Education on and Screening for Secondary Hypertension: A Quality Improvement Project

Secondary hypertension is a type of hypertension where blood pressure is high due to a specific cause. When it is identified, a healthcare provider can provide more appropriate treatment and improve health outcomes. The clinical practice guidelines state that certain patients should be screened for secondary hypertension. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase confidence levels among primary care nurse practitioners (NPs) and increase their knowledge of secondary hypertension in order to improve adherence to the clinical practice guidelines. An educational intervention and reference sheet were provided to NPs, and pre- and post-intervention questionnaires were distributed. The results showed that confidence levels and knowledge increased among the participants after the intervention. This project demonstrated that an educational intervention was an effective tool for teaching NPs about clinical practice guidelines related to hypertension management.