagnosed), and there are racial disparities in the likelihood of diagnosis as white children are more likely to have this condition diagnosed. Understanding the processes that lead to a diagnosis of hypertension (e.g., blood pressure screening and follow-up), since the release of the updated AAP guidelines, is lacking. Therefore, the goal of the present investigation is to describe the current state of pediatric blood pressure screening and follow-up according to the 2017 AAP guidelines. Using retrospective electronic health record data for children aged 3-17 years from the UMass Memorial Health Care System, a safety-net system, and the largest non-for profit health care system in Central Massachusetts, we will: (1) conduct a one year period prevalence study to quantify the prevalence of guideline adherent blood pressure screening and examine disparities in lack of receipt of guideline concordant care; (2) conduct a cohort study through which we will describe the cumulative incidence of guideline adherent follow-up after the detection of high blood pressure and disparities in the lack of receipt of guideline concordant care; and (3) conduct a qualitative study through which we will describe providers’ experiences with and perceptions of clinical practice guidelines for pediatric blood pressure screening and follow-up. Through the present work it is hypothesized that inequities in care, heterogeneity in follow-up, and challenges to guideline adherence will be identified to inform future efforts to improve clinical practice guideline uptake and pediatric preventive care. Supported by a robust academic environment at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and a rigorous, tailored training plan, this F31 will position Ms. Goulding to become an independent investigator addressing CVD health disparities among youth.