title: Assessment of hypertension guidelines adherence at a free clinic serving a predominantly Latino population in Providence, RI.
abstract: Hypertension affects more than 50 million people in the United States. A recent national health study (NHANES) found that the proportion of certain Hispanic ethnic groups with stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension was greater than for whites. In order to identify areas of improvement, as well as to examine trends in patient outcomes, Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic (CEHC), a free clinic for the uninsured, recently conducted a study to evaluate how well the clinic's hypertensive patients are treated, according to current guidelines for hypertension, as compared to other clinics in the U.S. that serve the uninsured. For five out of the six health measures documented, at least 50% of CEHC hypertensive patients met or exceeded the goal values; these numbers are on par with if not better than other national comparators. This study has provided encouraging baseline data, upon which CEHC plans to make further improvements.
authors.affiliation: Smith College, Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic.
authors.forename: Farzana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kibria
authors.affiliation: Harvard University, Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic.
authors.forename: Jillian L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Brown University, Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shulman
authors.affiliation: Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.affiliation: Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic, University of Rhode Island, Providence RI.
authors.forename: Anne S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: De Groot
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012237:Rhode Island; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Free Clinic; Hispanic; Hypertension; Latino; Uninsured