Research Project

A Multi-level Health IT Intervention to Reduce Hypertension Disparities for Black Patients: Preliminary Study

Principal Investigator: Cajita, Mia
Start Date: 2024-05-01
End Date: 2025-11-30
Funding Source: Internal Research Support Program

Abstract

The overall goal of the project is to evaluate the effect of a multi-level health information technology (MHIT) intervention that addresses patient-, provider-, and socioeconomic-related barriers to hypertension management for Black people with hypertension. The MHIT intervention leverages the patient portal (MyChart), electronic health record (Epic), and community resource referral system (Unite Us) to improve hypertension outcomes. The specific aims of the preliminary study are: (1) to assess the effect of the hypertension self-care videos on the participants' hypertension knowledge, beliefs, motivation, and self-care; and (2) to explore the attitudes and perspectives of clinicians toward clinical decision support tools for managing their patients' hypertension. To achieve Aim 1, we will enroll 50 Black adults with hypertension who will be randomly assigned to either the MHIT intervention group (n=25) or the control group (n=25). To achieve Aim 2, we will survey stakeholders (administrators, clinicians, and patients) from Mile Square Health Center and interview a subsample of clinicians to further elicit their thoughts on incorporating clinical decision support tools into their daily workflows.