Hypertension screening in a primary care clinic

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Health Maintenance
• Clinical Audit

Background:

• Effective health maintenance is crucial in primary care.
• Consistent patient attendance is key for preventive services.
• Accurate record-keeping supports guideline adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To audit patient attendance and blood pressure recording rates.
• To identify gaps in health maintenance documentation.
• To evaluate the utility of flow sheets for improving screening.

Main Methods:

• Chart audit of 250 adult patients at a university family practice.
• Analysis of clinic attendance over a five-year period.
• Assessment of blood pressure recording frequency in patient charts.

Main Results:

• 91.9% of patients attended clinic over five years (94.5% females, 89.0% males).
• 80.6% had blood pressure recorded (85.0% females, 75.3% males).
• Only 54.5% of males aged 30-39 had blood pressure recorded.

Conclusions:

• While attendance is high, blood pressure recording shows room for improvement.
• Specific demographics, like younger males, require targeted attention.
• Flow sheets offer a practical solution for enhancing hypertension screening documentation.