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. 2020 Jan/Mar;43(1):35-45.
doi: 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000242.

Who Are the Undiagnosed? Disparities in Hypertension Diagnoses in Vulnerable Populations

Margaret Meador  1 , Joy H Lewis, R Curtis Bay, Hilary K Wall, Chanaye Jackson
Affiliations

Who Are the Undiagnosed? Disparities in Hypertension Diagnoses in Vulnerable Populations

Margaret Meador et al. Fam Community Health. 2020 Jan/Mar.

Abstract

This study builds upon a project that developed clinical criteria to identify undiagnosed hypertension patients "hiding in plain sight" (HIPS) by examining patient characteristics to understand whether there are disparities in hypertension diagnosis. We examined electronic health record demographic data for patients identified by the HIPS criteria and subgroups at 3 Missouri health centers. Identified patients who returned for a follow-up visit and were subsequently diagnosed with hypertension tended to be older, black/African American, uninsured, and classified as having obesity. Younger, white, healthy weight females were less likely to be diagnosed. These findings point to exploring possible biases/other nonclinical factors in hypertension diagnosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Clinical criteria for the HIPS algorithm. HIPS indicates hiding in plain sight.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Patients identified by the HIPS algorithm by return visit and hypertension diagnosis status. HIPS indicates hiding in plain sight.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Summary of characteristics of those identified by the HIPS algorithm and subgroups. HIPS indicates hiding in plain sight.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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