Hypertension identification via emergency responders: A randomized controlled intervention study

Objective. The objective was to test the effectiveness of a mail campaign that included blood pressure (BP) measurements from patients treated by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to motivate them to (re) check their BP at a fire station. The mailing used a 2 x 2 research design tailoring on risk and source personalization. Method. In this randomized controlled trial, participants were randomized into a control group or one of four experimental groups. Participants residing in one of four fire departments in a Pacific Northwest metropolitan area were eligible if they had a systolic BP >= 160 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP >= 100 mm Hg when seen by EMTs during the study period (July 2007-September 2009). Results. Of 7106 eligible participants, 40.7% were reached for a follow-up interview. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that although the absolute number of fire station BP checks was low (4%), participants who received any mailed intervention had a 3 to 5-fold increase in the odds of reporting a fire station BP check over controls. Fire station visits did not differ by type of tailored mailing. Conclusion. Partnering with Emergency Medical Services is an innovative way to identify high-risk community members for population health interventions. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.