Undergraduate students trained to provide basic health care screening in an underserved community: a door-to-door...

Millions of Americans fail to receive proper preventative care and/or have poorly managed chronic conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine if local student volunteers could be utilized to assess hypertension in an underserved community. The two primary objectives included first determining if student volunteers could be effectively trained to perform blood pressure screening and if they could then successfully provide such screening door-to-door in a targeted community.

Volunteers were recruited from local universities, trained and skill tested in basic medical techniques and simulated door-to-door interactions. Of 43 initial students, 37 successfully completed written and competency exams. During the two-weekend community engagement, 220 individuals answered door knocks and 80 agreed to screening. Of those without a previous diagnosis of hypertension, 70.9% had an abnormal reading as did 87% of those who had been previously diagnosed with hypertension. This methodology was implemented at minimal cost and was perceived as a benefit by both students and community members.

The study scope did not allow longer-term follow up for those with abnormal readings, but did serve as a reminder for those diagnosed with hypertension to monitor their status and as an indication for those undiagnosed that they may need to seek further care. Our findings are important because they show that undergraduate students are a viable source of volunteers for performing medically-related community outreach.